As our colleague, former Southern Political Science Association President
William Keech, reminds us, “Political life involves a diversity of interests, values,
beliefs, and preferences. These may be compatible or incompatible, reasonable
or unreasonable, admirable or reprehensible. They may be selfish or altruistic,
shortsighted or farsighted, manifest or latent” (1991, 608). The field is served
best when we remain self-consciously aware of the implications of our models
and the information they produce.