Posted on 12/10/2016 5:37:34 AM PST by Kaslin
In the 1950s and early 1960s, a number of social scientists had a dim view of direct popular influence on public policies.
These individuals had been alarmed by fascist and/or communist movements in Europe in the early decades of the 20th century which received widespread support from the working- and/or lower-middle-classes. During the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s, several movements in the United States, such as Huey Long’s Share Our Wealth program, Father Coughlin’s sizable radio audience, William Lemke’s Union Party, and, somewhat later, Joseph R. McCarthy’s supporters, also unnerved many of those already suspicious of grassroots populism.
Their notions crystallized into a body of thought that came to be known as “empirical democratic theory.” Although different writers focused on diverse topics, the theory had basically two commonalities: (1) proponents relied heavily on the then-recently developed practice of scientific public opinion polling; and (2) most of the empirically oriented theorists stressed the mass public’s political limitations. The empirical democratic theorists argued that public opinion polls from the 1930s to the 1950s overwhelmingly documented ordinary people’s passivity, political ignorance, and anti-civil-libertarian proclivities. Consequently, these theorists touted political elites’ critical role in maintaining democratic stability.
For a brief period, the empirical democratic theory held sway among some social scientists.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
After this election, polls can never again be trusted. All polls and predictions in 2016 were revealed to be “fake news.” The mainstream media is totally discredited and will be fighting for survival by trying to destroy the new digital media. Be vigilant.
An interesting discussion of ‘empirical democracy,’ populism and ‘ruling class.’ But the big difference between democracy (popular small ‘D’) and populism is that one is just mob rule of the largest concentrated infestations of mob democrats and the other is a country-wide general consensus of shared values and expectations.
This country wasn’t founded just for California and New York and a dozen other highly populated cities. They, by themselves, would have been destroyed long ago. These empirical democracy adherents had better spend their time figuring out why the rest of this country called their crap in this election instead of whining about popular vote and “true democracy.”
They are afraid of our proclivities.
Your graphical presentation tells the story but the real numbers are devastating, especially when the hue and cry is “Hillary Won”
Hillary did win...... 57 counties nation wide. Hillary lost, that is she actually did not win 3082 counties. Hillary won 1.8% of America’s counties.
America rejected Hillary Clinton in a resounding manner
City-state vs County-state is a problem as old a civilization itself.
We haven’t even had 65% eligible voter turnout in presidential elections since 1908. Much less for local and state elections. So is that a good thing or a bad thing? Would things be worse or better now if more folks had bothered to vote in the past 100 years or so?
Freegards
An interesting discussion of ‘empirical democracy,’ populism and ‘ruling class.’ But the big difference between democracy (popular small ‘D’) and populism is that one is just mob rule of the largest concentrated infestations of mob democrats and the other is a country-wide general consensus of shared values and expectations.
This country wasn’t founded just for California and New York and a dozen other highly populated cities. They, by themselves, would have been destroyed long ago. These empirical democracy adherents had better spend their time figuring out why the rest of this country called their crap in this election instead of whining about popular vote and “true democracy.”
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Well and truly said, and thank you for saying it.
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