This chapter considers another dimension of the democratic imagination: the logical standards citizens use to evaluate situations. It argues that the most important elements defining how a group discusses politics are the logics they use to frame them. How emotional the discussion is, and whether the discussion is grounded in interests or morality are crucial for the group's initial consideration of its charge. Different kinds of groups do this in different ways. It is important, and not surprising, that church groups were particularly strong users of morality, while business, labor union,...

This chapter considers another dimension of the democratic imagination: the logical standards citizens use to evaluate situations. It argues that the most important elements defining how a group discusses politics are the logics they use to frame them. How emotional the discussion is, and whether the discussion is grounded in interests or morality are crucial for the group's initial consideration of its charge. Different kinds of groups do this in different ways. It is important, and not surprising, that church groups were particularly strong users of morality, while business, labor union, and sports groups considered politics to be mostly about competing interests.