Why not trying to lead public opinion can be an effectivepresidential strategy.

Should presidents try to lead public opinion? Many scholars argue presidents are the most important leaders of public opinion. However, presidents may lose votes if they push issues which are unpopular among voters. Michael Bailey and Clyde Wilcox find that support for President Bush moved in response to voter views of the Iraq War Bush promoted. The implication is that Presidents need to be strategic about their public stances and , instead of going public, may sometimes choose to go silent, even when they could potentially persuade some people

Verification of a Methodology for Targeting Brush Control to Maximize Water Yield Through Hydrologic Modeling

Brush control strategies have been implemented for many traditional grasslands that have been impaired by wooded species. However, little information is known concerning what site specific characteristics may be most beneficial for increasing water yields by returning shrub encroached areas to native grasslands. This paper discusses a number of potential targeting criteria for successful brush management and outlines a methodology for testing the role of steep slope, brush density, and shallow soils on successful use of vegetation replacement for increasing water yield

Risk-preference in coin-toss games

It is hypothesized that an individual has a preferred unidimensional risk level in a coin-tossing game, and that his preferences are single-peaked over the risk scale. Risk was varied by increasing both the monetary denomination (D = 1[cents] to $1) and number of tosses (N = 1 to 20) involved in a game. The rank order preference data of 30 subjects within sets of games having either constant D or N, single stimulus preference data, and pair comparison preferences between games supported these hypotheses. Data also supported the existence of a function R0[(D,N)] which maps games onto the risk scale and is monotone increasing in both arguments. However, the exact form of the function may vary, depending on the particular set of games from which the subject chooses.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32891/1/0000270.pd

The Effects of Religious Self-Identifications on Support for the New Christian Right: An Analysis of Political Activists

Using data from a mail survey of Republican contributors, the effects of religions self-identifications on attitudes toward Christian Right objects Moral Majority and Pat Robertson were examined. As expected, Moral Majority drew best among self-identified fundamentalists, while Robertson was most popular among charismatic identifiers. Multiple identifiers were slightly less likely to support either Christian Right object than identifiers with a single theological tradition. The implications for religious politics are discussed

Radykalna religia oraz wybory prezydenckie 2008 roku: dlaczego temat religijny (God Talk) zanikł?

In recent years, American elections have attracted worldwide attention for the salience of "God talk" by candidates. In 2008, however, there was markedly less God talk. In this paper I discuss why American campaigns use religious language and why the 2008 campaign reversed recent trends. I speculate about the future of "God talk" in American elections.W ostatnich latach, wybory amerykańskie przyciągnęły uwagę całego świata ze względu na wybitną rolę retoryki religijnej w wypowiedziach kandydatów na prezydenta. W 2008 roku było w ich wystąpieniach znacznie mniej mowy o Bogu i religii. Artykuł ten jest analizą przyczyn stosowania retoryki religijnej w kampaniach wyborczych oraz próbą odpowiedzi na pytanie, dlaczego zauważa się znacznie rzadsze użycie języka religijnego podczas ostatnich kampanii. Poruszona w nim będzie także kwestia przyszłości retoryki religijnej w wyborach amerykańskich