P SC 1113 1st Edition Lecture 21Outline of Last LectureI. Explaining Going PublicII. Getting ThroughIII. Evolution of Presidential CoverageIV. Agenda SettingV. Bond and Fleisher “President in the Legislative Arena”VI. Congress Members Fit Into One of Four GroupsVII. Leadership PursuitOutline of Current LectureI. Leadership PursuitII. Dealing with Opposition StrategyIII. Third Way to Get Leverage: Using Personal SupportIV. Fourth Way to Get Leverage: Treat Successful Elections as MandatesV. Americans and the CourtsCurrent LectureI. Leadership PursuitA. Some leaders are loyal1. Michel: “servant of the president”2. Baker: “president’s spear carrier”3. Rayburn: “haven’t served under any presidents, but I’ve served with several”II. Dealing with Opposition StrategyA. Constructive opposition (proposes alternatives)B. Obstructionism (defeat president without own ideas)III. Third Way to Get Leverage: Using Personal SupportA. Congress might respond when they fear public backlashThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.1. Might get afraid of getting booted out of officeB. Popular presidents may get a small boost in success rates1. Success: “at the margins” according to George Edwards2. 10 points of approval = 2% of legislative successIV. Fourth Way to Get Leverage: Treat Successful Elections as MandatesA. Mandate: authority granted by voters to act1. Presidents portray elections as messagesi. “Saying I was going to do these things is what got me elected, the voters want what I stand for, so let me do it”ii. The message: voters want what winners proposediii. Directive: enact the winner’s ideas2. Using the mandatei. Presidents tries to convince Congress mandate existsii. Studies show Congress enters “mandate state”iii. Power of mandate dissipates quicklyiv. Pressure of “first hundred days” (honeymoon period)v. Act while election outcome is still fresh in minds3. Famous mandatesi. 1964: Johnson (Great Society, Civil Rights)ii. 1968: Nixon (Vietnam, crime)iii. 1980: Reagan (international vision)iv. 1992: Clinton (economics and health care)V. Americans and the CourtsA. Little knowledge of the players, the decisions, and their meaningsB. Feeling that much of what courts do doesn’t affect the daily lifeC. Media coverage should be especially important given this1. In a typical year: supreme court gets less than one hour of coverage on an average major network (CBS, NBC, ABC)D. Court-related reasons that Americans might not know very much about the Supreme Court1. Decisions tough to understand, tough to make relevant2. Court doesn’t help the media out (technical writing, no PR wing)3. Justices vary widely in public nature4. Calendar driven nature of Court leads to uneven stream of info, competition for coverageE. Blame the Media?1. Avoiding grappling with details of decisions2. Focusing on litigant, political, local reaction3. Are journalists equipped to understand
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