The politics of common sense: how social movements use public discourse to change politics and win acceptance
The way that movements communicate with the general public matters for their chances of lasting success. This book argues that the potential for movement-led political change is significantly rooted in mainstream democratic discourse and specifically in the political acceptance of new issues by news media, the general public, and elected officials. This is true to some extent for any group wishing to alter status quo distributions of rights and/or resources, but is especially important for grass-roots challengers who do not already have a place of legitimated influence in the polity