Bruce J. Schulman: The Costs of Crossing the President
[Bruce J. Schulman, Huntington professor of history at Boston University, is the author of “The ’70s: The Great Shift in American Culture” and “Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism.”]
Will the White House punish Democrats who defected on the monumental health care overhaul?...
Effective presidents, particularly those with ambitious agendas, need to clarify for members of Congress the benefits of cooperation — and the costs of opposition.
But they must calibrate their actions, avoiding the impression that they are interfering on congressional prerogatives or voters’ preferences.
Like Obama, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Washington with a large Democratic majority. His was also divided into competing regional and ideological blocs, with many freshmen....
During the 1938 midterms, Roosevelt stepped up pressure on recalcitrant lawmakers, campaigning against conservative Southern opponents of the New Deal.
He worked behind the scenes to unseat powerful critics like Virginia Sen. Harry Byrd. But FDR was so incensed by Democratic New Deal opponents in Georgia and South Carolina that he openly targeted them....
Read entire article at Politico
Will the White House punish Democrats who defected on the monumental health care overhaul?...
Effective presidents, particularly those with ambitious agendas, need to clarify for members of Congress the benefits of cooperation — and the costs of opposition.
But they must calibrate their actions, avoiding the impression that they are interfering on congressional prerogatives or voters’ preferences.
Like Obama, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Washington with a large Democratic majority. His was also divided into competing regional and ideological blocs, with many freshmen....
During the 1938 midterms, Roosevelt stepped up pressure on recalcitrant lawmakers, campaigning against conservative Southern opponents of the New Deal.
He worked behind the scenes to unseat powerful critics like Virginia Sen. Harry Byrd. But FDR was so incensed by Democratic New Deal opponents in Georgia and South Carolina that he openly targeted them....
Obama seems to be similarly fine-tuning his tactics. He refrained from punishing Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). Choosing House members who had initially voted for health care, he first targeted disloyal Democrats with seemingly little to gain from a “no” vote — because they had already voted yes on health reform.
Withholding support signals the costs of recalcitrance without resorting to heavy-handed punishments....