This has been and remains one of the absolute classic analyses of political behavior in this country and indeed the world and throughout history. Today, our politics have become so suffused with symbolism that little of substance remains in the realm of overt discussion. Instead, the waving around of symbolic issues largely hides from the public the real activity of politics, which Robert Dahl once defined as "Who gets what, when, and how." Under-the-counter deals are made, favors are exchanged, and insiders profit, largely at the expense of the people generally.
Nothing new, of course - that's always the way politics has been conducted throughout the ages, ever since the Sumerians discovered that agriculture could produce enough extra wealth to support an infrastructure and thus invented both government and religion. For much of history, religion has been the main user of symbols in the interests of controlling human behavior. Edelman's contribution was to note that as religion lost some of its symbolic grip and participation in politics became more widespread and "democratic", politics was right there to pick up the slack and even expand on the power of symbols.
Religion of course continues to be a powerful force in its own right. Today, we see in many places a fusion of religion and politics that multiplies the power of symbolic action many-fold. This fusion has always been two-edged. Although politicians have felt that they were using religion, they often find it difficult or impossible to disengage from symbolic stands that religion commits them to (universal salvation, homelands, etc.) even if possibilities for reasonable political adjudication of opposing interests emerge. Although political symbolism is entirely a mental construct, it is painfully real in its effects on people and their lives.
Unless we understand that our overt politics these days is almost entirely made up of the manipulation of symbols (for which the mass media must assume a significant share of responsibility, even as they themselves are being eaten away by technology), things make no sense. And it is indeed this lack of sense that is feeding the growing cynicism and detachment from political life of moire and more citizens, to the detriment of almost everyone except the insiders, who are thus increasingly free to make their deals practically in public, trusting to the public's lack of interest to shield their machinations. If we were to have an Edelman Revival, we might be able to break through the stultifying morass that is today's political life and finally see things for what they are. And them maybe we might be able to form a consensus to fix things. Maybe.
Read this book, and tell everyone about it.
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