Elmer Eric Schattschneider’s 1960 book on the ‘The Semisoverign People’ key take away is Schattschneider statement "The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent." Schattschneider means that the economic concern of the substantive representation is that there is a bias towards the wealthy. An example of this is the American Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) which are represented by the most affluent parents due to the availability and resources at their disposal when compared to other parents who are not able to be actively engaged in the PTA. This paper will analyse Schattschneider’s arguments, explore key areas that Schattschneider had failed to consider, and finally look at hypothesis that Schattschneider put forth and how it played out today.
Schattschneider’s describes the uneven nature of the political process, and the bias towards the interests of the more privileged and advantaged while at the same time expressing concerning to mount a strong defence of politics. Only through politics, and mass democracy, is the possibility there to counterbalance the …show more content…
Politics, in this sense, may develop its own momentum, and political divisions that will possess a degree of inertia which constrains the options available to the political debate. In politics, there is a prevailing language which calls for certain issues to be translated before they can even enter the debate, this process will block out alternative perspectives more or less completely. However, Schattschneider believes that these are strategies which are adopted by those who are engaged in political competition to ensure that their concerns remain dominant by those who are engaged in the organization of that political
Schattschneider’s describes the uneven nature of the political process, and the bias towards the interests of the more privileged and advantaged while at the same time expressing concerning to mount a strong defence of politics. Only through politics, and mass democracy, is the possibility there to counterbalance the …show more content…
Politics, in this sense, may develop its own momentum, and political divisions that will possess a degree of inertia which constrains the options available to the political debate. In politics, there is a prevailing language which calls for certain issues to be translated before they can even enter the debate, this process will block out alternative perspectives more or less completely. However, Schattschneider believes that these are strategies which are adopted by those who are engaged in political competition to ensure that their concerns remain dominant by those who are engaged in the organization of that political