In Defense of Politicians The Expectations Trap and Its Threat to Democracy |
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Author:
| Medvic, Stephen K. |
Series title: | Controversies in Electoral Democracy and Representation Ser. |
ISBN: | 978-1-136-95735-2 |
Publication Date: | Mar 2013 |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis Group
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Imprint: | Routledge |
Book Format: | Ebook |
List Price: | USD $42.95USD $155.00USD $155.00 |
Book Description:
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Politicians are reviled. From jokes on late-night TV talk shows to radio show rants and from public opinion polls to ubiquitous conventional wisdom--politicians are among the most despised professional class in modern society. Drawing on seminal work in political science, Stephen K. Medvic convincingly argues to the masses that this blanket condemnation of politicians is both unfair and unwarranted. While some individual politicians certainly deserve scorn for misjudgments, moral...
More Description
Politicians are reviled. From jokes on late-night TV talk shows to radio show rants and from public opinion polls to ubiquitous conventional wisdom--politicians are among the most despised professional class in modern society. Drawing on seminal work in political science, Stephen K. Medvic convincingly argues to the masses that this blanket condemnation of politicians is both unfair and unwarranted. While some individual politicians certainly deserve scorn for misjudgments, moral failings, or even criminal acts, the assumption that all of them should be cast in a similar light is unjustified. More importantly, that deeply cynical assumption is dangerous to the legitimacy of a democratic system of government. Politicians, as a class, deserve respect, not out of blind obedience to authority but because democratic deliberation requires it.