Abstract

Noam Chomsky

The article focuses on the Democratic Party in the United States, following its defeat in the 2004 elections. Major studies of public opinion released just before the election are highly informative. Voting patterns were similar to 2000. A small shift in preferences would have put Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in the White House. As previously, elections were run by the public relations industry. The most careful studies reveal that voters tended to believe that the candidates shared their beliefs, even when this was demonstrably false. There is little connection between public opinion and electoral practices. There is ample opportunity for education and organizing to create--in part re-create--a functioning democratic culture in which public opinion plays some role.