In this book, George Edwards analyzes the results of hundreds of public opinion polls from recent presidencies to assess the success of these efforts.
Edwards argues that shoring up previously existing support is the principal benefit of going public and that staying private - negotiating quietly with elites - may often be more conducive to a president's legislative success.
277–278; and McDonald, The Presidency of George Washington, p. 164. 58. Ketcham discusses in Presidents Above Party the ideal of the patriot leader above faction that was widely held in the late-eighteenth century. 59.
A classic example of how good intelligence, though supposedly wanted and sought, is seldom recognized and used for our best national interests.
On Deaf Ears