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Chapter 7 Public Opinion Chapter 7 Public Opinion What Studocu

Leo Migdal
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chapter 7 public opinion chapter 7 public opinion what studocu

<!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-0489539623192334"; /* 2013 PMKY Left 160x600 */ google_ad_slot = "2816616532"; google_ad_width = 160; google_ad_height = 600; //--> Public opinion means the views of the people relating to certain general or specific questions. As James Bryce puts it in his Modern Democracies, public opinion expresses the will or desire of the people, no matter how they arrive at it. Thus public opinion is an essential and integral part of a democracy, since a government by the people, is basically a government in accordance with the will of the people. In all political situations, varying public opinions may exist, owing to the various groups involved. For example, when the President makes a speech on labor legislation, it is interpreted differently by union members, businessmen, union leaders, farmers, Democrats, and Republicans.

The whole process is greatly complicated by the different attitudes that people have because of their economic and social status, their group loyalties, their occupation and their degree of understanding. In the long run public opinion is the strongest force in a political community. Generally an educated population does discuss controversial public problems. Different solutions are carefully considered as policy decisions are influenced by the opinions of the people. While political institutions cannot dodge public opinion, the people may not always have the last word on important decisions. Though a majority of the Americans for example are all for holding prayers in public schools, the courts passed judgments against the practice.

People on authoritative positions in a political structure, public opinion cannot be ignored, as it is the means of communicating the concerns and interests of the entire community. 7.0 - Introduction7.1 - How Public Opinion Is Measured7.2 - Political Socialization7.3 - Social Background And Political Values7.4 - Political Ideology7.5 - How Public Opinion Is Formed It has become a ritual for Americans to spend the evening of presidential elections gathered in front of their televisions, or more recently, their computer screens, to follow the voting returns as they are... Election Night 2000 began like any other since the late 1960s, when the television networks began using exit polls of voters taken as they leave the polling place to predict the winner. Election Night coverage is driven by anchors making projections about which candidate will win each state’s electoral votes. Typically, news organizations have a good sense of who will be the next president of the United States based on exit polls by late afternoon, although they hold off on making a prediction until...

Erikson and Kent L. Tedin, American Public Opinion, 8th ed. (New York: Longman, 2011). The 2000 presidential election was the closest in many decades. There was much uncertainty about whether Republican George W. Bush or Democrat Al Gore would emerge victorious.

As Election Night unfolded, it became clear that the outcome would be decided by Florida’s twenty-five electoral votes.James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch, The Perfect Tie (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001). Network and cable news anchors discussed the closeness of the election and told the public to anticipate a long and interesting evening—a statement that proved prescient. By 8 p.m., exit polls indicated that Al Gore was leading the state of Florida, prompting television news organizations to speculate that Gore would be headed to the White House. CBS News anchor Dan Rather observed on air, “Now, remember, Florida is the state where Jeb Bush, the brother of George Bush, is the governor, and you can bet that Governor Bush will be...

Three hours later, the networks began to rescind the call of Florida for Gore when it became evident that data from exit polls conflicted with actual returns from voting precincts. Network anchors reported that Florida’s electoral votes were still up for grabs until Fox News called Florida for Bush at 2:16 a.m.; ABC, CBS, and NBC quickly followed suit. With the media’s proclamation of Bush as the winner, Gore phoned Bush and conceded the election. Gore then departed from his hotel suite in Nashville to make his concession speech in front of his supporters. While Gore was en route, the press once again changed their position, stating that the election was too close to call. Gore returned to his hotel, as the media’s Election Night prediction of a Bush victory lasted all of ninety minutes.

Television news was not the only media source to prematurely call the election. Print newspapers, including the New York Post, the Miami Herald, and the San Francisco Chronicle, ran headlines declaring Bush the winner. The New York Times released 100,000 newspapers stating that Bush “appears to have won.” For an hour, the New York Times website proclaimed, “Bush Captures the White House.”Diana Owen, “Media Mayhem,” in Overtime!, ed. Larry J. Sabato (New York: Longman, 2002), 123–56.

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<!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-0489539623192334"; /* 2013 PMKY Left 160x600 */ google_ad_slot = "2816616532"; google_ad_width = 160; google_ad_height = 600; //--> Public opinion means the views of the people relating to certain general or specific questions. As James Bryce puts it in his Modern Democracies, public opinion expresses the will or desire of the people, no matter how they arrive at it...

The Whole Process Is Greatly Complicated By The Different Attitudes

The whole process is greatly complicated by the different attitudes that people have because of their economic and social status, their group loyalties, their occupation and their degree of understanding. In the long run public opinion is the strongest force in a political community. Generally an educated population does discuss controversial public problems. Different solutions are carefully cons...

People On Authoritative Positions In A Political Structure, Public Opinion

People on authoritative positions in a political structure, public opinion cannot be ignored, as it is the means of communicating the concerns and interests of the entire community. 7.0 - Introduction7.1 - How Public Opinion Is Measured7.2 - Political Socialization7.3 - Social Background And Political Values7.4 - Political Ideology7.5 - How Public Opinion Is Formed It has become a ritual for Ameri...

Erikson And Kent L. Tedin, American Public Opinion, 8th Ed.

Erikson and Kent L. Tedin, American Public Opinion, 8th ed. (New York: Longman, 2011). The 2000 presidential election was the closest in many decades. There was much uncertainty about whether Republican George W. Bush or Democrat Al Gore would emerge victorious.

As Election Night Unfolded, It Became Clear That The Outcome

As Election Night unfolded, it became clear that the outcome would be decided by Florida’s twenty-five electoral votes.James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch, The Perfect Tie (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001). Network and cable news anchors discussed the closeness of the election and told the public to anticipate a long and interesting evening—a statement that proved prescient. By 8 p.m., exit...