Download or read book The Primary Decision written by William L. Benoit and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2001-12-30 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Benoit and his colleagues apply the functional theory of political campaign discourse to 25 presidential primary debates beginning with the 1948 American presidential primary campaign. They conclude with the 2000 presidential primaries. They identify the functions, topics, and targets of attacks, and the results are compared with research on primary TV spots and with general debates. An important resource for scholars and students of American presidential and party elections and political communications.