AGENDA SETTING AND DIVIDED GOVERNMENT

Agenda setting and divided government



Agenda setting and divided government

Introduction

Agenda setting is that step of the policy-making procedure where issues and alternatives are picked. Even though the amount of legislation may not be affected by a divided government, it could affect the policy initiatives taken in the first place.

Light pointed out that presidents set their agendas within the first few months of assuming office, in order to increase their chances for success. They also tend to minimize the number of agenda items that they would need to concentrate on. The size of the agenda, prioritization of issues and timing are all decided by the president.

In a divided government, the president has less chances of getting his initiatives passed through Congress, because when one party has control over the executive arm and the other party has greater presence in one or more houses of Congress, making it difficult to achieve a cordial and close relationship between the branches, giving credence to the findings of people such as Sundquist, Ginsberg and Shefter, who believe a divided government gives rise to a stalemate.

Discussion

According to Elgie (2003) tt is part of every president's legislative planning to get space for his congressional agenda, in order to get his all-important proposals passed, since getting agenda status is a significant stepping stone for the passage of a bill. It is imperative for the White House to get agenda space for its overtures, in order to obtain congressional assurances and guarantees in their support. Furthermore, it works to the president's advantage if Congress were to put his proposal into use as the beginning point in marking up a bill. With the president's own proposal on the agenda made well-known to the Congress members, his position becomes clear and it becomes easier for him to define the parameters and boundaries within which the Congress members make their decisions. Moreover, the White House looks to secure a level playing field with other proposals, in terms of its proposals on the agenda. Besides, the presidents must make sure that their priority programs are focused on by the Congress; otherwise they could risk losing them in the complicated legislative process. In addition, the presidents and their staff can only lobby purposefully for a few bills at a given time, due to time constraints, as well as the head-of-state's limitations with regards to political capital.

As a result, presidents ...