The Politics of the Presidency / Edition 9

by Joseph A. Pika, John Anthony Maltese, Andrew Rudalevige

Overview

The Politics of the Presidency maintains a balance between historical context and contemporary scholarship on the executive branch, providing a solid foundation for any presidency course. Get the most up-to-date coverage and analysis in this comprehensive and accessible text. Authors Joseph A. Pika and John Anthony Maltese are joined for the Ninth Edition by noted scholar Andrew Rudalevige as they present a thorough analysis of the change and continuity in the presidency during Barack Obama's two terms in an entrenched partisan environment, discuss the competitive setting for the upcoming 2016 election, and look at the challenges and opportunities a new president will soon face.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483375632
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Edition description:	Ninth Edition
Pages:	600
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Joseph A. Pika is the James R. Soles professor emeritus of political science and international

relations at the University of Delaware. He holds a Ph D from the University

of Wisconsin and taught previously at SUNY at Buffalo. He is coauthor with Jason D.

Mycoff of Conflict & Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001–

2006 and coauthor with John Anthony Maltese and H. Phillips Shively of American

Democracy in Context. He served for seven years on the Delaware State Board of

Education, four years as president.

John Anthony Maltese is the Albert B. Saye professor of political science and associate

dean of the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and was

named a University professor in 2023 in recognition of significant impact on the university

beyond normal academic responsibilities. He holds a Ph D from Johns Hopkins

University. He is the author of The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees and Spin Control:

The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News,

and coauthor with Joseph A. Pika and H. Phillips Shively of American Democracy in

Context. He is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and was named the

2004 Georgia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for

Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Professor Maltese also writes about

classical music, for which he won a Grammy Award from the National Academy of

Recording Arts and Sciences.

Andrew Rudalevige is the Thomas Brackett Reed professor of government at Bowdoin

College and former chair of the American Political Science Association’s Presidents

and Executive Politics section; in 2023-2024 he is a visiting professor at the London

School of Economics. He holds a Ph D from Harvard University and won the Richard

E. Neustadt Prize from the American Political Science Association for best book on the

U.S. presidency in 2003 and 2022, as well as the 2022 Louis Brownlow Prize from the

National Academy of Public Administration. His books include By Executive Order,

Managing the President’s Program, The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential

Power after Watergate, and, as coeditor, a volume on the Office of Management and

Budget and a series assessing recent presidencies. Prior to his academic career, he

worked in state and local politics in Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures viii

Preface x

About the Authors xiii

I The President and the Public

1 The Changing Presidency 1

The Scope of Presidential Power 1

Expansion of the Presidency 21

Presidential Culture 29

Conclusion: The Changeable, Political Presidency 31

Suggested Readings 32

Resources on the Web 33

Notes 33

2 Election Politics 38

Evolution of the Selection Process 39

Defining the Pool of Eligibles 45

Competing for the Nomination 53

The National Convention 62

The General Election 65

Validation 86

Conclusion: Transitions to Governing 89

Suggested Readings 90

Resources on the Web 91

Notes 91

3 Public Politics 99

Public Attitudes toward the Presidency 101

Rallying Public Support 112

The President and the Media 129

Conclusion: The Permanent Campaign 142

Suggested Readings 143

Notes 144

4 Presidential Character and Performance 153

Determinants and Evaluations of Performance 155

What Manner of Person? 162

Psychological Characteristics of U.S. Presidents 169

Management Styles of Modern Presidents 176

Understanding Presidents: George W. Bush and Barack Obama 181

Conclusion: Seeking Presidential Success 199

Suggested Readings 201

Resources on the Web 201

Notes 202

II The President and the Government

5 Legislative Politics 210

Three Confrontations in Interbranch Relations 210

Development of the President's Legislative Role 215

The Presidential-Congressional Relationship 219

The President's Formal Legislative Powers 229

The President's Informal Legislative Influence 234

Explaining Presidents' Legislative Success 246

Conclusion: Legislating Together 257

Suggested Readings 258

Notes 259

Executive Politics 267

The President as Executive 271

The President and the Executive Branch 272

The President and the Cabinet 283

The Vice President 291

The First Lady 294

Presidential Control of the Bureaucracy 296

Presidential Management of the Bureaucracy 311

Conclusion: The Frustrating Search for Control 319

Suggested Readings 320

Resources on the Web 320

Notes 321

7 Judicial Politics 331

Presidential Appointment of Federal Judges 332

Other Presidential Influences on the Federal Courts 352

Judicial Oversight of Presidential Action 359

Conclusion: A Balancing Act 362

Suggested Readings 362

Notes 363

III The President and Public Policy

8 The Politics of Domestic Policy 369

The Domestic Policy Process 375

The Domestic Policy Environment 387

The Domestic Policy Apparatus 391

Conclusion: Providing Policy Leadership 400

Suggested Readings 403

Notes 404

9 The Politics of Economic Policy 409

Macroeeonomic Policy 413

Microeconomic Policy 420

Presidents and the Economy: 1933-2015 424

The Politics of Macroeeonomic Policymaking 434

The Economic Subpresidency 438

Presidents and Economic Policy Coordination 451

Congress's Role in Macroeeonomic Policy 455

Conclusion: Avoiding Economic Disorder 458

Suggested Readings 460

Resources on the Web 461

Notes 461

10 The Politics of National Security Policy 467

Issues in National Security Policy: Search for a New Consensus 471

The Problem with National Security Policymaking 484

The President, Congress, and National Security 485

Organizing and Managing National Security 504

Conclusion: Limiting the Exercise of Power 513

Suggested Readings 514

Notes 515

11 The Challenges and Opportunities of a New President 525

Continuity and Change in the Presidency 529

Leadership in an Age of Dissensus 535

Conclusion: Governing Together 538

Notes 539

Appendices 542

Index 556

Editorial Reviews

The Politics of the Presidency is well-designed and -written, easy for students to comprehend, and all-around useful in laying out the key facets and concepts of the American presidency. It is deep in its material without being dense and approachable without sacrificing rigor. I have not seen a text on the American presidency that does a better job of laying clear the history, powers, and limitations of the modern chief executive.

Michael Julius

I use The Politics of the Presidency in my undergraduate presidency courses because the essential topics are thoroughly covered in a style that is both readable and interesting. The cases and examples are always well-chosen and up-to-date, and the special circumstances and challenges facing the current president can be easily compared to enduring presidential responsibilities such as domestic politics, economic policy, and national security.

Bruce Buchanan

The authors’ approach puts politics front and center in the study of the presidency. The Politics of the Presidency is clearly the work of senior scholars who have devoted many years to the study of the presidency and scholarship on the office. They know a lot about the office and convey what they know to students in a well-organized and well-written manner.”

Andrew Battista