Senate Republican Leadership in Tough Times
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Nicol Rae
The US Senate is a diffuse and individualistic body that is notoriously hard to lead. Somewhat ironically, the job of the Senate Minority Leader on Capitol Hill today is probably easier than that of his majority counterpart, since the Minority Leader is largely absolved of the expectation that a party policy agenda can actually be passed through a chamber where it is far easier for the minority party to obstruct legislation. During the 110th Congress Mitch McConnell proved quite a successful Minority Leader in terms of unifying his party, command of Senate procedures and using those procedures for party advantage. Despite his successes in frustrating the Senate Democrats, McConnell was unable to overcome the deep unpopularity of his fellow Republican, President George W. Bush, and of the Republican Party in general. As a result the Senate GOP appears certain to suffer further losses in the 2008 elections, thereby demonstrating the disconnect between effective leadership inside the Senate chamber and electoral success.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
The US Senate is a diffuse and individualistic body that is notoriously hard to lead. Somewhat ironically, the job of the Senate Minority Leader on Capitol Hill today is probably easier than that of his majority counterpart, since the Minority Leader is largely absolved of the expectation that a party policy agenda can actually be passed through a chamber where it is far easier for the minority party to obstruct legislation. During the 110th Congress Mitch McConnell proved quite a successful Minority Leader in terms of unifying his party, command of Senate procedures and using those procedures for party advantage. Despite his successes in frustrating the Senate Democrats, McConnell was unable to overcome the deep unpopularity of his fellow Republican, President George W. Bush, and of the Republican Party in general. As a result the Senate GOP appears certain to suffer further losses in the 2008 elections, thereby demonstrating the disconnect between effective leadership inside the Senate chamber and electoral success.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Evaluating Majority Party Leaders in Congress
- The Politics of Constraint: House Republicans in Retrospect and Prospect
- Senate Republican Leadership in Tough Times
- Orchestrators of Unorthodox Lawmaking: Pelosi and McConnell in the 110th Congress
- Assessing Nancy Pelosi
- The American Public's View of Congress
- Commentary
- East European 'Model' to Cuban Freedom
- Response or Comment
- Comment on "Searching for Voters along the Liberal-Conservative Continuum"
- Review
- Review of Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age
- Review of Unequal Democracy
- Review of Unequal Democracy
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- Evaluating Majority Party Leaders in Congress
- The Politics of Constraint: House Republicans in Retrospect and Prospect
- Senate Republican Leadership in Tough Times
- Orchestrators of Unorthodox Lawmaking: Pelosi and McConnell in the 110th Congress
- Assessing Nancy Pelosi
- The American Public's View of Congress
- Commentary
- East European 'Model' to Cuban Freedom
- Response or Comment
- Comment on "Searching for Voters along the Liberal-Conservative Continuum"
- Review
- Review of Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age
- Review of Unequal Democracy
- Review of Unequal Democracy
