Presidential Rhetoric and the Strategy of Going Public

Abstract

Going public represents a new style of presidential leadership in which the president sells his programs directly to the American public. Several scholars have argued that presidents need to go to the public more often and make skillful use of public rhetoric to galvanize public support for their policy agenda. This article examines President Clinton's public rhetoric and his failed strategy of going public to rally support for his health care reform proposal during 1993–1994. It concludes with a discussion of factors that help explain President Clinton's failure to rally public support for the Health Security Act of 1993 and secure its passage in the Congress.

Key Words:

• Rhetoric
• leadership
• policymaking
• health care reform
• bully pulpit
• public opinion
• Health Security Act