UNC political scientist Jim Stimson is the most distinguished analyst of public opinion in the country, and he’s written a wonderful new book for a general audience called Tides of Consent. The stereotype is that public opinion is transient and easily manipulated, but Stimson shows that its movements over time are systematic responses to the actions of government. For instance, public opinion trends against the administration in office; thus, during the Reagan/Bush era the public became more liberal, but after Bill Clinton took office, it turned in a conservative direction. These trends in “policy mood” are, as he puts it, “the drive wheel” of American politics, powerfully shaping election and policy outcomes. In short, everything you think you know about public opinion is (probably) wrong. Make sure to check it out.