Left-leaning activists within the Democratic Party , especially , charge that political consultants are a serious obstacle to participatory democracy, political reform, and electoral success for the Democrats. during a much-publicized e-mail on December 9, 2004, the web activist group MoveOn.org wrote, "For years, the Party has been led by elite Clarion Today Washington insiders who are closer to corporate lobbyists than they're to the Democratic base. But we will not afford four more years of leadership by a consulting class of professional election losers."

Lastly, there's growing professional opposition to what's called a kitchen utensil campaign, where the themes and methods of 1 campaign are transferred to a different campaign, despite what could also be major differences in political context. Brian Wright, president of Democrasource, LLC (an Ohio based national political consulting company specializing in enhanced campaign data strategies and micro-targeting), believes that "it’s just a matter of your time , campaign communications techniques are evolving so quickly -- anyone sitting on the sidelines or clinging to the last presidential campaign’s strategies is completed . The book’s been rewritten."

Outside of the tutorial environment, a harsh and seemingly ever-growing debate has appeared, concerning how mass media distorts the political agenda. Few would argue with the notion that the institutions of the mass media are important to contemporary politics. within the transition to liberal democratic politics within the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe the media was a key battleground. within the West, elections increasingly focus around television, with the stress on spin and marketing. Clarion Today Democratic politics places emphasis on the mass media as a site for democratic demand and therefore the formation of "public opinion".

The media are seen to empower citizens, and subject government to restraint and redress. Yet the media aren't just neutral observers but are political actors themselves. The interaction of mass communication and political actors -- politicians, interest groups, strategists, et al. who play important roles -- within the political process is clear . Under this framework, the American political sphere are often characterized as a dynamic environment during which communication, particularly journalism altogether its forms, substantially influences and is influenced by it.