The Modern Presidency

by Pfiffner, James P.

• ISBN13: 9780312208592
• ISBN10: 0312208596
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-07-30
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

THE MODERN PRESIDENCY, Fifth Edition, is a concise, accessible and sophisticated text on the presidency. Case studies-a major strength of this short text-illustrate important aspects of presidential action and decision-making. Written by a top scholar on the presidency, and thoroughly updated through 2006 to include the presidency of George W. Bush, the text deals not only with presidents as individuals, but also with the large institutions that make up the modern presidency.

Author Biography

James P. Pfiffner is professor of government and public policy at George Mason University

Table of Contents

Preface	iii
About The Author	ix
The Presidency: Origins and Powers	1	(14)
Origins of the Presidency	7	(4)
Powers of the President	11	(2)
Conclusion	13	(2)
The President and the Public	15	(29)
Nominating the President	16	(6)
Presidential Elections	22	(13)
Third-Party Presidential Candidates	26	(3)
The General Election	29	(3)
Electoral Trends	32	(3)
Going Public and Public Approval	35	(7)
Presidential Approval Ratings---Annual Averages	40	(2)
Conclusion	42	(2)
The White House Staff and Organization	44	(41)
Roosevelt and Truman: Laying the Foundations	46	(3)
Eisenhower Institutionalizes the White House	49	(4)
Chiefs of Staff to the President	51	(2)
Kennedy and the Collegial Model	53	(3)
Lyndon Johnson's One-Man Show	56	(1)
Nixon's Tight Hierarchy	57	(4)
Ford's and Carter's Lessons	61	(4)
Reagan's Contrasting Terms	65	(7)
Bush's Pit Bull	72	(7)
Clinton's Circus	79	(3)
Conclusion	82	(3)
The Institutional Presidency	85	(18)
White House Staff and the Executive Office of the President	86	(4)
Top-Level Assistants to the President, 1960-1992	87	(1)
Organization Chart for the White House Office	88	(1)
Executive Office of the President, 1939 and 1997	89	(1)
Office of Legislative Liaison/Office of Congressional Relations	90	(2)
Office of Presidential Personnel	92	(2)
Office of Communications	94	(2)
Bureau of the Budget/Office of Management and Budget	96	(2)
National Security Council Staff	98	(2)
Office of Policy Development (Domestic Policy Staff)	100	(2)
Conclusion	102	(1)
The Cabinet and the Executive Branch	103	(27)
Origins of the Cabinet	103	(2)
The Cabinet as a Deliberative Body	105	(7)
Departmental Secretaries versus the White House Staff	112	(5)
Cabinet Departments	114	(3)
Presidential Appointments	117	(6)
Political Appointments Available to Presidents	118	(4)
Political Appointees by Cabinet Department (1992)	122	(1)
The Executive Branch Bureaucracy	123	(4)
More Officials at the Top Layers of the Executive Branch	124	(1)
The Government of the United States	125	(2)
Conclusion	127	(3)
The President and Congress	130	(44)
The Constitutional Fundamentals	130	(2)
Midterm Losses by the President's Party	132	(1)
The Veto Power	132	(4)
Presidential Vetoes (1789-1996)	134	(2)
The President as Legislative Leader	136	(10)
The Political Fundamentals	140	(2)
Presidential Success	142	(1)
Presidential Skills	142	(4)
Cases of Presidential Leadership	146	(20)
Kennedy and the House Rules Committee: Behind-the-Scenes Leadership	147	(2)
LBJ's Activist Approach: The 1964 Civil Rights Act	149	(3)
The Politics of Confrontation	152	(3)
Richard Nixon
The Moral Equivalent of War	155	(4)
Jimmy Carter
The 1982 Budget Juggernaut	159	(2)
Ronald Reagan
Clinton and Two Congresses: A Study in Contrast	161	(5)
The Problem of Divided Government	166	(6)
Divided and Unified Control of the Government, 1944-1998	167	(5)
Conclusion	172	(2)
The President and National Security	174	(31)
The War Power	175	(9)
World War II	177	(1)
Korea	178	(1)
Vietnam	178	(2)
The War Powers Resolution of 1973	180	(2)
The Persian Gulf War	182	(2)
Other Constitutional Powers	184	(4)
Treaties and Executive Agreements Approved by the United States, 1789-1996	187	(1)
The National Security Council Dominates the Executive Branch	188	(5)
Assistants to the President for National Security Affairs	190	(3)
Presidential Leadership and Crisis Decision Making	193	(10)
Two Decisions on Vietnam: Eisenhower and Johnson	194	(2)
Two Decisions on Cuba: Kennedy's Lessons	196	(4)
Two Decisions on Iran: Carter and Reagan	200	(3)
Conclusion	203	(2)
Abuse of Power and Presidential Reputation	205	(38)
Corruption and Abuse of Power	206	(24)
Watergate	208	(6)
Iran-Contra	214	(4)
President Clinton's Impeachment and Senate Trial	218	(12)
Presidential Popularity and Reputation	230	(10)
Presidential Approval Ratings, 1953-1998	232	(1)
Presidential Reputation	233	(7)
Conclusion: Public Expectations and the Presidency	240	(3)
Appendix A Presidents of the United States	243	(1)
Appendix B The Constitution of the United States of America: Articles I and II	244	(7)
Appendix C Constitutional Amendments That Affect the Presidency: Amendments XII, XX, XXII, and XXV	251	(4)
Index	255