Title: How Presidents Get Things Done
Headings: 13.2
How Presidents Get Things Done

13.2 How Presidents Get Things Done
Learning Objectives
Link
Agenda-Setter for the Political System
Chief Lobbyist in Congress
Legislative Liaison
The Veto
Signing Statements
Presidential Scorecards in Congress
Chief Executive
Appointment Powers
Executive Orders
War Powers
Presidents and the People
Public Approval
Polls
Speechmaker-in-Chief
Video Clip

Content: Figure 13.3
The president’s constitutional responsibility to inform Congress on “the state of the union” has been elevated into a performance, nationally broadcast on all major networks and before a joint session on Capitol Hill, that summarizes the key items on his policy agenda. Source: Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the President of the United States (Chuck Kennedy), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Obama_waves_State_of_the_Union_2011.jpg. Congress does not always defer to and sometimes spurns the president’s agenda. Its members serve smaller, more distinct constituencies for different terms. When presidents hail from the same party as the majority of Congress members, they have more influence to ensure that their ideas receive serious attention on Capitol Hill. So presidents work hard to keep or increase the number of members of their party in Congress: raising funds for the party (and their own campaign), campaigning for candidates, and throwing weight (and money) in a primary election behind the strongest or their preferred candidate. Presidential coattails—where members of Congress are carried to victory by the winning presidential candidates—are increasingly short. Most legislators win by larger margins in their district than does the president.