Tides of Consent How Public Opinion Shapes American Politics [Paperback]

Tracking trends in American public opinion, this study examines moods of public policy over time.Tracking trends in American public opinion, this study examines moods of public policy over time. It argues that public opinion is decisive in American politics and identifies the citizens who produce influential change as a relatively small subset of the American electorate.Tracking trends in American public opinion, this study examines moods of public policy over time. It argues that public opinion is decisive in American politics and identifies the citizens who produce influential change as a relatively small subset of the American electorate.Politics is a trial in which those in government  and those who aspire to serve  make proposals, debate alternatives, and pass laws. Then the jury of public opinion decides. It likes the proposals or actions or it does not. It trusts the actors or it doesn't. It moves, always at the margin, and then those who benefit from the movement are declared winners. This book is about that public opinion response. Its most basic premise is that although public opinion rarely matters in a democracy, public opinion change is the exception. Public opinion rarely matters because the public rarely cares enough to act on its concerns or preferences. Change happens only when the threshold of normal public inattention is crossed. When public opinion changes, governments rise or fall, elections are won or lost, and old realities give way to new demands.1. Opinion flows; 2. What the public wants of government; 3. Left and right movements in preference; 4. The great horse race; 5. Between the campaigns; 6. On politics at the margin.Review of previous edition:
Stimson deftly interprets mathematical analysis of large quantities of public answers to survey questions. Highly recommended.
ChoiceReview of previous edition:
This is excellent work by a scholar who is, by all measures, top in his field. Stimson writes about the sil³2