 This raises the question of just how informed or misinformed ordinary voters are, and what prospects there are for improving the present situation. Many political scientists have shown that American voters are strikingly uninformed with respect to textbook facts about their government. Nonetheless, there are some rays of light. Several books argue that ordinary citizens can make sense of their political world despite a lack of detailed information about policies and candidates (see Berelson, Lazarsfeld, &amp; McPhee 1954, and Katz &amp; Lazarsfeld 1955; cited in Goldman 1999). One semi-optimistic idea is that of a two-step flow of communication from well-informed “opinion leaders” to the public at large. This approach suggests that ordinary citizens—even those who pay little attention to the details of politics—can learn what they need to know to make suitable choices by listening to the opinions of experts or news junkies. Cues and informational “shortcuts” are available that can lead them to the same answers that more informed citizens arrive at (cf. Goldman 1999: 318).