Contemporary American politics is a highly stratified process in which many individuals participate frequently and effectively but tens of millions are hardly involved at all. Steven Schier explains how and why some Americans are ardently courted by candidates, parties and interest groups, while others are never invited to the party. By Invitation Only should be read by everyone concerned with the future of American democracy. (Benjamin Ginsberg, Johns Hopkins University)

Charles Peters, Editor-in-Chief, The Washington Monthly

After providing an insightful examination of the reasons behind the decline in voting and the triumph of the special interests, Steven Schier concludes this important book with a suggestion on how to increase citizen participation in political decisions.

Jonathan Rauch, National Journal

Years ago, voters were mobilized; today, they are activated. As Steven Schier makes resoundingly clear, this is a distinction with a difference—and what a difference! His learned, sensible, and sometimes alarming book does more than anything I've read in a long time to explain the dysfunctions of modern American politics.

This book advances a provocative thesis: all forms of political activism are not equal from the point of view of a healthy democracy. It is a timely and insightful contribution to the debate on what ails American politics. (John Green, University of Akron)

L. Sandy Maisel, Colby College

Schier has written an extremely insightful examination of the causes and consequences of fundamental changes in American democracy. Exhaustively researched and documented, this book is must reading for those who want to understand how the shift from partisan appeals to all voters . . . to narrower appeals to subpopulations . . . inevitably followed changes in our party system and means of campaigning and lobbying , and just as inevitably resulted in a diminution of the representative nature of our democracy.

Larry J. Sabato, University of Virginia

Steven Schier's clearly written treatise on contemporary American politics challenges us to re-think some of the fundamentals of our system. His exceptionally perceptive analysis of the electorate's current lack of participation is fully matched by his intriguing set of broad-gauged reforms in the concluding chapter. The book is guaranteed to generate constructive dialogue in the classroom and to engage both graduate and undergraduate students in a critical area of political science.

Bill Schneider, Senior Political Analyst, CNN

Schier has something important to say about what's gone wrong in this country, about how politics feasts on cynicism and apathy. An eye-opening and provocative book.