Although Mark Peterson makes a strong case for an equitable distribution of power between the presidency and Congress in his book Legislating Together, it appears that such coalitions work in the majority of presidential terms, but not all. The author examines the politics of domestic policy during the administration of seven presidents, from Eisenhower to Reagan. Peterson concludes that the notion of the president as chief legislator is a myth. In reviewing Peterson's book, however, too many exceptions to his thesis exist to support a blanket acceptance of his contention that presidents and Congresses legislate together.
Peterson does an excellent job of presenting the complexity of the legislative process. A variety of forces go into the shaping of a final legislative bill. Many assume that legislation is passed using what Peterson refers to as the strategic accommodation scenario. Under this scenario, presidents and their aides alter policy initiatives using strategic information gained through consultation with Congress in hopes of attaining favorable Congressional support of the initiatives. Peterson contends that the policymaking process actually operates under the fixed position and uncertainty scenario, " . . . the complexity of goals and the potential lack and distortion of information in the complicated world of legislative policy-making attenuate the significance of congressional input in presidential initiatives" (34).
Peterson analyzes the existence, in the American political mindset, of a presidency-centered perspective. Although the presidency-centered perspective explains the relationship between Congress and the executive office as confrontational, in reality the policymaking process is too complex to be defined in such narrow terms. Another aspect of the presidency-centered perspective explains the power struggle between Congress and the executive office in terms of cycles. During one period, the p...