ABSTRACT
Of all the constituencies with which a president must interact, none is more important than the public. Only the people have the authority to renew or terminate his presidency, unless, of course, he is convicted of impeachable offenses by the Senate. And even drastic action of that kind would be highly unlikely unless the public were in favor of it. Also, presidents are less likely to encounter resistance to what they want if the public is firmly behind them. President Abraham Lincoln took note of this fact when he remarked, “In this and like communities, public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail, without it nothing can succeed.” 1 Although Lincoln overstates the case, few would doubt that public support facilitates the president’s ability to act. As was noted in Chapter 3 , most of what a president wants to accomplish requires the acquiescence of Congress in one form or another. Moreover, given the constitutional restrictions on his power, as well as the absence of guaranteed support from members of his own party in Congress, the president is forced to enlist congressional support rather than command it. Since Congress is a popularly elected body, it must of necessity be sensitive to the level of public support the president can generate for his programs. Although public backing is not the only factor that can make the president an effective persuader, it is surely one of his most potent weapons.
