Americ An Interesting And Different Perspective On...

American Democracy: From Tocqueville to Town Halls to Twitter by Andrew J. Perrin offers an interesting and different perspective on American democracy. The ideas in the book are engaging and easy to grasp. Perrin uses the idea of a ladder to represent his idea of democracy throughout the book, and makes a compelling argument for the use of it. Perrin, a sociologist, offers an argument for a sociological perspective on the American democratic system. He offers a step-by-step explanation of the democratic ladder, and how we should think about democracy. This book is worthy of recommendation because it inspires us to reconsider our own roles as citizens and members of the democratic system. According to Perrin, democracy cannot be boiled†¦show more content†¦This is usually represented through opinion polls and media. However, Perrin asks us the simple question of whether or not the public actually has preferences that the government can listen to. Sometimes it is not easy to understand what the public want because the public might not know so themselves. For example, many people agree that abortion should be legalized, however many disagree on the way we get to that point, the solution. Some think that there should be some restrictions, while others believe there should be no restrictions at all. These preferences can be measured through mediators. Mediators are the different institutions and technologies that help deliver preferences up and down the democratic ladder. Presidents are known to use public opinion polls to understand what the majority of the people want, and then the president can decide to listen or not. This works as a vertical line; preferences go up and down the democratic ladder. There is also the horizontal way where opinions go between publics. People can discuss opinions with each other by using the media. This way people can shape other peoples mind. The horizontal and vertical lines are how publics form through institutions and technologies, and then how they affect public policy. Public policy is the outcome of preferences created through the process of representation. Many Americans believe that public policy should completely represent their own views.