ABSTRACT
Manipulation is a source of pervasive anxiety in American politics, and more so today than at any time in recent memory. Accusations of manipulative practices in political advertising, media coverage, and public discourse have become increasingly widespread. Many observers claim that the American public fi nds itself more and more vulnerable to the manipulative practices of elites, and that the effects of manipulation are becoming more and more damaging to contemporary democracy. Among the host of societal evils which these observers attribute to the rising tide of political manipulation, some of the most egregious include: an increasingly polarized and antagonistic form of partisan politics; an uninformed and apathetic electorate; a consultant-driven mode of election campaigning that frequently exploits public fears and prejudices; a media motivated by commercial values and by the desire to titillate rather than educate; and a policy process that too often seems to produce results of symbolic rather than substantive value.
