Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper examines President Bush’s actions on stem cell research within the broader scope of their impact on the party system. I show that in his political confrontation with the public, Congress, and Republican leadership in Congress, President Bush sent a clear signal to the Republican Party, which was picked up by rank-and-file Republicans and translated into a shared policy preference. From this standpoint I engage with the debate on the effect of going public on presidential policy success, and argue that by using the microphones presidents can influence the political debate through their partisans in the electorate.