Imp’s Reviews > Public Opinion > Status Update

A NEW IMAGE

In absence of specialized institutions, Common Interest eludes Public Opinion and is managed by a specialized, irresponsible class.

Democratic theory: Trying to control government at the source -> downstream decisions invisible

THE BUYING PUBLIC

Economics of news -> democratic theory demands truth is not earned but given gratis -> newspapers beholden to buying public and advertisers

Problem of figuring out "distinct essential groups of functions"

Uninstructed/uninterested voter.
Two kinds of uninstructed voter: enlightened and unenlightened.Unenlightened uninstructed voters can be gotten to the polls

A scheme would have to be imposed, submitting the scheme to democracy runs into the same issues.
Therefore Guild Socialism isn't a better way of turning self-centered opinion into social judgment.

Congress a group of blind man in a vast world, mosaic of local impressions not enough for national policy.
The President has access to data through agencies.
Congressmen can't understand a fraction of the bills they're voting for.

Rotation in office regarded as a great reform

As a result of democracy implemented in a non-ideal environment, Patronage replaced, rather than dissolved, the federalists with a new governing class. Patronage created stability for the federal government due to weakening local identity and bringing together members of the class.

In practice, offices oscillate between henchmen. Permanent professional politicians.

Constitutional convention worked behind closed doors.

The constitution went back to the British Monarchy for a model. Gentry not strong enough to survive the struggle after Washington.

Jefferson's election "great revolution of 1800"
Attached the symbol of democracy to the constitution and created a great conservative fiction.

Patronage: public office regarded as a type of property, expected to remain in-class

THE ROLE OF FORCE, PATRONAGE AND PRIVILEGE

Maz 1787 - revision of Articles of Confederation in full reaction against premise of 18th century democracy.
The problem was "to restore government as against democracy".

Madison
"Ambition must be made to counteract ambition"

Hamilton favored the gentry for a government, used class privileges to make the Union

Enough for the township -> enough for any purpose

Men formed pictures of outside from pictures in their heads, cultivated by stereotypes nurtured by the community.

No way of gathering info -> democratic theory falls back to wisdom and experience of the voter.
"Only real disagreement could be the judgment of the same facts"
Could assume homogeneous code of morals
Takes supply of information for granted

Jefferson's democratic ideal: ideal environment + selected class

Became political gospel for all politics, not just special environments.
In Jefferson's age, all public opinion was spontaneous and subjective, this had to be considered.
Security seen as necessary for Democracy
Dangerous crises incompatible with
--> efforts to enclose part of the earth's surface: "democratic wars"

Assumed men have equal competence

Democratic philosophers were aware of the limitations of knowledge, found home in remote, unspoiled country villages.

de Tocqueville: doctrine of Popular Sovereignty nurtured in the townships took possession of the State in the American Revolution

Jefferson: These ideal communities must be fenced off from the rest of the world.

THE SELF-CONTAINED COMMUNITY

Ideally just pattern of rights and duties -> everyone obeys then opinions don't matter
All systems assume an established harmony.

Other philosophers took conflict for granted: Machiavelli
Worse name and more disciples than anyone else.

"Men judge more by the eye than by the hand"
People whose vision can't be corrected