Social Movement and President Relationship

Social Movement and President Relationship

According to Sidney Milkis and Daniel Tichenor, in Rivalry and Reform, why are social movements uneasy or contentious with the US President?

According to Tosidney Milkis and Daniel Tichenor, in rivalry and reform, the social movements are in an uneasy or contentious relationship with the US president because of the following:

Desire to recast the political system.

The desire to reshape the US political system is why there is no reasonable relationship between the social movement and the president. They both have different political agenda, and no one is willing to let the rival to pursue their agenda. This sets the social movement and president on the collision course. The two actors always try to take control of the timing and the political change in the country. Sidney M. Milkis and Daniel J. Tichenor argue persuasively that significant political change usually reflects neither a top-down nor bottom-up strategy but a crucial interplay between the president and the social movement. An example is the case of Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionism social movement.

Support of the policy goal

The social movement targets the president to support their policy. They target the president because he will act as a source of powerful support of the policy or at the center of opposition opposing the social movement policy. An example of such movement is that of black lives matter social movement against President Trump.

What prevents them from being natural allies of one another?

Due to different political views between the president and the social movement, it is sporadic for them to work together. They have different agenda, opinions, and philosophies of how certain things should be done. The championing of various policies is another reason why the president and the social movements cannot work as natural allies. The social movement believes that organizing protests and demonstrations will give the president pressure and bow to their policy demand. An example is the recent one of black lives matters social movement.