The invention of ‘quantifiably safe Rhetoric’: Richard Wirthlin and Ronald Reagan's instrumental use of public opinion research in presidential discourse

This essay advances the argument that if the ways in which presidents speak to those they govern is important, then the way presidents “listen” to the electorate is equally significant. At least since the Reagan administration, presidents have used polls to construct a “quantifiably safe rhetoric.” The argument is advanced by detailing Richard Wirthlin's development of PINS (Political INformation System), illustrating the use of PINS and PulseLines during Ronald Reagan's second term, and exploring the implications of poll‐driven political rhetoric.