Transforming America Barack Obama in the White House

by Schier, Steven E.; Coleman, John J.; Guth, James L.; Harris, John F.; Hohmann, James; Johnson, Bertram; Matland, Richard E.; Maveety, Nancy; McCormick, James M.; Pitney Jr., John J.; Rae, Nicol C.; Tatalovich, Raymond; Walker, Andrea L.; White, John K.

• ISBN13: 9781442201781
• ISBN10: 1442201789
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-08-29
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

The presidency of Barack Obama seeks a major transformation of American politics and policy. This new collection, edited by Steven E. Schier, examines the unusual combination of risk and ambition in Obama's presidency concerning popular politics, Washington politics, and economic and foreign policy. It also places the Obama presidency in historical perspective, noting the unusual circumstances of his election and the similarities and differences between presidential politics today and those of previous eras. Transforming America: Barack Obama in the White House provides a guiding focus involving the successes and failures of the administration's transformative aspirations during Obama's initial years in the White House.

Author Biography

Steven E. Schier is Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science at Carleton College. He is the author or editor of many books, including, most recently, Panorama of a Presidency: How George W. Bush Acquired and Spent His Political Capital, and numerous scholarly and media articles.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Obama's "Big Bang" Presidency	p. 1
Historical And Electoral Perspectives
From Reconstruction to Recession: The First Phase of the Obama Presidency in Historical Context	p. 21
Caught between Hope and History: Obama, Public Opinion, and the 2010 ElectionsJohn K. White	p. 43
Parties as a Resource for Presidential Leadership: The Case of Barack Obama	p. 63
Obama, Religious Politics, and the Culture Wars	p. 77
Washington Governance
Accomplishments and Miscalculations in the Obama Presidency	p. 103
Asymmetric Warfare: Supporters and Opponents of President Obama	p. 121
Small Ball in the Long Game: Barack Obama and Congress	p. 143
A Transformative Politics of Judicial Selection? President Obama and the Federal Judiciary	p. 163
Policy Legacies
Obama and Social Policy: Acclamation or Alienation among Women, Minorities, and Gays?	p. 189
The Obama Administration and the Great Recession: Relief, Recovery, and Reform Revisited	p. 211
The Obama Presidency: A Foreign Policy of Change?	p. 235
Conclusion: How Transformative a Presidency?	p. 267
Index	p. 275
About the Contributors	p. 287
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