The Contemporary American President

by DiClerico; Robert E.

• ISBN13: 9780136018827
• ISBN10: 0136018823
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-03-12
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Debuting in its first edition , The Contemporary American Presidentexplores the potential and limitations of presidential influence in times of rising public expectation for the office and the declining ability of presidents to meet it. It focuses on six major areas concerning the presidency- selection, power, accountability, decision making, personality, and leadership -and offers an appreciation of the challenges of the office as the institution attempts to function in an increasingly controversial political environment.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
The Concerns of This Book	p. x
Difficulties in Studying the Presidency	p. xi
Notes	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvi
The Selection Process	p. 1
Presidential Selection: A Historical Overview	p. 1
The Nominating Function	p. 3
Who Contends? Who Is Nominated?	p. 7
Legal Criteria	p. 7
Informal Criteria	p. 7
Criticisms of the Presidential Nominating Process	p. 16
The Problem of Length	p. 16
Frontloading and the Rush to Judgment	p. 19
The Problem of Quality Control	p. 22
Proposals for Change	p. 24
Primary/Caucus Clusterings	p. 24
National Primary	p. 25
Party Elite Selection	p. 26
The General Election and the Electoral College Filter	p. 27
Conclusion	p. 29
Notes	p. 31
The President and Foreign Affairs	p. 35
Some General Considerations: The Two Presidencies	p. 35
The War-Making Power	p. 41
The Intent of the Founders	p. 41
Presidential War	p. 43
Congress Reacts: The War Powers Resolution	p. 49
The War Powers Resolution in Action	p. 50
Treaties and Executive Agreements	p. 60
Executive Agreements	p. 64
Congress Reacts: The Case Act (1972)	p. 66
The CIA and Foreign Policy	p. 67
Foreign Aid and Trade	p. 73
The Swing of the Pendulum	p. 79
Notes	p. 82
The President and Congress	p. 89
The President and Congress: A Strained Relationship	p. 90
Separation of Powers	p. 90
Structure of Congress	p. 91
Different Constituencies	p. 91
Erosion of Support	p. 92
Lessening or Worsening the Antagonism: Intervening Factors	p. 93
Nature of the Times	p. 93
Public Prestige	p. 94
Legislative Leadership Style	p. 96
Party Control	p. 105
The Ascendancy of the President as Legislator	p. 107
Congressional Reassertion	p. 110
Tools and Tactics of Presidential Persuasion	p. 117
Status Conferral	p. 118
Legislative Assistance	p. 118
Programs, Projects, and Patronage	p. 119
Campaign Assistance	p. 121
Appeal to the Public	p. 121
The Veto Power	p. 122
The Quest for Information: The President, Congress, and Executive Privilege	p. 127
The Ultimate Confrontation: Impeachment	p. 134
The Impeachment Process	p. 134
Impeachable Offenses	p. 135
The Impeachment Instrument: An Assessment	p. 138
Conclusion: The Politics of Deadlock	p. 142
Proposals for Change	p. 145
Notes	p. 146
President, Public, and Press	p. 155
Public Attitudes toward the Office: Pre-Watergate	p. 156
The Importance of the Office	p. 156
The Office as an Object of Trust and Respect	p. 157
Attitudes about the Power of the Presidency	p. 161
The Public's Attitudes toward the Individual	p. 163
The Inevitable Decline in Support	p. 163
The Interplay of Public Attitudes toward the Individual and the Office: The Case of Watergate	p. 179
Presidential Efforts to Influence Public Opinion	p. 184
The Media as Facilitators of Presidential Influence	p. 185
The Media as Complicators of Presidential Influence	p. 194
An Antipresidency Bias	p. 204
Possible Consequences of Media Negativism	p. 207
Presidential Responses	p. 209
Conclusion	p. 211
Notes	p. 211
The President and the Bureaucracy	p. 219
The Power of Appointment	p. 221
Kinds of Choices	p. 221
Number of Choices	p. 223
Federal Regulatory Agencies	p. 226
Political Appointees: The Problem of "Going Native,"	p. 227
Political Appointees: The Problem of Getting Them in Place	p. 231
Reorganization	p. 233
On the Need to Reorganize	p. 234
Difficulties of Reorganization	p. 235
Central Clearance	p. 241
The End Run	p. 242
Other Limitations on Presidential Control	p. 244
Size and Complexity	p. 245
Lack of Clarity in Presidential Intent	p. 246
Attempts at Greater Control over the Bureaucracy: The Cases of Nixon, Reagan, and G. W. Bush	p. 247
Nixon	p. 248
A Change in Approach	p. 249
The Results	p. 250
Reagan	p. 251
The Results	p. 255
G.W. Bush	p. 257
Conclusion	p. 259
Notes	p. 259
Decision Making in the White House	p. 265
The Participants	p. 265
The Cabinet	p. 266
Cabinet Member Influence	p. 270
The Executive Office of the President	p. 271
National Security Council	p. 273
National Security Advisor/Staff	p. 274
Council of Economic Advisers	p. 278
Office of Management and Budget	p. 279
Domestic Policy Council	p. 280
National Economic Council	p. 283
The White House Staff	p. 284
The White House Staff and the Problem of Presidential Isolation	p. 287
Staff Organization	p. 288
Staff Attitudes toward the President	p. 294
The President's Attitude toward Staff	p. 296
Outside Advisers	p. 300
Notes	p. 302
Five Cases in Presidential Decision Making	p. 308
Five Cases in Presidential Decision Making	p. 310
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)	p. 310
The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)	p. 315
The Iran-Contra Affair (1986)	p. 320
The Second Iraq War (2003)	p. 330
Shoe Import Quotas (1977)	p. 336
Maximizing the Flow of Information to the President	p. 340
Notes	p. 344
The Presidency and Emergency Powers	p. 349
The Founders, the Constitution, and Emergency Powers	p. 351
On the Necessity for Emergency Powers	p. 352
On the Necessity for Safeguards	p. 354
Essential Safeguards	p. 354
Emergency Powers and the Courts	p. 359
Congressional Action on Emergencies	p. 365
The Attack on 9/11	p. 367
Conclusion	p. 370
Notes	p. 370
Personality and the Presidency	p. 373
Conditions Conducive to the Expression of Personality	p. 373
Analysis of Presidential Personality	p. 374
Barber's Analysis	p. 376
Lyndon Johnson as an Active-Negative	p. 378
Johnson's Youth	p. 378
Johnson Enters Politics	p. 380
Worldview and Style	p. 381
The Johnson Presidency	p. 382
Richard Nixon as an Active-Negative	p. 387
Nixon's Youth	p. 387
Nixon Enters Politics	p. 389
Worldview and Style	p. 391
The Nixon Presidency	p. 394
Franklin Roosevelt as an Active-Positive	p. 399
Roosevelt's Youth	p. 399
Entry into Politics; Worldview and Style	p. 400
The Roosevelt Presidency	p. 401
Ronald Reagan as an Imperfect Passive-Positive	p. 404
Reagan's Youth	p. 404
Worldview and Style	p. 406
The Reagan Presidency	p. 407
Personality Qualities Suitable to the Presidency	p. 412
The Case of Jimmy Carter	p. 414
Predicting Presidential Personalities	p. 416
Notes	p. 419
Presidential Leadership	p. 425
Evaluating Presidential Leadership: The Problems	p. 429
Achievement Is in the Eye of the Beholder	p. 429
The Situational Problem	p. 430
The Problem of Perspective	p. 432
The Matter of Unanticipated Consequences	p. 434
Achievement versus Agenda Setting	p. 435
The Matter of Who Gets Credit	p. 435
Qualities of Leadership	p. 437
Empathy with the Public	p. 437
An Ability to Communicate	p. 438
Credibility	p. 439
A Sense of Timing	p. 441
Courage	p. 444
Decisiveness	p. 446
Vision	p. 448
Flexibility	p. 450
A Sense for Power	p. 452
Conclusion	p. 455
Notes	p. 456
The Vice Presidency	p. 459
Vice-Presidential Selection	p. 459
Reforming Vice-Presidential Selection	p. 465
The Problem of Vice-Presidential Responsibilities	p. 466
Constitutional and Statutory Responsibilities	p. 467
Presidential Assignments	p. 469
The Carter-Mondale Precedent	p. 472
Reagan and Bush	p. 474
Bush and Quayle	p. 475
The Clinton-Gore Precedent	p. 476
The Cheney Vice Presidency	p. 477
Notes	p. 480
Index	p. 483
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