Scandal! An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Consequences, Outcomes, and Significance of Political Scandals

There are many types of political scandals: sex, corruption, and election scandals are but a few. Political scandals are public events that have tremendous consequence on citizenry and can undermine democratic institutions-when we pay attention to scandal, we risk ignoring weightier matters.

This volume brings together an array of academics to explore the impact of political scandals. What makes this book different from others is the wide spectrum of perspectives brought together to help analyze a single subject.

Dr. Alison Dagnes is Professor of Political Science at Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania, US. She studies and frequently speaks on the topic of the modern political media and political behavior. Prior to receiving her doctorate in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Dr. Dagnes was a producer for C-SPAN in Washington, DC.

Mark Sachleben is an Associate Professor of political science at Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania, US. He teaches classes in international relations, comparative politics, global governance and human rights. Dr. Sachleben received his PhD from Miami University (Ohio) in 2003.

Contributors
Introduction by Alison Dagnes

Section I: Congress
Preface by Lara Brown, Jeff Gulati, Doug Harris and Scott Basinger
Chapter 1: Sack the Quarterback by Doug Harris
Chapter 2: Spending More Time with My Family: Scandals and Premature Departures from the House by Lara Brown & Jeff Gulati
Chapter 3: The Electoral Effects of Congressional Scandals by Scott Basinger

Section II: Historical Accounts, Modern Implications
Introduction by Mark Sachleben
Chapter 4: Tom Clark Under Fire by Craig Smith
Chapter 5: Sherman Adams' Fall, and the Scandal Behind the Scandal by Michael Birkner
Chapter 6: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same by George Hale
Chapter 7: Sex, Scandal and Catholic Politics during Italy's Dolce Vita by Roy Domenico
Section II Conclusions: Paralleling History: Scandal and the Lessons of the 2012 Election by Neal Allen

Section III: Shaping the Perceptions of Scandal
Introduction by Stephanie Jirard
Chapter 8: Scandal and the Politics of Race by Neal Allen
Chapter 9: He Can't Say with Certitude” by Joan Conners
Chapter 10: Shattered Dignity: The Apologia of John Edwards by Misty Knight

Conclusions
Index