> How does the declining approval rate affect presidential power after the
> election. In a parliamentary system - which we do NOT have - that mechanism
> is proportional representation and multi-party coalition. Since the parties
> form the government and each party's power depends on popular support - the
> loss of support for current government will likely transfer to the parties
> that form it and thus will result in their loss of power. So the parties
> must always balance supporting the current coalition and getting sufficient
> share of seats. If the popular discontent tips that balance, the government
> falls - which is the mechanism connecting voter satisfaction and
> government's power.
>
> But no such mechanism exists in the US. Once the prez is elected, his
> government is virtually guaranteed to stay in power for the entire term,
> even if it had zero popular support - since impeachment is extremely
> difficult. Each party's power is not linked to popular support, but rather
> is a function of institutional arrangements such as winner-takes-all,
> gerrymandering, machine politics, and the general shortage of political
> choice which helps maintaining voter loyalty even if they have to hold their
> noses.
>
> One can argue - albeit I ma not sure how convincingly, given Bush jr. - that
> in the first term popular dissatisfaction may hold presidential power in
> check due to re-election - bun in the second term? They can pretty much do
> what they want, or rather whatever is possible given the balance of power
> among other interest groups. That is why the presidential approval rating
> that Doug and others diligently cite never cease to amuse me - they carry
> less weight than, say, Miss America pageant.
>
> Wojtek
Doesn't the President have to be concerned that if his approval drops low enough it will make re-electing or electing members of the same party to House and Senate seats difficult? It seems like unpopular Presidents hurt their parties members to me. If discontent with Shrub spells the end of some Republican Senate and House seats in the next election this changes things. At least within the standards of change currently found in the US.
John Thornton