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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2012
The central feature of representative government is a mediating assembly of legislators that stands between the citizenry and decisions on public policy…. Such an assembly presents a serious challenge to democratic accountability. Since no single legislator can make policy decisions unilaterally, voters cannot reasonably hold any one legislator responsible for overall policy outcomes…. One way to meet this challenge is with responsible party government. Here political parties serve as collective agents of the electorate by designing alternative policy agendas and implementing them, once in power. If successful, the parties can offer voters clear options and accomplishments as guides at election time.
– Patterson, Magleby, and Thurber 2002With $400 billion set aside for Medicare, with the 2004 campaign looming in the future, and with President Bush dubbing prescription drug coverage his number-one domestic priority, Republicans in the 108th Congress faced enormous pressure to pass legislation that would add prescription drug coverage to Medicare (Congressional Quarterly Weekly 2003). Republicans had tried to pass similar legislation since 1999, but with President Clinton occupying the White House, their attempts were unsuccessful. When President Bush took office in 2000, the Republicans saw an opportunity to pass the legislation, but this time a slim Democratic majority in the Senate (owing to Senator Jeffords' decision to help them organize the chamber) stymied their efforts. In 2003, however, the Republicans had their chance, as they finally controlled the House, Senate, and White House.
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