Deliberative Polling

Jim Fishkin is planning a deliberative poll for California.

See here for a brief explanation of deliberative polling.

See here for a comparative perspective on deliberative polling.

Memorial Day Items

• Public Opinion: Veterans and the General Public
• Memorial Day and Symbols of Belief
• Deliberation, Citizenship, and the Military
• World War II Veterans
• Perceptions of Public Service

The Jury and Democracy

Many of us have cited Tocqueville's observation that the jury is a "free school" of democracy. Empirical validation comes in an excellent book from Oxford University Press, The Jury and Democracy: How Jury Deliberation Promotes Civic Engagement and Political Participation. For additional insights, see the website of the Jury and Democracy Project.

I recently served as a juror, and read the book during downtime: observations here.

Material on Newt Gingrich

Some materials about Newt:

• His history with Tom Coburn (who recently advised him to keep his mouth shut);
• An interview in which he identified with Woodrow Wilson;
• A 1996 APSA paper about him;
• Video of his 1984 confrontation with Tip O'Neill;
• A collection of miscellaneous Gingrich items.