Whom Is It That The US President Must Principally Persuade: Congress Or The Voters? Essay, Research Paper
It is my intention
in this essay to show that the President must make use of his powers of
persuasion principally to persuade Congress, and that persuading the electorate
of anything is a secondary goal.?
Presidents are elected to represent the national interest, but because
of the vertical and horizontal separation of powers that exists in the United
States it is essential that the President persuades those who represent smaller
constituencies to support his view of the national interest.? This means persuading Congress.? Congressmen and Senators represent a much
smaller area than does the President, and therefore also a much narrower range
of interests.? However, these same
Congressmen and Senators make up the national legislature.? They are the ones who must make law.? Since this is the case, the President must
normally persuade these representatives that the policy that he is pursuing in
the national interest is also in the interest of their constituents.Furthermore, I
hope to show that it is unwise to create a dichotomy between persuading
Congress and persuading the electorate.?
As Lyndon Johnson pointed out, ?it is daydreaming to assume that an
experienced Congressman would ignore his own basic instincts or his
constituents? deepest concerns in quaking fear of the White House?.? Because Congress is made up of
Representatives who are elected to forward the interests of their own
constituents, the President will find it very difficult to persuade them to
support him in ways that go against their constituents? wishes.? Even congressmen of the President?s own
party will have no qualms about opposing him if they feel that his plans do not
coincide with the interests of those they represent.? An example of this taking place might be Johnson?s attempts to
pass civil rights legislation in the 1960s, when the majority of Southern
Democrats voted against the civil rights bills.? They were thinking of the wishes of their constituents first and
foremost.? It follows that persuasion of
the electorate and persuasion of the Congress will often go hand in hand.Examples of
Presidential persuasion are not difficult to find in recent U.S. history.? One need only look back as far as the Reagan
administration to see an example of a President trying to persuade Congressmen
of the correctness of his view.? Reagan
invited many Congressmen to the White House to speak with them personally about
the necessity of tax cuts, and even went so far as to invite fifteen
representatives to Camp David to discuss his bill to reduce the tax
burden.? Reagan was clearly successful
in his persuasion, since twelve of these people went on to support the bill.Very often,
Presidents pursue less straightforward means of persuasion.? Again, one need look no further than
Reagan.? When Reagan wanted to end price
supports to peanut farmers and sugar producers, he met with predictable opposition
in Congress from representatives whose constituents relied on these price
supports.? He therefore agreed to
continue subsidies in these areas.? As a
result, many legislators from Georgia and Louisiana decided to support the
President?s plans for tax cuts, even though they had previously been
undecided.? In this case, the principle
of defending the interests of ones own constituents is shown clearly.The noticeable
thing about both of these examples is that it was certainly Congress, and not
the electorate, that the President had to persuade, for the simple reason that
it is Congress and not the electorate that is involved directly in the
legislative process.? However, it is
also clear, particularly from the second example, that the wishes of the
electorate cannot be totally ignored, because it is the electorate whom the
congressmen are responsible to, and it is the mood and opinion of the
electorate in his particular constituency that often decides the actions of a
congressman.Numerous other
examples illustrate this general principle.?
Lyndon Johnson had a similar experience.? The 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed because of a groundswell of
public opinion in favour of it, which caused the House to vote 290-130 in
favour of the legislation.? However, the
Senate filibuster rule meant that more persuasion was needed in that area, and
Johnson was particularly careful to remain in contact with Senate minority
leader Everett Dirksen.? According to
one White House aide, Johnson ?never let him alone for thirty minutes?.? Eventually, this pressure caused Dirksen to
accept a Bill which was only very slightly modified from that which had been
passed by the House.? Dirksen?s support
was essential, because he was able to deliver a large number of Republican
senators, whose votes would be essential given that the overwhelming majority
of Southern Democrats would not vote for civil rights legislation of this sort.Despite all these
examples, it is sometimes the case that a President will go over the heads of
Congress and appeal directly to the people.?
Roosevelt is the ultimate example of this.? In a series of ?fireside chats?, he presented to the American
people the need to pass New Deal legislation.?
Reagan also pursued this tactic, appearing on television from the Oval
Office, and then later in a televised address to Congress, in order to persuade
the American people of the necessity of his tax cuts.? However, these examples do not count against the general
principle that it is Congress that the President must persuade.? Reagan?s addresses to the nation were
intended, primarily, to gain him votes in Congress, because, as has already
been discussed, Congressmen are responsive to the wishes of their own
electorate.? If their constituents were
in favour of the tax cuts, it is likely that they themselves would follow
suit.? Even appeals to the public, then,
are ultimately tools to persuade Congress.During the
legislative process, then, it is Congress and Congress alone who must be
persuaded of the wisdom of the President?s legislative programme.? Only when seeking re-election must the
President seek to persuade the people over and above the Congress.? However, even at this point the President will
generally be judged on his legislative record, and so past success at persuading
Congress will be essential.? So, in
general the President must persuade Congress, and often uses the will of the
people to do so, and in election years the President must persuade the people,
and often uses the success of his persuasion of Congress to do so.