Polls and Politics : The Dilemmas of Democracy

by Genovese, Michael A.; Streb, Matthew J.

• ISBN13: 9780791460832
• ISBN10: 0791460835
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-05-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

This hard-hitting and engaging examination of polls and American politics asks an essential question: do polls contribute to the vitality of our democracy or are they undermining the health of our political system? leading scholars address several key issues such as how various types of polls affect democracy, the meaning attributed to polling data by citizens and the media, the use of polls by presidents, and ow political elites respond--or do not respond--to public polls. the contributors assert that while polls treat z fine line between informing and manipulating the public, they remain valuable so long as a robust democracy obliges its political leaders to respond to the expressed will of the people.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	ix
Preface xi
Chapter 1: Polling and the Dilemmas of Democracy	1	(14)
Matthew J. Streb and Michael A. Genovese
Chapter 2: Presidents, Polls, and the Paradox of Democratic Governance	15	(14)
Michael A. Genovese
Chapter 3: Presidential Leadership and the Threat to Popular Sovereignty	29	(26)
Lawrence R. Jacobs and Melinda S. Jackson
Chapter 4: Continuing to Campaign: Public Opinion and the White House	55	(22)
Diane J. Heith
Chapter 5: Do Polls Give the Public a Voice in a Democracy?	77	(18)
Michael W. Traugott
Chapter 6: When Push Comes to Shove: Push Polling and the Manipulation of Public Opinion	95	(22)
Matthew J. Streb and Susan H. Pinkus
Chapter 7: Are Exit Polls Bad for Democracy?	117	(28)
Gerald C. Wright
Chapter 8: Deliberative Polling, Public Opinion, and Democratic Theory	145	(12)
James S. Fishkin
Chapter 9: Polling in a Robust Democracy	157	(8)
Michael A. Genovese and Matthew J. Streb
References	165	(16)
List of Contributors	181	(4)
Index	185