The Selling of the President

The Selling of the President documents the 1968 presidential campaign of Richard Nixon, focusing on the television advertising and image-making efforts that helped shape his candidacy. McGinniss gained unprecedented access to Nixon's inner circle of media advisers and campaign strategists during this pivotal election. The book reveals the techniques and deliberate decisions behind packaging a presidential candidate for television audiences in the late 1960s. Through direct observation and interviews, McGinniss captures the day-to-day work of the advertising executives and media consultants who crafted Nixon's public persona. The narrative tracks the evolution of political marketing and the increasing role of television in American elections. McGinniss examines how Nixon's team used the medium's strengths while minimizing its potential pitfalls. This influential work raises fundamental questions about the intersection of politics, media, and democracy in modern America. The book's examination of image-making in presidential campaigns remains relevant to contemporary discussions about political messaging and voter perception.

Readers appreciate McGinniss's behind-the-scenes access to Nixon's 1968 campaign and his detailed reporting on how television shaped political messaging. Many note the book's relevance to modern political marketing and media manipulation. Readers highlight the author's fly-on-the-wall observations and clear writing style. Several point to specific examples of campaign staging and image crafting that feel familiar in today's political landscape. Common criticisms include the book's narrow focus on television aspects while overlooking other campaign elements. Some readers found the writing dry or dated. A few mention that McGinniss's personal bias against Nixon becomes apparent. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (120+ ratings) Sample reader comments: "Shows how TV changed everything in politics" - Goodreads "Feels like yesterday's news today" - Amazon "The blueprint for modern campaign marketing" - LibraryThing "Too focused on TV at expense of broader campaign" - Amazon

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📚 The book was published in 1969 and became the first-ever non-fiction book with an all-black cover design to make The New York Times Best Seller list. 🗣️ Author Joe McGinniss was only 26 years old when he wrote the book, having gained unprecedented access to Richard Nixon's campaign team after writing a simple letter requesting permission. 📺 The book revealed how Nixon's team used carefully crafted television appearances to remake his image, marking one of the first detailed looks at how modern political campaigns use media manipulation. 🎭 Roger Ailes, who later founded Fox News, features prominently in the book as a young media consultant helping to shape Nixon's television strategy. ✍️ The book's title was a deliberate play on "The Making of the President" series by Theodore White, but focused on the marketing aspects rather than traditional campaign coverage.