POPULISTIC DELIBERATION AND TALK RADIO

In modern mass societies much political deliberation is mediated by pr ofessional communicators, who may fail to represent the values of ordi nary citizens. This analysis of the 1993 withdrawal of Zoe Baird as no minee for U. S. attorney general suggests, however that when this occu rs, direct popular intervention through alternative media sometimes re shapes political discourse and policy-making. Relying heavily on offic ial sources (and perhaps misled by communicators' own class positions) , most mainstream media supported Baird and predicted her confirmation , even after the revelation that she had hired illegal aliens and fail ed to pay their Social Security taxes. Only, an outpouring of public o utrage, expressed in calls to radio talk shows and senators' offices, and confirmed by national opinion surveys, turned the tide against the nominee. In this paper, we discuss the conditions under which such up risings occur.