ChristopherAchen, co-author of the new Princeton UP book Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce ResponsiveGovernment argues that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steeringthe ship of state from the voting booth is wrong: even well-informed and politically-engaged voters (the vast minority) mostlychoose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisanloyalties, not political issues.  Aswell, elections often turn on irrelevant or misleading considerations such aseconomic spurts or downturns—thus makingelection outcomes essentially random.  Sothe fickle, whacky, and largely injudicious nature of voting in America is the subject ofdiscussion on tonight’s Thinking Aloud.