Question

1 paragraph length explanations for each q

(1) Provide some examples of how citizens can influence the various "gateways" discussed in your textbook. (Gateways to Democracy 8e edition)

(2)Discuss how assessing public opinion has changed since the 1930s.

(3)State the reasons public opinion has a powerful impact on the presidency.

Answer 1

• 3)Public opinion polling is prevalent even outside election season. The theory of delegate representation assumes the politician is in office to be the voice of the people
• If voters want the legislator to vote for legalizing marijuana, for example, the legislator should vote to legalize marijuana. Legislators or candidates who believe in delegate representation may poll the public before an important vote comes up for debate in order to learn what the public desires them to do.
• Public opinion polls also affect how much money candidates receive in campaign donations. Donors assume public opinion polls are accurate enough to determine who the top two to three primary candidates will be, and they give money to those who do well.
• Presidents running for reelection also must perform well in public opinion polls, and being in office may not provide an automatic advantage. Americans often think about both the future and the past when they decide which candidate to support.
• They have three years of past information about the sitting president, so they can better predict what will happen if the incumbent is reelected. That makes it difficult for the president to mislead the electorate.
• Voters also want a future that is prosperous. Not only should the economy look good, but citizens want to know they will do well in that economy.
• For this reason, daily public approval polls sometimes act as both a referendum of the president and a predictor of success.
• If public mood changes, the politicians may change positions to match the public mood. The more savvy politicians look carefully to recognize when shifts occur. When the public is more or less liberal, the politicians may make slight adjustments to their behavior to match.
• Public opinion of the president is different from public opinion of Congress. Congress is an institution of 535 members, and opinion polls look at both the institution and its individual members.
• The president is both a person and the head of an institution. The media pays close attention to any president’s actions, and the public is generally well informed and aware of the office and its current occupant. Perhaps this is why public opinion has an inconsistent effect on presidents’ decisions.
• Overall, it appears that presidents try to move public opinion towards personal positions rather than moving themselves towards the public’s opinion.If presidents have enough public support, they use their level of public approval indirectly as a way to get their agenda passed.
• When presidents have high levels of public approval, they are likely to act quickly and try to accomplish personal policy goals. They can use their position and power to focus media attention on an issue.
• This is sometimes referred to as the bully pulpit approach. The term “bully pulpit” was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who believed the presidency commanded the attention of the media and could be used to appeal directly to the people.
• In some instances, presidents may appear to directly consider public opinion before acting or making decisions. In 2013, President Obama announced that he was considering a military strike on Syria in reaction to the Syrian government’s illegal use of sarin gas on its own citizens.
• Despite agreeing that this chemical attack on the Damascan suburbs was a war crime, the public was against U.S. involvement.
• Forty-eight percent of respondents said they opposed airstrikes, and only 29 percent were in favor. Democrats were especially opposed to military intervention.
• President Obama changed his mind and ultimately allowed Russian president Vladimir Putin to negotiate Syria’s surrender of its chemical weapons.
• The president’s popularity affects presidential power because a popular president is much more likely to persuade reluctant members of Congress or the public than an unpopular one.
• A high approval rating 60 percent or above makes a president very strong, whereas a weak rating below 50 percent weakens a presidency. Presidential approval sometimes changes dramatically during the president’s term.
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