Political consulting
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{{PoliticalCampaigns}}
'''Political consulting''', beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific [[management consulting]] industry which has grown up around advising and assisting [[political campaign]]s. This article deals primarily with the development, and nature, of political consulting in the [[United States]]. Though its most important role is probably in the production of [[mass media]] (largely [[television]]), political consultants advise campaigns on virtually all of their activities, from research to field strategy. Consultants conduct candidate research, voter research, and [[opposition research]] for their clients.
==Origins==
The practice of consulting has several early antecedents. President [[William McKinley]]'s closest political advisor [[Mark Hanna]] is sometimes described as the first political consultant. In California in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, [[Whitaker and Baxter]] established and grew the first true consulting firm, [[Campaigns, Inc.]] However, political consulting blossomed with the increasing use of [[television advertising]] for campaign communications in the 1960s. It was in that period that [[Joseph Napolitan]] claims to have become the first person to describe himself as a political consultant (Perlmutter, ed. ''Manship Guide to Political Communication'', pg19).
In the subsequent years, political consulting has grown in importance and influence and extended its reach to campaigns at all levels of government in the United States, and beyond. Many consultants work not only for campaigns, but also for other political organizations, including [[political party|parties]] and [[political action committee]]s, sometimes through [[independent expenditure]]s; some also do [[public relations]] and research work for [[corporation]]s and [[government]]s.
==Criticisms==
===Personal benefit===
As political consulting became more prevalent, political consultants increasingly were personally in the spotlight, with [[journalism|journalists]] devoting considerable attention to their activities. Many successful political consultants, such as [[James Carville]], capitalized on their fame to become professional or semi-professional [[pundit (politics)|pundits]]. Such political consultants routinely appear on television news programs, write books, and are treated as media [[celebrity|celebrities]].
Some people accuse media-centric consultants of putting their own interests and images ahead of their clients.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} Even some political consultants allege that too many consultants put their financial interests ahead of the campaigns they are hired to serve, taking on too many clients and focusing too much energy on building their reputations.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}
===Style of modern campaigns===
Critics also blame political consulting, at least in part, for a variety of ills of the modern election process. In part because broadcast media consultants are often paid on commission, they are blamed specifically for the rising cost of political campaigns and the increasing reliance on paid media. A successful candidate running a low-budget campaign would be a serious economic threat to the political consulting field; such candidates, however, are rare.
Some activists, particularly within the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], charge that political consultants are a major obstacle to [[participatory democracy]], political reform, and electoral success for the Democrats. In a much-publicized [[e-mail]] on [[December 9]], [[2004]], the online activist group [[MoveOn.org]] wrote, "For years, the Party has been led by elite Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they are to the Democratic base. But we can't afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers."
Lastly, there is growing professional opposition to what is called a "[[cookie cutter campaign]]", where the themes and strategies of one campaign are transferred to another campaign, despite what may be major differences in political context. Brian Wright, president of Democrasource, LLC (an Ohio-based national political consulting firm specializing in enhanced campaign data strategies and micro-targeting), believes that "...campaign communications techniques are evolving so quickly—anyone sitting on the sidelines or clinging to the last presidential campaign’s strategies is done. The book’s been rewritten."
==Trade organizations==
The [[American Association of Political Consultants]] is the major trade association for political consultants in the United States, with thousands of members. Like similar professional organizations, it propagates a code of ethics and gives out awards (the much-coveted "[[Pollie Awards|Pollies]]").
*[http://www.iapc.org/ The International Association of Political Consultants]
*[http://www.apapc.com/ The Asia Pacific Association of Political Consultants]
*[http://www.alacop.net/ The Association of Latin American Political Consultants]
*[http://www.eapc.com/ European Association of Political Consultants]
==Magazine of Record==
The magazine of record of the political consulting industry is [[Campaigns & Elections]].
==See also==
* [[:Category:Political consultants]]
* [[:Category:Political consulting firms]]
* [[Political campaign staff]]
==External links==
* [http://www.completecampaigns.com/article.asp?articleid=2 "How to Choose the Right Political Consultant"]
* [http://campaignline.com Campaigns & Elections magazine]
[[Category:Election campaigning]]
[[Category:Political occupations]]
[[Category:Consulting]]