The new edition of this brief, highly affordable Penguin Academic Series book includes new discussions about midterm elections, the economy, and the 2003 Iraq War. Written in a strong narrative voice and brimming with student-relevant examples, the second edition of Americas New Democracy provides a focused and stimulating treatment of politics in the United States. Illustrating popular influence across the political system in defense of a central themethat elections matter more in Americas political system today than they have in the past or do in other democraciesthe book challenges the pessimistic view that government seldom listens to ordinary people. Americas New Democracy encourages readers to see that in a system where votes are the main currency, both power and responsibility rest on the shoulders of all citizens.