The Reasoning Voter : Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns

Rating:
Summary: A misguided, poorly written, painfully arrogant analysis
Review: "The Reasoning Voter" has all of the marks of an academic wannabe who suggests the American people really aren't so stupid. Pity the students who buy this book--they're the only one who do, to be sure.

Rating:
Summary: read it again
Review: A friend of mine told me: "If you are a candidate and you only have time to read one book during your campaign, you must read it. If you have time to read two books, you must read it twice." This book is simply excellent.

Rating:
Summary: read it again
Review: A friend of mine told me: "If you are a candidate and you only have time to read one book during your campaign, you must read it. If you have time to read two books, you must read it twice." This book is simply excellent.

Rating:
Summary: I learned so much
Review: nuff said. Hands down best in subject matter.

Rating:
Summary: I learned so much
Review: The Reasoning Voter is an excellent refutation of the argument that the american public is simply too poorly informed to make reasonable political decisions. On the contrary, voters are quite able to make intelligent decisions through information shortcuts. In fact, the rational voter will use these shortcuts to make sense of the vast sea of political information available.

Popkin's presentation of his theory of low information rationality is conceptually rich enough for the expert, but clear enough for any reader. Rather than endless statistics, Popkin relies on historical examples which are often quite amusing. This is a must read for anyone interested in elections.