"The American People"

This is a Transatlantic question about the interface between  
information and rhetoric, from a puzzled Englishman, or should that  
be a Brit. (I happen to live within both Venn circles.)

On our radio news, I often hear verbatim inclusions of statements  
made by American public figures; for example I have heard quite a lot  
in recent days from President Obama on the oil spill disaster, and I  
am also thinking about an event not so long ago where there was said  
to be a threat of another terror attack in New York. On these  
occasions, reference is often made to what "The American People" are  
thinking, or doing, or feeling, or should be feeling, thinking or doing.

Often these references to "The American People" occur in contexts  
where the limited circle this sketches is counter-productive. For  
example I was bemused to hear a public official stating that "The  
American People" should remain in a high state of vigilance and that  
Americans should inform the authorities of anything that might  
indicate preparations for a terror attack in New York.

I thought that was an odd turn of phrase because New York on any  
given day must have hundreds of thousands of non-Americans on the  
streets. Aren't the authorities interested in having those people  
also being vigilant? And, if appropriate, reporting suspicious  
activities to the authorities?

Or is it, as I suspect, that references to "The American People" is a  
rhetorical speech-tick, the purpose of which is to make the speaker  
sound patriotic and therefore Good, and the tick has become so well  
established that it bursts forth automatically when it is unnecessary  
and even, as I say, potentially counter-productive?

Thanks in advance for comment,

Conrad
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