The rare occasions in which use of the bully pulpit is followed by actual movement from lawmakers are usually just situations where there's already widespread grassroots anger.
Users of the bully pulpit are following political pressure, not creating it themselves.
Users of the bully pulpit are following political pressure, not creating it themselves.
https://twitter.com/agraybee/status/1321146641311764483
The idea that one politician can overcome legislative math by moving public opinion with a speech is wishful thinking of the highest order. It just doesn't work like that.
Public opinion is an incredibly complicated thing and it has the momentum of a speeding freight train.
Public opinion is an incredibly complicated thing and it has the momentum of a speeding freight train.
In general, it's a *good thing* that in our system, a single politician cannot generally manipulate the masses to coerce votes from lawmakers that contradict their own constituents. That would imply our whole system is shaped around personality cults.
There's no magic shortcut to government. What we should focus on is ensuring our system represents the people accurately, to the point where lawmakers are stubborn or pliable for the right reasons.
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