ABSTRACT
Presidents always work at a distance from the American public. Public opinion polls, interest groups, the media, and relations with Congress and the bureaucracy give presidents indirect access to their constituents. While speaking directly to the population helps presidents to create at least the illusion of a direct relationship, it does not help them to develop the relationships needed to assemble coalitions and to govern. To build coalitions, presidents must appeal to many separate groups, or separate publics, as much as to the public at large. Presidents' frequent public appeals have made presidential governance an extension of electoral campaigns.
