Their purpose is to teach scholars how to advance political understanding, not how to write crafty press releases. Many of us, however, do want to spend some time in presidential campaigns. If I made a small contribution to 1988 presidential politics, it was because I had been working in campaigns since age thirteen and had twice taken extended leaves from academia to serve full-time in legislative offices. This experience taught me how to get things done, and also gave me credibility with career operatives. A Ph.D. is good, but they take you more seriously if you have walked precincts.
Academic writing is to political writing as figure skating.
At this writing, I am on my third leave. Claremont McKenna College granted me this opportunity because it believes that scholars ought to play a part in public affairs and because such service enriches their academic careers. Anecdotes prove nothing by themselves, but they can help students understand abstract material. Experience not only makes you a more effective political operator, it can make you a better teacher, too. References Andres, Gary J., and Janice A. Beecher.