The Paradoxes of the American Presidency

Description

What exactly do Americans want from their president? A strong, innovative leader or someone who simply follows the will of the people? A president who insists on the ideals of a party or someone who builds bipartisan support? A president who exercises power forcefully or someone who establishes consensus before doing anything? The answer, according to Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese in their new book, The Paradoxes of the American Presidency, is that Americans want the president to be a leader and a follower, partisan and bipartisan, innovative and conservative. For example, we expect our presidents to provide visionary leadership, and yet at the same time to be ever-sensitive to public opinion polls. We want a president with the power to solve the nation's problems, yet we are inherently suspicious of centralized leadership and the abuse of power. Such conflicting demands put the president in an often impossible position. Indeed, Cronin and Genovese contend the duties and challenges of the office are so capacious and the public's expectations often so inconsistent that whatever course of action a president takes may result in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kind of criticism. While there is no easy way out of the constant paradoxical dilemmas presidents face, there are ways to deal with these conflicting and sometimes inflated expectations. Yet even master political statecraft is often inadequate in reconciling the paradoxes of the American presidency.

Description

"In the second edition of this book, Cronin and Genovese explore the complex institution of the American presidency by presenting a series of paradoxes that shape and define the office. They examine the clashing expectations and demands placed upon presidents, offering, students the opportunity to understand the dilemma faced by all incumbents - how to bring leadership into a system where expectations exceed the resources and power available to them. The authors focus on the various relationships all presidents must develop if they are to lead successfully - relations between the president and: Congress, the public, the courts, the cabinet, and the Vice President. This book also treats the managerial side of the executive branch, the vagaries of the selection process, and the inherent contradictions of leadership in a democratic system. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to include the Clinton impeachment, the 2000 election, the first three years of the Bush presidency, the events and aftermath of September 11, and the war with Iraq. Written in a lively, engaging style, this comprehensive, interpretive work represents the collaboration of two prize-winning presidential scholars."--Jacket.

First Sentence

Contradictions and paradoxes are a part of life-especially for leaders.

Subjects

Other Editions

• The Paradoxes of the American PresidencyOxford University Press, USA2003-12-15
• The paradoxes of the American presidencyOxford University Press1998-01-01
• The paradoxes of the American presidencyOxford University Press2009-01-01
• The paradoxes of the American presidencyOxford University Press2010-01-01