Understanding the Presidency, 5th Edition

Updated with new readings on the war in Iraq, the war on terror, the frontloaded nomination process, and President Bush’s place in history, the new edition of this popular reader gives students the analytical tools needed to make sense of the modern presidency and its relationship with other key players in our political system.

 

The selections in this reader were chosen with two aims in mind: (1) to provide a historical perspective, so often neglected in similar texts, that explains how the events of the past two centuries led us to where we are today, and (2) to present the most important current issues that are shaping the Bush administration and the presidency more broadly. This collection of readings offers students a combination of “classic” scholarly analyses, the best of current scholarship, and engaging insights into the nature of the contemporary presidency. 

Understanding the Presidency, 5^th edition 

 

James P. Pfiffner and Roger H. Davidson, eds.

 

Preface

 

Section 1   Constitutional Origins of the Presidency  

       Reading 1    James Madison to Thomas Jefferson 

                    James Madison

       Reading 2    Federalist No. 69 

                    Alexander Hamilton

       Reading 3    Federalist No. 70 

                Alexander Hamilton          

       Reading 4    To the Citizens of the state of New York    <--- NEW

                 George Clinton

      Reading 5       Reevaluating the Electoral College 

                James P. Pfiffner

 

Section 2   Historical Perspectives on the Presidency

       Reading 6    The Strict Constructionist Presidency 

                    William Howard Taft

       Reading 7    The Stewardship Presidency 

                    Theodore Roosevelt

       Reading 8    The Public Presidency 

                    Woodrow Wilson    

       Reading 9    The Prerogative Presidency 

                    Abraham Lincoln

      Reading 10    Toward a Modern Presidency 

                    Fred I. Greenstein

     Reading 11    The Presidency in the Political Order 

                    Stephen Skowronek

 

Section 3   Selecting Presidents: Campaigns, Elections, and Mandates        

     Reading 12    Nomination Politics, Party Unity, and Presidential Elections 

                    James E. Campbell

    Reading 13  A High Speed Chase: Presidential Aspirants and the Nomination Process <--- NEW

                    Lara M. Brown

     Reading 14    Campaigning for Cash Amid Chaos?

                    Louis Dezseran and Clyde Wilcox

     Reading 15    The Presidential Election of 2000 

                    Gerald M. Pomper

     Reading 16    The Presidential “Hundred Days” 

                    Richard E. Neustadt

     Reading 17    The Myth of Presidential Mandate

                    Robert A. Dahl

      Reading 18  Presidential Campaigning and Presidential Governance: The Case of 2004  <-- updated

                    Roger H. Davidson

        

Section 4   The Public Presidency: Press, Media, and Public Approval

    Reading 19     The “Permanent Campaign” 

                       Hugh Heclo

      Reading 20 The Press and the Presidency 

                    Mark J. Rozell

     Reading 21    The Presidency and Image Management

                    Jeremy D. Mayer

     Reading 22    The Presidential Pulpit: Bully or Baloney?

                    George C. Edwards, III

     Reading 23    Presidential Persuasion and Press Coverage of the War in Iraq

                    Caroline Heldman

 

Section 5   The Institutional Presidency                 

     Reading 24    The White House Staff 

                    The President’s Committee on Administrative Management (Brownlow Committee)

     Reading 25    Can the President Manage the Government? 

                            James P. Pfiffner

     Reading 26    The Changing Presidential Office

                    Hugh Heclo

     Reading 27    Presidential Appointments and the Office of Presidential Personnel

                Bradley H. Patterson and James P. Pfiffner

 

Section 6    The Separation of Powers                     

     Reading 28    Presidential Relations with Congress  <-- updated

                    Roger H. Davidson

     Reading 29    The Disappearing Political Center 

                    Sarah A. Binder      

    Reading 30      The Use of Executive Power by George W. Bush <--- NEW

                   James P. Pfiffner

     Reading 31    Presidents and the Judicial Appointment Process

                   John Anthony Maltese

 

Section 7   Policy Leadership  

     Reading 32    The Hundred Days 

                Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

     Reading 33    The Power to Persuade 

                Richard E. Neustadt

     Reading 34    Unilateral Powers: A Brief Overview

                William G. Howell

    Reading 35   Prerogative Power and the War on Terrorism <--- NEW

                Richard Pious

 

  Section 8   Commander-in-Chief and National Security  

     Reading 36    Invitation to Struggle: The President, Congress, and National Security    

                Louis Fisher     

     Reading 37     Deference and Defiance: The Shifting Rhythms of Executive-Legislative Relations in Foreign Policy

                 James A. Lindsey

     Reading 38   Iran-Contra: What Was Wrong

               Report of the President’s Special Review Board

      Reading 39     The Foreign Affairs Power and the Framers’ Intentions <--- NEW

                   Iran-Contra Congressional Committee Minority Report

      Reading 40 The Commander in Chief and the Courts  <--- NEW

                   Jules Lobel  

      Reading 41   Condoleezza Rice as NSC Advisor

                  John P. Burke

 

  Section 9   Evaluating Presidents: Greatness and Abuse of Power    

     Reading 42    Three Crises of Character in the Modern Presidency 

                James P. Pfiffner

     Reading 43    “If Men Were Angels . . . .”: Presidential Leadership and Accountability

                Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese

       Reading 44    The Worst President in History? <--- NEW

                   Sean Wilentz

     Reading 45      The Long View  <--- NEW

                Karl Rove

     Reading 46       A New Imperial Presidency?

                Andrew Rudalevige