Victory or defeat?

Conventional wisdom about American voters is a powerful currency in the pundit economy. Reporters and consultants trade generalizations like legal tender in their political commentary. Unfortunately, some of their factual coinage turns out to be counterfeit.

As this election year unfolds, it's helpful to separate myth from fact. Much of what we think we know — and that which gets repeated as gospel in explaining election results — turns out to be apocryphal.

Those are the main conclusions from an insightful new book titled, "Unconventional Wisdom — Facts and Myths About AmericanVoters," by political scientists Karen M. Kaufman, John R. Petrocik and Daron R. Shaw. Reading this book will help anyone interested in understanding the 2008 election, avoid common pitfalls in political interpretation that are perpetuated by the absence of rigorous analysis.