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.