The new Machiavellians: Political consultants in contemporary American theory and practice

Political consultants play an increasing role in modern American politics. This is a role that began some forty years earlier in the politics of the Presidential election of 1960. Whether these consultants are hired for polling, media production, fund-raising or campaign strategy, modern political candidates are unable (or unwilling) to make a move without their consultant's advice and consent. Modern political campaigns are full of these "hired guns" who, in some instances, attempt to sell their clients to voters just like advertising firms try and sell corn flakes to consumers. Despite their proliferation throughout all levels of politics, little academic research has been done to access their true impact on democratic processes. The influence of political consultants on contemporary American democratic theory and practice since 1960 is the subject of this work.;To set the context, this work will cover political consultant history and background of the profession. Then it will present several selected theories of democracy in order to understand how consultants affect key elements of them. A review of selected literature on consultancy will follow. Then a history of the American electoral experience and the influence and work of consultants within it over time is presented. My hypothesis is that political consultants have become so important to American electoral practice that they have become "unofficial institutions" within it. Throughout this work a historical and conceptual approach is used.;The implication that political consultants have become an essential part of democratic practice can also be tested. I have designed a project to see if this is true Using the New York Times as my case study, I will use frequency counts of phrases and terms connected with consultants to calculate just how often these terms are used. From this, we can make valid arguments on the relative use and importance of political consultants in American democratic practice over time.;I found that not only has the use of consultants increased at every level of politics, but so has media attention to them, and the literature written about them.