CIAO DATE: 03/02
Critical Review
Anti-Democratic Demos: The Dubious Basis of Congressional Approval
By Rogan Kersh
Abstract
In representing a fragmented pluralist polity, the U.S. Congress inevitably exhibits high levels of conflict and disagreement. Increasingly, the American public finds such conflictthe ordinary procedures of legislative democracydistasteful. As members of Congress pay closer attention to approval ratings and other poll measures, their natural inclination may be to avoid legislating, especially on controversial issues. This response to the preference of the demos has profoundly antidemocratic implications.