In recent years, the executive branch's ability to maneuver legislation through Congress has become the measure of presidential success or failure. Although the victor of legislative battles is often readily discernible, debate is growing over how such victories are achieved.In The President in the Legislative Arena, Jon R. Bond and Richard Fleisher depart dramatically from the concern with presidential influence that has dominated research on presidential-congressional relations for the past thirty years. Of the many possible factors involved in presidential success, those beyond presidential control have long been deemed unworthy of study. Bond and Fleisher disagree. Turning to democratic theory, they insist that it is vitally important to understand the conditions under which the executive brance prevails, regardless of the source of that success. Accordingly, they provide a thorough and unprecedented analysis of presidential success on congressional roll-call votes from 1953 through 1984. Their research demonstrates that the degree of cooperation between the two branches is much more systematically linked to the partisan and ideological makeup of Congress than to the president's bargaining ability and popularity. Thus the composition of Congress "inherited" by the president is the single most significant determinant of the success or failure of the executive branch.

The President in the Legislative Arena (American Politics and Political Economy Series)

History

Bond, Jon R.

Fleisher, Richard

Americas

University of Chicago Press

In recent years, the executive branch's ability to maneuver legislation through Congress has become the measure of presidential success or failure. Although the victor of legislative battles is often readily discernible, debate is growing over how such victories are achieved. In The President in the Legislative Arena, Jon R. Bond and Richard Fleisher depart dramatically from the concern with presidential influence that has dominated research on presidential-congressional relations for the past thirty years. Of the many possible factors involved in presidential success, those beyond presidential control have long been deemed unworthy of study. Bond and Fleisher disagree. Turning to democratic theory, they insist that it is vitally important to understand the conditions under which the executive brance prevails, regardless of the source of that success. Accordingly, they provide a thorough and unprecedented analysis of presidential success on congressional roll-call votes from 1953 through 1984. Their research demonstrates that the degree of cooperation between the two branches is much more systematically linked to the partisan and ideological makeup of Congress than to the president's bargaining ability and popularity. Thus the composition of Congress "inherited" by the president is the single most significant determinant of the success or failure of the executive branch.

Polarized!: Partisan Politics in America

Intense partisan polarization has characterized American politics for more than a quarter of a century. Polarization has left its mark on public opinion, electoral politics, the internal workings of political institutions and the policies produced by these institutions. Because of its impact on various aspects of American politics, the study of polarization has attracted the attention of numerous academics, journalists, and politicians as well. Fleisher and Bond provide an understanding of the causes and consequences of the partisan polarization that has gripped American politics for the past twenty-five years. This book presents a synthesis of the extensive academic literature on various aspects of partisan polarization in contemporary American politics as well as original data analysis in a way that will be accessible to undergraduate and beginning graduate students.

Politics & Social Sciences

Bond, Jon

Politics & Government

Routledge

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