Presidential Leadership of Congressional Civil Rights Voting: The Cases of Eisenhower and Johnson |
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| Authors: | James D. King James W. Riddlesperger Jr. |
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| Affiliation: | James D. King (Ph.D., Missouri) is a member of the political science faculty at theUniversityofWyoming. Hisresearch focuses on American political institutions, with particular emphasis on presidential staffing and electoraI politics. The products of his research have appeared in Presidential Studies Quarterly, Journal of Politics, Social Science Quarterly, Western Political Quarterly, and other scholarly journals.;James W. Riddlesperger (Ph.D., Missouri) is an associate professor of political science at Texas Christian University. His research focuses on American politics, with a particular emphasis on the presidency. His articles have appeared in, among others, the following journals: Journal of Politics, Social Science Qwrtedy, Social Science Journal, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Judicature. |
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| Abstract: | Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson presented dramatically contrasting styles of leadership in their relationships with Congress. Yet each was successful in securing passage of monumental civil rights legislation in very different political environments. Focusing on the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we show that both Eisenhower and Johnson attracted support from the opposition party's faction at the far end of the ideological spectrum while retaining support from his own party's dominant faction. The analysis suggests that it is not the president's leadership style alone that produces legislative results, but a proper mixture of leadership style and the political environment. |
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