Sentence:  Nixon took the field against his critics in his Nov. 3 plea to "the <WSD>silent majority</WSD>'" for backing of his Viet Nam policy. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The largest portion of a demographic group or of the population of a political jurisdiction, which is considered to possess political and social views that are not openly declared, but that can nevertheless significantly affect voting patterns and social behavior.