When he ran for President in 2000, George W. Bush
told voters that he did not govern based on polls or
focus groups. Yet a year into his presidency the
facts told a different story. Like his predecessors,
he assembled a team of top-notch pollsters and focus
groups experts and spent a good deal of money
collecting data. His actions are in keeping with
what has become a common practice among modern
American presidents. Since the advent of polling,
presidents have not only collected this data, but
fervently denied using it. All of which raises a
question - how do they use the vast amount of
polling data at their disposal? This study builds on
the sociology of knowledge application literature to
develop several models of poll use. These models are
tested on cases of policy-making during the Clinton
White House. The case analysis shows that presidents
use polls in a variety of ways, not all of which
advance the majority will. As a result, those who
are seeking a larger voice for the public in
democratic affairs are cautioned against relying on
these ''instruments of democracy'' as a primary
linking mechanism.