The Presidential Republic

The Presidential Republic
Author: J. Blondel
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 567
Release: 2015-12-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1137482494

This book is about a variety of national arrangements and practices, whose common characteristics are to constitute 'presidential republics' and which as such have become the main form of government in the contemporary world.

The Presidential Republic

The Presidential Republic
Author: Gary L. Gregg
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 266
Release: 1997
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780847683789

For two centuries, American presidents have considered themselves to be representatives of the American people. In this detailed study of presidential representation, Gary Gregg explores the theory, history, and consequences of presidents acting as representatives in the American political system. Gregg explores questions such as what it means to be a representative, how the Founding Fathers understood the place of the presidency in the Republic established by the Constitution, and the effects a representational presidency has on deliberative democracy. This important examination of the presidency's place in our political system is essential reading for those interested in American political theory, constitutional studies, and American history.

Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic

Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic
Author: Stephen Skowronek
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2021-03-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0197543103

A powerful dissection of one of the fundamental problems in American governance today: the clash between presidents determined to redirect the nation through ever-tighter control of administration and an executive branch still organized to promote shared interests in steady hands, due deliberation, and expertise. President Trump pitted himself repeatedly against the institutions and personnel of the executive branch. In the process, two once-obscure concepts came center stage in an eerie faceoff. On one side was the specter of a "Deep State" conspiracyadministrators threatening to thwart the will of the people and undercut the constitutional authority of the president they elected to lead them. On the other side was a raw personalization of presidential power, one that a theory of "the unitary executive" gussied up and allowed to run roughshod over reason and the rule of law. The Deep State and the unitary executive framed every major contest of the Trump presidency. Like phantom twins, they drew each other out. These conflicts are not new. Stephen Skowronek, John A. Dearborn, and Desmond King trace the tensions between presidential power and the depth of the American state back through the decades and forward through the various settlements arrived at in previous eras. Phantoms of a Beleaguered Republic is about the breakdown of settlements and the abiding vulnerabilities of a Constitution that gave scant attention to administrative power. Rather than simply dump on Trump, the authors provide a richly historical perspective on the conflicts that rocked his presidency, and they explain why, if left untamed, the phantom twins will continue to pull the American government apart.

Understanding Democracy

Understanding Democracy
Author: John J. Patrick
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 113
Release: 2006-05-25
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0195311973

This handy pocket guide explains the core concepts of democracy in a clear A-Z format. Though these core concepts may be practiced differently in various countries, every genuine democracy is based on them in one way or another. Ideal for civics and government classrooms, Understanding Democracy is a concise, scholarly starting point for research papers and writing assignments.

Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency

Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency
Author: David Greenberg
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 575
Release: 2016-01-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0393285502

“A brilliant, fast-moving narrative history of the leaders who have defined the modern American presidency.”—Bob Woodward In Republic of Spin—a vibrant history covering more than one hundred years of politics—presidential historian David Greenberg recounts the rise of the White House spin machine, from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama. His sweeping, startling narrative takes us behind the scenes to see how the tools and techniques of image making and message craft work. We meet Woodrow Wilson convening the first White House press conference, Franklin Roosevelt huddling with his private pollsters, Ronald Reagan’s aides crafting his nightly news sound bites, and George W. Bush staging his “Mission Accomplished” photo-op. We meet, too, the backstage visionaries who pioneered new ways of gauging public opinion and mastering the media—figures like George Cortelyou, TR’s brilliantly efficient press manager; 1920s ad whiz Bruce Barton; Robert Montgomery, Dwight Eisenhower’s canny TV coach; and of course the key spinmeisters of our own times, from Roger Ailes to David Axelrod. Greenberg also examines the profound debates Americans have waged over the effect of spin on our politics. Does spin help our leaders manipulate the citizenry? Or does it allow them to engage us more fully in the democratic project? Exploring the ideas of the century’s most incisive political critics, from Walter Lippmann and H. L. Mencken to Hannah Arendt and Stephen Colbert, Republic of Spin illuminates both the power of spin and its limitations—its capacity not only to mislead but also to lead.

The Decline and Fall of the American Republic

The Decline and Fall of the American Republic
Author: Bruce Ackerman
Publisher: Harvard + ORM
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2011-02-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0674261364

“Audacious . . . offers a fierce critique of democracy’s most dangerous adversary: the abuse of democratic power by democratically elected chief executives.” (Benjamin R. Barber, New York Times bestselling author of Jihad vs. McWorld ) Bruce Ackerman shows how the institutional dynamics of the last half-century have transformed the American presidency into a potential platform for political extremism and lawlessness. Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the War on Terror are only symptoms of deeper pathologies. Ackerman points to a series of developments that have previously been treated independently of one another?from the rise of presidential primaries, to the role of pollsters and media gurus, to the centralization of power in White House czars, to the politicization of the military, to the manipulation of constitutional doctrine to justify presidential power-grabs. He shows how these different transformations can interact to generate profound constitutional crises in the twenty-first century?and then proposes a series of reforms that will minimize, if not eliminate, the risks going forward. “The questions [Ackerman] raises regarding the threat of the American Executive to the republic are daunting. This fascinating book does an admirable job of laying them out.” —The Rumpus “Ackerman worries that the office of the presidency will continue to grow in political influence in the coming years, opening possibilities for abuse of power if not outright despotism.” —Boston Globe “A serious attention-getter.” —Joyce Appleby, author of The Relentless Revolution “Those who care about the future of our nation should pay careful heed to Ackerman’s warning, as well as to his prescriptions for avoiding a constitutional disaster.” —Geoffrey R. Stone, author of Perilous Times

American Government 3e

American Government 3e
Author: Glen Krutz
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-05-12
Genre:
ISBN: 9781738998470

Black & white print. American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement.

Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Democracy

Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Democracy
Author: Jose Antonio Cheibub
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2007
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780521542449

This book questions the reasons why presidential democracies more likely to break down than parliamentary ones.

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?
Author: Alexander Keyssar
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 545
Release: 2020-07-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 067497414X

A New Statesman Book of the Year “America’s greatest historian of democracy now offers an extraordinary history of the most bizarre aspect of our representative democracy—the electoral college...A brilliant contribution to a critical current debate.” —Lawrence Lessig, author of They Don’t Represent Us Every four years, millions of Americans wonder why they choose their presidents through an arcane institution that permits the loser of the popular vote to become president and narrows campaigns to swing states. Congress has tried on many occasions to alter or scuttle the Electoral College, and in this master class in American political history, a renowned Harvard professor explains its confounding persistence. After tracing the tangled origins of the Electoral College back to the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Keyssar outlines the constant stream of efforts since then to abolish or reform it. Why have they all failed? The complexity of the design and partisan one-upmanship have a lot to do with it, as do the difficulty of passing constitutional amendments and the South’s long history of restrictive voting laws. By revealing the reasons for past failures and showing how close we’ve come to abolishing the Electoral College, Keyssar offers encouragement to those hoping for change. “Conclusively demonstrates the absurdity of preserving an institution that has been so contentious throughout U.S. history and has not infrequently produced results that defied the popular will.” —Michael Kazin, The Nation “Rigorous and highly readable...shows how the electoral college has endured despite being reviled by statesmen from James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson to Edward Kennedy, Bob Dole, and Gerald Ford.” —Lawrence Douglas, Times Literary Supplement

Celebrating the Republic

Celebrating the Republic
Author: Sandra Moats
Publisher:
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2010
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

From the glitz of inaugural balls to the pomp and circumstance of the State of the Union address, the American presidency is rife with symbolism and ceremony. In Celebrating the Republic, Sandra Moats examines how the first five presidents--with special emphasis on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe--invented the American political culture that endures today. Drawing from the chaotic political culture of the founding era, these presidents used symbolism to connect the national government to the people at large. Their efforts defined republican government for the founding generation and those to follow. Moats details the trials and errors of our founding fathers as they tried to symbolically establish the authority of the office of the president and the federal government. An elaborate mechanism designed to "crown" Washington with a laurel wreath at his inauguration shows the struggle of early leaders to invent appropriate and inspiring signs and rituals compatible with republican ideas. We now take for granted the trappings of our government, but titles, accessibility, protocol, tours, and inaugurations were all topics of great debate and deliberate decision making in the early republic. Celebrating the Republic elaborates on the stylistic differences between Washington and Jefferson and shows that John Adams and James Madison floundered while trying to develop their own styles. Washington, responding to the monarchical rituals instituted by the public and Congress, created a ceremonial presidency complete with tours and formal receptions. Jefferson rejected this in favor of an informal style and an emphasis on rhetoric and the written word rather than ritual. Moats points to Monroe as an example of a leader who successfully combined elements of both the formal and the informal approaches. Scholars of the early republic and the presidency, as well as casual readers interested in the founding fathers, will find much to enjoy in this entertaining study.