Who leads whom? : presidents, policy, and the public / Brandice Canes-Wrone.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Canes-Wrone, Brandice.

Series:

Studies in communication, media, and public opinion

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Presidents--United States--Decision making.

Presidents.

Political leadership--United States.

Political leadership.

Decision making.

United States.

Public opinion--United States.

Public opinion.

Physical Description:

xvii, 214 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2006.

Summary:

With contemporary politics so connected to the pulse of the American people, "Who Leads Whom?" offers much-needed insight into how public opinion actually works in our democratic process. Analyzing the actions of modern presidents ranging from Eisenhower to Clinton, Brandice Canes-Wrone demonstrates that presidents' involvement of the mass public, by putting pressure on Congress, shifts policy in the direction of majority opinion. More important, she also shows that presidents rarely cater to the mass citizenry unless they already agree with the public' s preferred course of action. Integrating perspectives from presidential studies, legislative politics, public opinion, and rational choice theory, this theoretical and empirical inquiry will appeal to a wide range of students and scholars of the American political process.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [193]-203) and index.

ISBN:

0226092801

0226092828

OCLC:

58986410