Powers of Persuasion Flashcards
Persuasion through people
The president can work through people in order to persuade. The president looks to persuade party leaders such as the leaders of the Senate, the House and the Speaker of the House. The Office of Legislative Affairs works to lobby Congress for the president on issues and legislation of importance to the president.
The vice president can be used to persuade Congress as they have an office in Congress where they can meet with members of both houses. Joe Biden looked to persuade Congress for President Obama.
Persuasion through perks
The president can use ‘perks’ to secure the support and vote of members of Congress.
Presidents can offer members of Congress support with legislation which benefits their district or state. The president can offer to campaign for a member of Congress in their next election if the member is of the same party as the president. The president will meet with small groups of Congresspeople, either at the White House or in Congress, in order to persuade them. Presidents can call individuals to encourage them to vote a certain way.
Significance of persuasion
Persuasion is important because most presidential powers are checked by Congress and require Congress to agree. If there is a divided Congress where the houses in Congress are of different parties then it is difficult for a president to succeed in having legislation passed through Congress. Persuasion is important as the president often needs to persuade Congress to pass their proposed legislation into law, have appointments confirmed and vetoes sustained.
Factors affecting persuasion
A president’s personality is important to build strong relations with Congress. If Congress and the president come from the same party, presidential persuasion will be more successful. When the Democrats controlled both houses in Congress and Bill Clinton was president, he succeeded in 86.4% of Congress votes on issues he supported compared to 36.2% of votes when there was a divided government.
