American Lie

Government by the People and Other Political Fables
Erscheinungsjahr 2007
ISBN: 978-0-19-994595-5
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 256 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 529 g

Going all the way back to the time of George Washington, much of what we see and hear in the political world consists of lies and deceptions. Despite assurances to the contrary, politics is not about truth, justice, and principle. It is about money, power, and status. As astute political commentator Ben Ginsberg convincingly demonstrates, politicians habitually lie, pretending to fight for principles, in order to conceal their true selfish motives. Citizens who need the frequent injunctions to participate in politics and abjure political cynicism are likely to be duped into contributing their tax dollars and even their lives for dubious purposes. Most individuals gain little from political participation. Participants are the foot soldiers of political warfare, but even if their side is victorious, they receive few of the spoils of war. Thus, in this new political season, Ginsberg encourages citizens to think outside the (ballot) box, finding new ways to act on behalf of their interests and the public good. But if they do vote, their motto should be when in doubt vote them out. The elections of 2008 are a good time to begin.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ginsberg, Benjamin

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Staats- und Regierungsformen, Staatslehre
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Wahlen und Volksabstimmungen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- 1. Interests and Principles in Political Life

- The Principles of Cynical Realism

- Altruism and Interests

- Interests and Principles

- Principles as Political Weapons

- Becoming Realistically Cynical

- 2. Public Opinion: Myths and Realities

- Advertising

- Publicity

- Measuring Opinion

- 3. Elections and the Limits of Popular Government

- Voting as a Means of Regulating

- Popular Political Activity

- The Limits of Voting

- Political Marketing

- 4. Private Interests and Public Policies

- Mobilization Bias

- Organizational Bias

- Private Capture

- Pathologies of Government

- 5. Popular Influence and State Power

- Who Governs?

- Delegation of Power

- Presidential Power

- The Citizen and the State

- 6. Conclusion: Why Participate in Politics?

- The Myth of Political Leadership

- Public Lies and Private Purposes

- State Secrets

- Practicing Defensive Politics

- Notes

- Index

- About the Author

Über Autor(innen)

Benjamin Ginsberg is the David Bernstein Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for the Study of American Government at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author or coauthor of a number of books including Presidential Power: Unchecked and Unbalanced, Downsizing Democracy: How America Sidelined Its Citizens and Privatized Its Public, and Politics by Other Means. Ginsberg is a frequent political commentator from his perch in Potomac, Maryland.