ABSTRACT
This article argues that the problems, dilemmas, and opportunities of legislative leaders in the US system stem from the limited scope of what elections decide, on the one hand, and from the fluidity of the context in which and the openness of the process by which decisions are made, on the other. Congressional agenda setting and majority building are analysed to substantiate and illustrate these generalisations. It emphasises the ways in which the character of the political context in recent years has both exacerbated the dilemmas and amplified the opportunities.
