Tracking trends in American public opinion, this study examines moods of public policy over time.

James A. Stimson is the Raymond Dawson Distinguished Bicentennial Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A former president of the Midwest Political Science Association and Treasurer of the American Political Science Association, he is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. He has authored and co-authored numerous books including Yeas and Nays: Normal Decision-Making in the US House of Representatives, Issue Evolution: Race and the Reconstruction of American Politics, Public Opinion in America, Ideology in America, and The Macro Polity. Professor Stimson has served as Editor of Political Analysis and has served on the editorial board of journals such as the American Journal of Political Science and The Journal of Politics. He has authored many articles published in major journals of political science and is the recipient of various awards for his distinguished scholarship.

1. Opinion flows; 2. What the public wants of government; 3. Left and right movements in preference; 4. The great horse race; 5. Between the campaigns; 6. On politics at the margin.