Strategically Using the National Mall

• In Event: Presidents and Executive Politics & Public Policy Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual Poster Session: Presidents and Executive Politics Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

The National Mall is devoted to important moments, events, individuals, and pieces of time that have structured, supported, and created path dependencies for the United States we see today. One specific function of the space is that of the place of soldiers and war in relation to the upholding of the democratic values, rule of law, and governing structures of the US. While the uses and relevance of the National Mall has been looked at by scholars, there remains unanswered questions about the ways in which the space is utilized, and the reasons it really matters. I argue, that the space of the National Mall, specifically the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial and the World War II Memorial, are used both by the Executive in ways that support and lend legitimacy to the title of Commander in Chief, and by Congress as a way to maintain separation of powers at federal levels. Empirical findings from logistic regressions lend support to the idea that there exists an important relationship between the approval of the President and of Congress by voters in the United States, and their strategic use of the two memorials on the National Mall.

Author

• Morgan Noel Smith, Georgia State University