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Jeffrey E. Cohen demonstrates that existing research has underestimated the president's power to sway Congress. The President on Capitol Hill offers a compelling perspective on presidential-congressional relations and develops a new theory of presidential influence.

"Although presidents may have a difficult time actually leading the public and Congress, voters still desire strong leadership from their commander in chief. In Presidential Leadership in Public Opinion, Jeffrey E. Cohen argues that the perception of presidential leadership in American politics is affected not so much by what presidents accomplish but by whether voters think their president is a good leader. When assessing whether a president is a good leader, voters ask two questions: Does the president represent me and the nation? And, is the president strong? Cohen shows that presidential interactions with Congress affect voter perceptions of presidential representation and strength. These perceptions have important implications for public attitudes about American politics. They affect presidential approval ratings, the performance of candidates in presidential elections, attitudes toward Congress, and trust in government. Perceptions of presidential leadership qualities have implications not only for the presidency but also for the larger political system"..

Cover; THE PRESIDENT'S LEGISLATIVE POLICY AGENDA, 1789-2002; Title; Copyright; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; Introduction: Two Puzzles; PUZZLE 1: THE DIVIDED GOVERNMENT PUZZLE; PUZZLE 2: THE MODERN PRESIDENT PUZZLE; CONVENTIONAL EXPLANATIONS OF PRESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOR; CONGRESSIONAL ANTICIPATIONS AND PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA BUILDING; PLAN OF THE BOOK; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; CHAPTER 1: The President's Legislative Policy Agenda; THE FOUNDATION OF THE PRESIDENTS LEGISLATIVE POLICY AGENDA; MULTIPLE PRESIDENTIAL POLICY AGENDAS: DEFINING THE PRESIDENTIAL LEGISLATIVE POLICY AGENDA; DEFINING AGENDAS.

Public expectations of the president and presidential policy-making behavior -- Presidential leadership, responsiveness, and the agenda-setting process -- The substantive content of presidential agendas -- Presidential responsiveness and policy formulation -- Presidential ideology and public opinion -- Policy legitimation and presidential responsiveness to public opinion -- Presidential policy decisions and responsiveness to public opinion I : Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Nixon -- Presidential policy decisions and responsiveness to public opinion II : Reagan, Bush, and Clinton -- Conclusions

The Presidency in the Era of 24-Hour News examines how changes in the news media since the golden age of television--when three major networks held a near monopoly on the news people saw in the United States--have altered the way presidents communicate with the public and garner popular support. - Publisher

A growing literature examines the motivations and outcomes of high‐level public diplomacy, the international visits of top‐level leaders. That literature looks primarily at the impact of visits from major leaders, like U.S. presidents, on their approval from voters in the host country. This article asks, instead, whether visits to and from the United States can affect the approval of the foreign leader among their voters back home. Using monthly data from the Executive Approval Project for 32 nations from 1991 to 2020, results suggest that foreign leader travel to the United States improves their approval, but neither presidential nor secretary of state visits impact foreign leader approval.

AbstractResearch finds that voters benchmark the state's unemployment level to the nation's when holding state policy makers accountable. Yet benchmarking requires some voter knowledge if the standard is to be applied correctly as an accountability rule. This article leverages the fact that voters have more knowledge about their state governors than legislatures assess how much knowledge is necessary for holding these policy makers accountable. Using pooled Cooperative Congressional Election Study data from 2006 to 2016, results find that knowledge has stronger mediating effects for the state legislature than governor. Furthermore, despite the low knowledge levels among voters about the state legislature, collectively there appears to be enough knowledge to hold that policymaking body accountable. The conclusion offers directions for future research.

Using the recently released American National Election Studies (ANES) 2018 Pilot Study, this article tests for presidential referendum effects in House, Senate, and gubernatorial contests during that election cycle. Results find strong presidential referendum effects in spite of the considerable correlation between presidential approval and several political predispositions, notably partisan and ideological identification. Weak electoral performance of Republican candidates was due to President Donald Trump's overall low approval ratings. However, Trump approvers appeared more inclined to turn out to vote than disapprovers, which softened the negative effect of Trump's weak approval polls on Republican candidate vote totals. The conclusion discusses the potential implications of these findings for the upcoming 2020 presidential elections, especially if Trump approvers continue their turnout advantage over disapprovers.