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The Presidential Character: Predicting Performance in the White House, With a Revised and Updated Foreword by George C. Edwards III
by James David BarberA book entitled The Presidential Character is more timely and necessary than ever. This new issue of James David Barber’s classic work appears almost 50 years after its first publication and yet reads like a roadmap to the 2020 presidential election. Its subtitle, “Predicting Performance in the White House,” is an apt reflection on the election of 2016. With a revised and updated foreword by George C. Edwards III that brings in the Trump Administration, this book argues that patterns in a person’s character, world view, and political style can allow us to anticipate his or her performance as president. How would Barber have categorized Donald J. Trump, who appears to defy every presidential type and norm? This question suggests one of the most provocative and appealing reasons for students, scholars, and voters to re-read The Presidential Character at this particular juncture. What should we look for in a president? This text offers explanations and predictions of the performance of past presidents and presidential candidates with many cautionary tales looking forward. Features Presents a revised and updated foreword by presidential scholar George C. Edwards III, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University, that includes the advent of the Trump Administration and highlights the book’s classic and enduring contributions. Includes predictions of presidential performance from Nixon to Bush. Analyzes the media’s role in providing information about the political candidates and in shaping public opinion of them. Draws on historical, biographical, and psychological research to help voters make judicious choices in determining the country’s highest leaders. Encourages citizens to be actively involved scholars, critics, and participants in their government.
The Presidential Character: Predicting Performance in the White House (Fourth Edition)
by James David BarberWhat should we look for in a president? This timeless question begs reconsideration in light of today's crucial presidential election season. To that end, The Presidential Character, James David Barber's examination of who has the potential to occupy the highest office in the land - and why - is being reissued as the newest addition to the Longman Classics in Political Science series. Arguing that patterns in a person's character, world view, and political style can help us anticipate their performance as president, this classic text offers explanations and predictions of the performance of past presidents and presidential candidates.
Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump
by Stephen J. FarnsworthThis book traces the evolution of White House news management during America’s changing media environment over the past two decades. Comparing and contrasting the communication strategies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, it demonstrates the difficulty that all presidents have in controlling their messages despite a seemingly endless array of new media outlets and the great advantages of the office. That difficulty is compounded by new media’s amplification of presidential character traits for good or ill. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube notwithstanding, presidential power still resides in the "power to persuade," and that task remains a steep challenge. More than ever, presidential character matters, and the media presidents now employ report on the messenger as much as the message. The book also looks at the media strategies of candidates during the 2016 presidential campaign, puts presidential media use in global context, and covers the early phase of the Trump administration, the first true Twitter presidency.
Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989
by Michael R. BeschlossFrom the acclaimed bestselling author of The Conquerors Michael Beschloss has brought us a brilliantly readable and inspiring saga about crucial times in America's history when a courageous President dramatically changed the future of the United States. With surprising new sources and a dazzling command of history and human character, Beschloss brings to life these flawed, complex men -- and their wives, families, friends and foes. Never have we had a more intimate, behind-the-scenes view of Presidents coping with the supreme dilemmas of their lives. You will be in the room with the private George Washington, braving threats of impeachment and assassination to make peace with England. John Adams, incurring his party's "unrelenting hatred" by refusing to fight France and warning his enemies, "Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war." Andrew Jackson, in a death struggle against the corrupt Bank of the United States. Abraham Lincoln, risking his Presidency to insist that slaves be freed. Beschloss also shows us Theodore Roosevelt, taunting J. P. Morgan and the Wall Street leaders who dominated his party. Franklin Roosevelt, defying the isolationists -- and maybe the law -- to stop Adolf Hitler. Harry Truman, risking a walkout by top officials to recognize a Jewish state. John Kennedy, the belated champion of civil rights, complaining that he has cost himself a second term. And finally, two hundred years after Washington, Ronald Reagan, irking some of his oldest backers to seek an end to the Cold War. As Beschloss shows in this gripping and important book, none of these Presidents was eager to incur ridicule, vilification or threats of political destruction and even assassination. But in the end, bolstered by friends and family, hidden private beliefs and, sometimes, religious faith, each ultimately proved himself to be, in Andrew Jackson's words, "born for the storm."
Presidential Debates: Fifty Years of High-Risk TV
by Alan SchroederAlan Schroeder's popular history now covers the 2000 Bush-Gore and 2004 Bush-Kerry debates, including innovations in format and press coverage, and adds new research on televised debates since 1960. Schroeder organizes his book according to a television production timeline, highlighting the importance of pre- and postdebate periods, as well as the live telecasts themselves. He describes production in painstaking detail, from the selection of questioners to camera angles, from makeup to lighting and set design. Televised debates represent a rare departure from well-choreographed campaigns, and new media such as YouTube continue to reshape form and content. Conducting interviews with journalists and industry insiders, and drawing on his own experience as an award-winning reporter and television producer, Schroeder delivers a fascinating backstage tour of every aspect of debate performance.
Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign Trail
by Alan SchroederAlan Schroeder's big-picture history recounts the phenomenon of American televised presidential debates and its evolution over the past half century. From pundits to political operatives, from debate moderators to the viewing public, Presidential Debates reveals how the various stakeholders make and experience this powerful event. For this third edition, Schroeder analyzes the presidential debates of 2008 and 2012 and the crucial role that social media and contemporary news outlets had in shaping their design and reception. He also expands his coverage of previous campaigns, including the landmark meetings in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Schroeder details an insider's view of the key phases of the debate: anticipation, in which the campaigns negotiate rules, formulate strategy, and steer press coverage; execution, in which the candidates, moderators, panelists, and television professionals create and project the event; and reaction, in which the commentators, spin doctors, and viewers evaluate the performance and move story lines in new directions. New chapters focus on real-time debate responses and the extent to which postdebate news coverage influences voters' decision making and candidates' behavior.
Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq (The American Moment)
by Gary R. HessFollowing World War II, Americans expected that the United States would wage another major war against a superpower. Instead, the nation has fought limited wars against much weaker states, such as North Korea, North Vietnam, and Iraq. This revised and updated edition of Presidential Decisions for War analyzes the means by which four presidents have taken the nation to war and assesses the effectiveness of each president's leadership during those conflicts. Gary Hess recreates the unfolding crises in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq to probe the reasons why Presidents Truman, Johnson, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush and their advisors decided in favor of war. He compares the performance of the commanders-in-chief and evaluates how effectively each understood U.S. interests, explored alternatives to war, adhered to constitutional processes, and built congressional, popular, and international support. A new conclusion points out, that unlike the administrations of Truman, Johnson, and the elder Bush, George W. Bush's White House actively sought to change the international order through preemptive war and aggressive democracy building. Fully revised and featuring an examination of how each of the presidents learned from history and juggled the demands on diplomacy, this comparative study of presidential war-making elucidates how effective executive leadership—or its absence—directly affects the outcome of wars.
Presidential Decrees in Russia
by Thomas F. RemingtonThe book examines the way Russian presidents Yeltsin, Medvedev, and Putin have used their constitutional decree powers since the end of the Soviet regime. The Russian constitution gives the Russian president extremely broad decree-making power, but its exercise is constrained by both formal and informal considerations. The book compares the Russian president's powers to those of other presidents, including the executive powers of the United States president and those of Latin American presidents. The book traces the historical development of decree power in Russia from the first constitution in 1905 through the Soviet period and up to the present day, showing strong continuities over time. It concludes that Russia's president operates in a strategic environment, where he must anticipate the way other actors, such as the bureaucracy and the parliament, will respond to his use of decree power.
The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to Barack Obama
by Fred I. GreensteinFred I. Greenstein has long been one of our keenest observers of the modern presidency. In The Presidential Difference, he provides a fascinating and instructive account of the presidential qualities that have served well and poorly in the Oval Office, beginning with Franklin D. Roosevelt's first hundred days. He surveys each president's political skill, vision, cognitive style, organizational capacity, ability to communicate, and emotional intelligence--and argues that the last is the most important in predicting presidential success. Throughout, Greenstein offers a series of bottom-line judgments on each of his thirteen subjects as well as an overarching theory of why presidents succeed or fail. In this new edition, Greenstein assesses President George W. Bush in the wake of his two terms. The book also includes a new chapter on the leadership style of President Obama and how we can expect it to affect his presidency and legacy.
The Presidential Dilemma: Revisiting Democratic Leadership in the American System
by Michael GenoveseThis brief, thought-provoking text evaluates the performance of recent presidents from Johnson to Bush, finding that, overall, each has failed to live up to public expectations. Written by one of the top presidency scholars today, The Presidential Dilemma reflects on the idea that as our country's problems grow, our politicians seem to shrink. Arguing that American presidents of the last 40 years have largely failed to meet the needs, expectations, and responsibilities placed upon them, the book discusses how presidents might better maximize their opportunities for leadership and suggests a distinctive theory of presidential politics: presidents, facing a system of multiple veto points, seek to maximize power and influence.The third edition of Genovese's stimulating book is thoroughly updated to reflect presidential development in recent years, and a new introduction brings his arguments current. As he demonstrates, the emergence of democracy as a new social and political paradigm undermined traditional authority and legitimacy. Subjects no longer automatically follow; now citizens must be persuaded. They may give to a leader their authority and power, or not. As Genovese notes, in a world of mass consumerism, those wishing to lead have precious little to offer by way of inducement.Genovese's goal is to examine the reasons why the performance of recent presidents has been underwhelming, discuss how they might maximize their opportunities for leadership, and ask a key question: Can presidents be both powerful and accountable? The book follows a clear format and tries to show why America's officeholders have so rarely been leaders and how presidents can become leaders instead of mere officeholders.
Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts
by Syl Sobel J.D.Give kids the most important and interesting facts about presidential elections with this easy-to-understand primer!Perfect for classrooms, homeschool, and curious young readers, this book features:Simple, kid-friendly languageClear explanations of complex questionsIllustrations that help bring the text to lifeAdditional resources like a glossary, index, and more!Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts is an easy-to-read guide for kids about how our country chooses its leader, answering questions like: Who can run? Who can vote? What is the electoral college? It's also packed with fascinating facts about previous presidents, notable candidates, and remarkable elections in history.
Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts (2nd edition)
by Syl SobelMuch that we all thought we knew about U. S. presidential elections went out the window with the historic Bush-Gore campaign of 2000. But that wasn't the only unusual election in United States history--merely a recent and surprising contest. The previous edition of Syl Sobel's Presidential Elections was a great introduction to past presidential campaigns for kids. The updated edition is even better! Young readers will find all kinds of interesting facts for their history and social studies classes as they learn--Who can run for president? ... Who can vote? ... What is the Electoral College? ... What is a third-party candidate? ... What if something happens to the president? Some of the unusual facts they'll discover include--Which Republican president had a Democrat for his vice president? ... How many candidates have won the popular vote but lost the election? ... Why was President Truman so happy in 1948, when he read the Chicago Tribune headline that declared: "Dewey Defeats Truman"? Even more interesting, and with Syl Sobel's guidance, boys and girls will explore the dramatic presidential election of 2000, a marathon contest that wasn't decided until five weeks after Election Day.
Presidential Elections (Cornerstones of Freedom)
by Miles HarveyExamines how presidential elections have changed over the past 200 years, discussing topics such as primaries, national conventions, television campaigns, and funding.
Presidential Elections in Iran: Islamic Idealism since the Revolution
by Mahmoud Pargoo Shahram AkbarzadehThe dominant narrative of Iranian society and politics heralds the reformist movement as the epitome of Iran's transition to secularity, while conservative political forces are positioned as advocates of Islamization and a bulwark against secularization. Examining all the presidential elections since the revolution, Mahmoud Pargoo and Shahram Akbarzadeh argue that in contrast, political and cultural imagination and expectations in Iran have actually secularized regardless of the reformist/conservative divide. Exploring the evolution of campaign discourses from the 1980s elections which brought Abolhassan Banisadr, Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Ali Khamenei to power, to the more recent campaigns of Mohamad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani, this book suggests that current debates in Iranian domestic politics are not between secularists and their opponents, but rather, between different kinds of secular forces.
Presidential Elections in Mexico
by Reynaldo Yunuen Ortega OrtizThis book analyzes the transformation of the Mexican political system during the last four decades seen through the lens of its presidential elections. In the 1970s, Mexican presidential elections were without choice; thirty years later, the number of candidates and the competition increased dramatically to multiple parties and candidates. How can we classify presidential elections in Mexico between 1976 and 2012? How should these complex processes and the behavior of the Mexican electorate be explained? This monograph uses a mixed methodology including historical and statistical analysis of the presidential elections in Mexico to address these questions. In its chapters, the project presents a typology of presidential elections generally followed by detailed analysis of the presidential elections between 1976 and 2012.
Presidential Elections in Nigeria's Fourth Republic (Palgrave Studies in Presidential Politics)
by Babayo Sule Usman SamboThis book provides a uniquely detailed analysis of presidential elections in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. The authors explore the changing dynamics of voting patterns, religious politics, politicians’ behaviour and the broader political system to offer new insights into presidential systems in Africa and beyond. In doing so, they address an often-neglected area of political science and cast light on the political challenges facing one of the world’s largest democracies. The book’s comprehensive coverage of Nigerian presidential elections – and the lessons they hold for developing countries across the globe – is a valuable resource for researchers, students, international institutions and non-governmental organisations.
The Presidential Expectations Gap: Public Attitudes Concerning The Presidency
by Richard Waterman Hank Jenkins-Smith Carol L. SilvaFor decades, public expectations of U. S. presidents have become increasingly excessive and unreasonable. Despite much anecdotal evidence, few scholars have attempted to test the expectations gap thesis empirically. This is the first systematic study to prove the existence of the expectations gap and to identify the factors that contribute to the public’s disappointment in a given president. Using data from five original surveys, the authors confirm that the expectations gap is manifest in public opinion. It leads to lower approval ratings, lowers the chance that a president will be reelected, and even contributes to the success of the political party that does not hold the White House in congressional midterm elections. This study provides important insights not only on the American presidency and public opinion, but also on citizens’ trust in government.
Presidential Faith and Foreign Policy
by William StedingThroughout the Cold War the religious beliefs of presidents and the connection of those beliefs to foreign policy produced curiosities but little scholarship. The subject was most often sequestered behind the presumptive veil of the separation of church and state, or otherwise set aside due to methodological concerns. Since 9/11, religion has become a subject that cannot be ignored. Western inquiries of Islam and the religious rhetoric of George W. Bush made religion central to foreign affairs. However, as Presidential Faith and Foreign Policy shows, religion has been fully ensconced in the political sphere since the presidency of Jimmy Carter, and he and his successor Ronald Reagan - both self-professed born-again Christians - applied their particular religious interpretations to their leadership of the United States and its international affairs.
Presidential Framing in the 21st Century News Media: The Politics of the Affordable Care Act
by Jennifer Rose HopperThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act came into existence at a time when the president’s ability to lead the public was in question, political polarization had intensified, and the media environment appeared ever more fragmented, fast-moving, and resistant to control. Under such circumstances, how can contemporary American presidents such as Barack Obama build and maintain support for themselves and their policies, particularly as controversies arise? Using case studies of major contests over how key elements of the Affordable Care Act would be framed, and analysis of how those frames fared in influential and popular U.S. news sources, Hopper examines the conditions under which the president can effectively shape public debates today. She argues that despite the difficult political and communications context, the president retains substantial advantages in framing major controversial issues for the media and the public. These presidential framing advantages are conditional, however, and Hopper explores the factors that help make presidential frames more or less likely to gain hold in the news today. More so than in the past, an element of unpredictability in this news environment means that in pursuing favorable messaging, the president and his surrogates may also generate some unintentional consequences in how issues are portrayed to the public. Presidential frames can evolve with unfolding events to take on new meanings and applications, a process facilitated alternately by supporters, opponents, and media actors. Still, media figures and political opponents remain largely reactive to presidential communications, even as some seek to publicize and exploit weaknesses in the administration’s narratives. A close look at these recent cases casts new light on the scholarly debate surrounding the president’s ability to persuasively communicate and challenges conventional wisdom that the 21st century media largely present an unmanageable news environment for the White House. Presidential Framing in the 21st Century News Media engages with current events in American politics, focusing on the Obama Administration and the Affordable Care Act, while also reflecting upon the state of the American presidency, the news media, and the public in ways that have substantial implications for all of these actors, not merely in the present, but into the future, making it a compelling read for scholars of Political Science, Media Studies, Communication Studies, and Public Policy.
The Presidential Fringe: Questing and Jesting for the Oval Office
by Mark SteinThis offbeat slice of American history places the story of our great republic beneath an unexpected lens: that of fringe candidates for president of the United States. Mark Stein explores how their quest for our nation&’s highest office helped to amplify voices otherwise quashed during their day. His careening tour through elections past includes the efforts of true pioneers in the quest for social equality in our country: the first woman to run for president, Victoria Woodhull in 1872; the first African American to run for president, George E. Taylor in 1904; and the first openly gay cross-dressing candidate for president, Joan Jett Blakk in 1992. But The Presidential Fringe also takes a look at those who would jest their way into the Oval Office, from comedians such as Will Rogers and Gracie Allen to Pat Paulsen and Stephen Colbert. Along the way, Stein shows how even seemingly zany candidates, such as &“Live Forever&” Jones, Vegetarian Party candidate John Maxwell, Flying Saucer Party candidate Gabriel Green, or, most recently, Vermin Supreme, provide extraordinary insights of clarity into who we were when they ran for president and how we became who we are today. Ultimately, Stein&’s examination reveals that it was often precisely these fringe candidates who planted the seeds from which mainstream candidates later harvested genuine, positive change. Written in Stein&’s direct and witty style, The Presidential Fringe surveys and portrays an American landscape rife with the unlikely, unassuming, unexpected, and (in a few cases) unbalanced presidential hopefuls who, in their own way, have contributed to this nation&’s founding quest to form a more perfect Union.
Presidential Government
by Benjamin GinsbergNoted political scientist Benjamin Ginsberg has written an essential text for courses on the United States presidency. An invaluable resource, Ginsberg's comprehensive analysis emphasizes the historical, constitutional, and legal dimensions of presidential power. He explores the history and essential aspects of the office, the president's relationship to the rest of the executive branch and to a subordinated Congress, and the evolution of the American president from policy executor to policy maker. Compelling photo essays delve into topics of special interest, including First Spouses, Presidential Eligibility, and Congressional Investigations of the White House.
Presidential Impeachment in Latin America: A Matter of Law or Politics?
by Gustavo PalamoneThis book pursues a comparative and interdisciplinary approach to assess presidential impeachments in Latin America. Mixing methodologies from legal studies and political science, it provides a novel and comprehensive assessment of some of the most controversial questions regarding the constitutional function of impeachment and its place in the theory of government.Presidential impeachments have become frequent in Latin America, yet they are still largely misunderstood by legal practitioners and the general public. As such, impeachments frequently provide for heated and polarizing debates. The misunderstandings stem from skewed expectations arising from different theories of government, legal interpretation, and presidential impeachment. The empirical evidence and arguments presented here will help to find common ground on these topics and pacify some latent tensions in society and academia. In addition, the book’s case studies cover cases that have been rarely or incompletely addressed in the literature. Some cover events so recent that they have never been analyzed elsewhere.The book proposes reconsidering certain assumptions made about systems of government, which are based on skewed expectations of impeachments. It also draws on new evidence to re-examine existing impeachment theories and develop new ones. By doing so, it offers valuable insights that may guide lawmakers to redesign their own systems, optimizing them to achieve certain goals. It will also acquaint legal practitioners with the strategies of prosecution, defense, and decision-making in connection with impeachments.
Presidential Inaugural Addresses (Word Cloud Classics)
by Editors of Canterbury ClassicsAmerica&’s evolution across the centuries is captured in this volume of speeches delivered by each president upon being sworn into office. This book presents every inaugural address delivered by every American president from George Washington to Donald Trump. With immortal quotes such as Thomas Jefferson&’s &“Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle&” and John F. Kennedy&’s &“Ask not what your country can do for you,&” you&’ll find the speeches that have inspired, united, and fired up the American population as our nation&’s leaders embark on their service to the public.
Presidential Leadership: The Political Relations of Congress and the Chief Executive
by Pendleton HerringThe nature of the presidency is an issue that has been debated since the drafting of the United States Constitution. The Federalists felt a strong executive was the backbone and prime mover of a strong government. On the other side, the Anti-Federalists felt the presidency represented monarchical tendencies and could potentially subvert republican government. How does executive leadership fit in with a limited government with enumerated powers? Does the Constitution require a containment of executive power, even during times of crisis, or do times of crisis warrant an abandonment of a strict legalistic reading of the document?
Presidential Leadership and Foreign Policy: Comparing the Trump and Biden Doctrines (Springer Studies in American Politics)
by Stanley A. Renshon Peter SuedfeldThe 2024 U.S. presidential election will hinge on two very different basic approaches to domestic and foreign policy, two very different sets of underlying premises, and two very different types of presidential and high-level official personalities at the administrative helm putting them into effect. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is campaigning on a nationalist conservative preservation platform. It is a direct antithesis of the Biden-Harris- Waltz progressive transformation agenda. This volume comparatively analyzes the choices of presidential doctrine that are likely to define the principles, beliefs, and nature of U.S. foreign policy in the years following the election of either candidate and their vastly different agendas.