Role of the President of the United States

They convince politicians by asserting that their bill is for the common good and that the consequence of global warming is "second only to nuclear war." Sometimes persuasion requires a little more than just saying that specific legislation is in the best interests of the public. Persuasion may turn personal, such as when Wade threatens Shepherd that "if you (Shepherd) don't live up to the deal you just made, come to New Hampshire, we're (the GDC) going to go shopping for a new candidate." The White House can also act as a type of lobbyist as seen when Leon Kodak and Lewis Rothschild call up Congressmen to rally support behind the crime bill and the environmental bill.
             The President plays a very large role in passing legislation. The President sets the" legislative agenda for Congress in the State of the Union address. What is said in the speech is what the public expects Congress to debate. It is in the State of the Union that the President will often introduce new bills, and it is for this very reason that the President is a major target of lobbyists (also because without his support he can veto a bill, essentially killing it). Besides introducing bills to Congress, the President is a source of social influence. As demonstrated with A.J. and Sydney Ellen Wade, the President exerts an aura of prestige and authority. Neither can stop calling him "President" even when each has become friends with him. When Sydney is criticizing Shepherd, and he overhears her, she apologizes profusely, not just because she was rude but because he is the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. This bully pulpit is crucial to passing legislation. The public and Congress will tend to listen to what the President has to say simply because he is the President. Rumson provides a very active campaign against Shepherd by humanizing Shepherd and making him seem like he does not live up to the values and prestige of the presidential office.