Muffled Echoes: Oliver North and the Politics of Public Opinion
Ten years ago the Iran-Contra affair swept the headlines as the nation watched an indignant Lt. Col. Oliver North testify before a congressional committee. Although polls showed that most Americans were critical of North's actions and ambivalent toward the man himself, media coverage left the opposite impression, with its broadcasts of "Ollie-for-president" rallies and stories of congressional aides overwhelmed by a torrent of pro-North mail.\ In this book, public opinion is more than the sum...
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According to Amy Fried, public opinion is more than the sum of a pollster's tally; instead, it as a political tool, integral to the political process, where vested interests compete to legitimize their interpretation of the public voice. Fried explores the construction, interpretation, and uses of public opinion, raising important questions about the media and the role of special interest groups in determining policy. George E. Marcus A masterful combination of theorizing and rich data analysis that provides a deeper and richer account of public opinion than has hitherto been published. This lucid account is an invaluable addition to the literature on public opinion. I also found it to be a major contribution to empirical democratic theory.
PrefaceIntroduction11The Politics of Public Opinion92Mapping the Echo Chamber343Oliver North and the Politics of Hero Creation624Telling the Public What It Thinks985Taking an Interest in the Public1276Trying to Hear the Echoes1517Public Opinion in Political Context194Notes229Bibliography275Index295
\ George E. MarcusA masterful combination of theorizing and rich data analysis that provides a deeper and richer account of public opinion than has hitherto been published. This lucid account is an invaluable addition to the literature on public opinion. I also found it to be a major contribution to empirical democratic theory.\ \
