Pushing the Agenda Presidential Leadership in US Lawmaking, 19532004 [Paperback]

Pushing the Agenda reveals the predictable nature of presidents' policy making opportunities and the strategies presidents employ to exploit those opportunities.Pushing the Agenda reveals the systematic strategies presidents employ to influence Congress and the conditions that determine when those strategies work  or dont. Drawing on an eclectic array of original evidence, Matthew N. Beckmann finds modern presidents legislative influence is real, often substantial, and, to date, largely underestimated.Pushing the Agenda reveals the systematic strategies presidents employ to influence Congress and the conditions that determine when those strategies work  or dont. Drawing on an eclectic array of original evidence, Matthew N. Beckmann finds modern presidents legislative influence is real, often substantial, and, to date, largely underestimated.Todays presidents enter office having campaigned on an ambitious policy agenda, eager to see it enacted, and willing to push so that it is. The central question of presidents legislative leadership, therefore, is not a question of resolve; it is a question of strategy: by what means can presidents build winning coalitions for their agenda? Pushing the Agenda uncovers the answer. It reveals the systematic strategies presidents employ to influence Congress and the conditions that determine when those strategies work  or dont. Drawing on an eclectic array of original evidence  spanning presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush  Matthew N. Beckmann finds modern presidents influence in Congress is real, often substantial, and, to date, largely underestimated.1. Introduction; 2. A theory of positive presidential power; 3. Case study: pushing President Bush's 2001 tax cut; 4. Winning key votes, 19532004; 5. Signing new laws, 19532004; 6. The practice and potential of presidential leadership; Appendix: archival study technical details.Pushing the Agenda breaks new ground in studying positive presidential powerl£*