The President's Speeches

?One of the great unanswered questions of presidency scholars is why presidents try so hard to influence public opinion when the effort seems likely to be futile. Eshbaugh-Soha answers that question by looking at the indirect effects of presidential rhetoric. The result is essential reading.??Andrew Dowdle, University of ArkansasWhy do presidents bother to give speeches when their words rarely move public opinion? Arguing that ?going public? isn?t really about going to the public at all, Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha explores to whom presidential speeches are in fact targeted, and what?if any?influence they have on public policy.Eshbaugh-Soha shows that, when presidents speak, their intent is to provide legislators and bureaucrats with cues pointing to particular policy decisions. Analyzing 50 years of presidential rhetoric, he demonstrates the impact of such ?presidential signaling? vis-a-vis a range of policy areas. He finds that, although citizen support may increase the likelihood that a legislator will respond to presidential signals, it is not essential to a president?s legislative success.Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha is assistant professor of political science at the University of North Texas.Contents: Why Presidents Speak About Policy. Direct Signaling. When Signaling Works. Salience Matters. The Limits of Signals. Presidential Signaling and Public Policy.