The Politics of the Presidency / Edition 9

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

Overview

Trace the opening rounds of the Trump administration: highlighting the 2016 election, transition, inauguration, and first one hundred days. Never losing sight of the foundations of the office, The Politics of the Presidency maintains a balance between historical context, the current political environment, and contemporary scholarship on the executive branch, providing a solid foundation for any presidency course. In addition to offering you a comprehensive framework for understanding the expectations, powers, and limitations of the executive branch, the Revised Ninth Edition uses the most up-to-date coverage and analysis of the 2016 election and Trump administration to demonstrate key concepts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506367798
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Edition description:	Revised Ninth Edition
Pages:	616
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(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 xiv

I The President and the Public

1 The Changing Presidency 1

The Scope of Presidential Power 1

Expansion of the Presidency 22

Presidential Culture 29

Conclusion: The Changeable, Political Presidency 32

Suggested Readings 33

Resources on the Web 34

Notes 34

2 Election Politics 39

Evolution of the Selection Process 40

Defining the Pool of Eligibles 46

Competing for the Nomination 54

The National Convention 63

The General Election 65

Validation 87

Conclusion: Transitions to Governing 90

Suggested Readings 91

Resources on the Web 92

Notes 92

3 Public Politics 101

Public Attitudes toward the Presidency 103

Rallying Public Support 115

The President and the Media 131

Conclusion: The Permanent Campaign 145

Suggested Readings 146

Notes 147

4 Presidential Character and Performance 157

Determinants and Evaluations of Performance 159

What Manner of Person? 166

Psychological Characteristics of U.S. Presidents 174

Management Styles of Modern Presidents 182

Understanding Presidents: Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump 187

Conclusion: Seeking Presidential Success 205

Suggested Readings 207

Resources on the Web 207

Notes 208

II The President and the Government

5 Legislative Politics 216

Three Confrontations in Interbranch Relations 216

Development of the President's Legislative Role 222

The Presidential-Congressional Relationship 226

The President's Formal Legislative Powers 236

The President's Informal Legislative Influence 241

Explaining Presidents' Legislative Success 253

Conclusion: Legislating Together 264

Suggested Readings 265

Notes 266

6 Executive Politics 275

The President as Executive 278

The President and the Executive Branch 280

The President and the Cabinet 292

The Vice President 299

The First Lady 302

Presidential Control of the Bureaucracy 304

Presidential Management of the Bureaucracy 320

Conclusion: The Frustrating Search for Control 328

Suggested Readings 329

Resources on the Web 330

Notes 330

7 Judicial Politics 341

Presidential Appointment of Federal Judges 343

Other Presidential Influences on the Federal Courts 363

Judicial Oversight of Presidential Action 370

Conclusion: A Balancing Act 373

Suggested Readings 374

Notes 374

III The President and Public Policy

8 The Politics of Domestic Policy 381

The Domestic Policy Process 387

The Domestic Policy Environment 399

The Domestic Policy Apparatus 403

Conclusion: Providing Policy Leadership 413

Suggested Readings 416

Notes 416

9 The Politics of Economic Policy 422

Macroeconomic Policy 426

Microeconomic Policy 433

Presidents and the Economy: 1933-2017 437

The Politics of Macroeconomic Policymaking 447

The Economic Subpresidency 452

Presidents and Economic Policy Coordination 465

Congress's Role in Macroeconomic Policy 469

Conclusion: Avoiding Economic Disorder 473

Suggested Readings 475

Resources on the Web 476

Notes 476

10 The Politics of National Security Policy 482

Issues in National Security Policy: Search for a New Consensus 486

The Problem with National Security Policymaking 500

The President, Congress, and National Security 501

Organizing and Managing National Security 521

Conclusion: Limiting the Exercise of Power 530

Suggested Readings 531

Notes 532

11 The Trump Transition and First One Hundred Days 542

The Transition 543

The inauguration 547

The First Hundred Days 548

President Trump: A Natural Experiment 555

Notes 557

Appendices 562

Index 576

Editorial Reviews

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

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