Presidential Mandates: How Elections Shape the National Agenda.(Review) (book review)

Presidential Mandates: How Elections Shape the National Agenda, by Patricia Heidotting Conley. University of Chicago Press, 184 pages, $17.50

To most politicians who win an election, claiming a mandate is an obvious next step. In their minds, the campaign platform is transformed into the people's will. But political scientists have long been skeptical about interpreting election results as mandates from the voters. Many have argued that mandates exist only in the fevered imaginations of triumphant politicians. The current political mood might lead many to side with the ...