Polling to Govern: Public Opinion and Presidential Leadership

by Diane J. Heith

Overview

Presidents spend millions of dollars on public opinion polling while in office. Critics often point to this polling as evidence that a “permanent campaign” has taken over the White House at the expense of traditional governance. But has presidential polling truly changed the shape of presidential leadership?

Diane J. Heith examines the polling practices of six presidential administrations—those of Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton—dissecting the poll apparatus of each period. She contends that while White House polls significantly influence presidential messages and responses to events, they do not impact presidential decisions to the extent that observers often claim. Heith concludes that polling, and thus the campaign environment, exists in tandem with long-established governing strategies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804748483
Publisher:	Stanford University Press
Publication date:	10/30/2003
Edition description:	1
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Diane J. Heith is Assistant Professor of Government and Politics at St. John's University.

Table of Contents

	Figures	vii
	Tables	ix
	Preface	x
1	Public Opinion and Theories of Presidential Leadership	1
2	Bringing the Permanent Campaign to the White House: Staffing the Poll Apparatus	13
3	Connecting Poll Data to Presidential Needs	40
4	The Adversarial Presidency: Using the Polls to Define "Us and Them"	58
5	The Policy Cycle Meets the Permanent Campaign	74
6	Winning the Permanent Campaign?	103
7	Crises and Polls: A Match Made in Heaven	122
8	Conclusions: The Public and a Public Opinion Presidency	135
	Notes	146
	Bibliography	176
	Index	185

Editorial Reviews

"[ Polling to Govern ] offers lots of interesting findings and insights. Students of the presidency will surely profit from reading [it]."

Presidential Studies Quarterly

"Employing superb historical instincts and considerable research skills, [Heith] has produced a nuanced evaluation of 'the permanent campaign,' the seemingly constant presidential search for high approval ratings."

Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"A thoughtful, thorough analysis of White House polling operations and the data obtained from those polls."

Choice

" Polling to Govern is a thoughtful, detailed, and significant analysis of how six U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton used public opinion polls to develop presidential leadership."

Perspectives on Political Science

"Polling to Govern is a thoughtful, detailed, and significant analysis of how six U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton used public opinion polls to develop presidential leadership."—Perspectives on Political Science

"A thoughtful, thorough analysis of White House polling operations and the data obtained from those polls."—Choice

"Employing superb historical instincts and considerable research skills, [Heith] has produced a nuanced evaluation of 'the permanent campaign,' the seemingly constant presidential search for high approval ratings."—Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"[Polling to Govern] offers lots of interesting findings and insights. Students of the presidency will surely profit from reading [it]."—Presidential Studies Quarterly

From the Publisher