UID:
almahu_9949685745502882
Format:
1 online resource (vii, 183 pages)
ISBN:
9781315450834
,
1315450836
,
9781315450858
,
1315450852
,
9781315450841
,
1315450844
,
9781315450827
,
1315450828
Content:
"Selecting political leaders by popular election is an unquestioned hallmark of representative democracies the institutional manifestation of Lincoln's promise of a government of the people and by the people. But in 2016, Lincoln's promise seems to have given way to Hamilton's nightmare with his worries that popular elections would produce demagogues who paid an "obsequious court to the people," appealing to their passions and prejudices rather than to their reason. This book examines the commitment to the widest level of participation among the largest number of citizens in the selection of the president. It looks at two salient characteristics of our current presidential election environment that bring the wisdom of this commitment into question: the declining influence of political parties and the communication revolution in the form of the internet, social media, and cable television. Ultimately, Mezey asks whether our now fully democratized presidential selection process has in fact diminished the quality of our presidential candidates and the campaigns they run, whether the turn to demagoguery that the founders feared has materialized, what the consequences of our presidential selection process have been for American government, and whether or not it would be valuable to rethink our wholehearted commitment to popular election of the president. His answers do not topple our commitment to popular elections but rather point the way toward improving the quality of both participation and democracy."--Provided by publisher.
Note:
Candidate quality and the presidential election of 2016 -- Democracy, representation, and elections -- The founders and presidential selection -- Democratization and political parties -- The democratized nomination process -- The democratized media -- Charisma, demagoguery, populism, and celebrity -- Democratization and presidentialism -- The perils of democracy.
Additional Edition:
Print version: Mezey, Michael L. (S)electing the president. New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018 ISBN 9781138212251
Language:
English
Keywords:
Electronic books
URL:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315450858
URL:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315450841
URL:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315450858
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