Behind the Scenes

Chapter 6 looks at the behind-the-scenes influence senators exerted on three bills debated and voted on in 2013: the debt-ceiling bill known commonly as “No Budget, No Pay,” the “Gang of Eight” comprehensive immigration reform bill, and an agriculture bill. It looks at interview data collected in 2013 from legislative directors for nineteen senators examining responses that answer the question of whether back-room dealing is how moderates use their power. That is to say, do legislators consider moderate preferences in an effort to build a large enough coalition to pass legislation? Interview data suggest that while leaders do try to protect moderates, coalitions are built with the opposing side, not with centrists. Indeed, legislators rarely view moderates as the most powerful senators in the Senate, and are seldom lobbied for their vote.