The Liberal War on Transparency

The Liberal War on Transparency
Author: Christopher C. Horner
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2012-10-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1451694881

Explains how to use Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to track government activities, discussing the Act's history and purpose while demonstrating how to use the "tradecraft" method to identify otherwise anonymous politicians involved in questionable acts.

Change You Can Really Believe in

Change You Can Really Believe in
Author: Joseph Toomey
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 702
Release: 2012-04
Genre:
ISBN: 1468572245

No President in living memory has entered office with a greater amount of goodwill and broad, bi-partisan support than Barack Obama. And few Presidents in living memory had arrived in Washington proclaiming such dramatically articulated vows to change the tone of politics, to usher in an era of post-partisanship in an effort to rally the nation behind his plan of enacting an ambitious program of social and economic change. He vowed to enact a broad bi-partisan agenda for health care reform, energy transformation, economic revitalization, job growth and restoration of America's standing in the world. And no President in living memory has more quickly and more completely abandoned his promises. He enacted a health care plan that far more resembled plans he had bitterly criticized his opponents for supporting rather than the one his campaign outlined His promised job growth through economic stimulus measures drove up the unemployment rate to double digits leading to millions of job losses His vows to restore fiscal probity resulted in the most ruinous deficits and public debt in U.S. history He 'green energy' program collapsed into a cesspool of crony political favoritism His vows to restore relations with hostile nations like Iran and North Korea had only deepened those nations' disdain for America Despite his harsh criticisms, Obama adopted nearly every plank in the Bush-era anti-terror policy His promise to restore science to its rightful place resulted in the most rigidly inflexible program of ideological extremism in modern memory Even more noteworthy was the fact that the new era of post-partisanship he had vowed to create in Washington resulted in the worst political gridlock in living memory. This book examines in detail hundreds of campaign promises Obama made while running for President, contrasting those with the record of failure and broken promises left in his wake. It is a story that has received too little attention - until now."

The Unitary Executive Theory

The Unitary Executive Theory
Author: Jeffrey Crouch
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2020-11-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 070063004X

“I have an Article II,” Donald Trump has announced, citing the US Constitution, “where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.” Though this statement would have come as a shock to the framers of the Constitution, it fairly sums up the essence of “the unitary executive theory.” This theory, which emerged during the Reagan administration and gathered strength with every subsequent presidency, counters the system of checks and balances that constrains a president’s executive impulses. It also, the authors of this book contend, counters the letter and spirit of the Constitution. In their account of the rise of unitary executive theory over the last several decades, the authors refute the notion that this overweening view of executive power has been a common feature of the presidency from the beginning of the Republic. Rather, they show, it was invented under the Reagan Administration, got a boost during the George W. Bush administration, and has found its logical extension in the Trump administration. This critique of the unitary executive theory reveals it as a misguided model for understanding presidential powers. While its adherents argue that greater presidential power makes government more efficient, the results have shown otherwise. Dismantling the myth that presidents enjoy unchecked plenary powers, the authors advocate for principles of separation of powers—of checks and balances—that honor the Constitution and support the republican government its framers envisioned. A much-needed primer on presidential power, from the nation’s founding through Donald Trump’s impeachment, The Unitary Executive Theory: A Danger to Constitutional Government makes a robust and persuasive case for a return to our constitutional limits.

Lobbying the New President

Lobbying the New President
Author: Heath Brown
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2013-05-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1136494537

Presidential transitions offer the chance for new ideas, policies, and people to inhabit the White House. Transitions have triggered policy change for decades and eager interest groups have sought ways to capitalize on this often chaotic phase of US politics. President-Elect Barack Obama declared that lobbyists would be forbidden from serving his transition and issued stiff regulations and rules to limit their access to the planning for his White House. Yet even though Obama’s efforts mirror previous Presidents anti-lobbyist efforts, all Presidential transitions provide certain channels of influence, and Obama himself chose the head of a powerful and politically oriented think tank, the Center for American Progress, to run his transition. New Presidents need the information, ideas, and political capital that groups possess. Thus a curious paradox. Using an innovative mixed methodology integrating a historical analysis of original documents, original interviews with over 40 interest group leaders and transition leaders, a survey of 300 interest groups and content analysis of 300 interest group letters, Lobbying the New President uncovers the politics of interest group influence during Presidential transitions. In doing so, Heath Brown asks: Was the role played by Heritage in 1980 and CAP in 2008 indicative of a pattern of influence during the transition phase? Or have Presidents effectively shielded themselves from outside influence at the earliest point of their time in office? What can we learn about the larger study of interest groups and the Presidency from a focus on the transition phase? This book is a valuable resource that goes beyond the field of presidency studies which American politics scholars as well as public policy specialists should not go without.

Rivals for Power

Rivals for Power
Author: James A. Thurber
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2013-07-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 144222259X

Rivals for Power is a penetrating and up-to-date description of the power struggle between the president and Congress. In it, leading congressional and presidential scholars and knowledgeable former public officials present a vivid explanation of the historical, political, and constitutional complexities of presidential-congressional relations.

Campaigning for President 2012

Campaigning for President 2012
Author: Dennis W. Johnson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2013-06-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135016496

In this important and timely volume, Dennis W. Johnson has assembled an outstanding team of political scientists and political professionals to examine one of the fiercest and most closely fought presidential elections of our time. Like its predecessor, Campaigning for President 2008, Campaigning for President 2012: Strategy and Tactics focuses on political management. It is written by both elections/campaign scholars and practitioners, who highlight the role of political consultants and campaigns while also emphasizing the strategy and tactics employed by the candidates, the national political parties, and outside interests. The contributors explore the general mood of the electorate in the 2012 election, the challenges Obama faced after his first term, the primaries, money, communication, the important issues of the election, and finally the election itself.

City of Rivals

City of Rivals
Author: Jason Grumet
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2014-09-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1493014129

Forty years ago the Watergate scandal deeply wounded Americans’ faith in government. Since then, good-government reformers and big-government opponents have been on a shared mission to make everything transparent. The problem is that too much light is scaring Congressmen away from making the tough choices necessary to govern in the national interest. It’s no secret that the backrooms are where things get done and where politicians can collaborate without reprisal. In City of Rivals, Grumet boldly argues that the answer lies in harnessing partisanship, not spinning in its mud. America is once again gripped by fear that we are falling behind and fast. Unlike the Soviet threat that shook our nation a half century ago, the menace today is homegrown. On issues of national importance, the two parties in Congress appear incapable of working together. Whether the threat is competition from China, crumbling infrastructure, or rising debt, Washington’s legitimacy to govern and capacity to solve problems are in doubt. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s president, Jason Grumet, tackles this issue head-on by challenging the conventional diagnosis of the current gridlock. Rather than lamenting our differences, Grumet offers practical steps to govern a polarized nation, and he explores the unintended consequences of past reform movements. It’s a must-read for all who care about our country’s future.

Obama in Office

Obama in Office
Author: James A. Thurber
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2015-12-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317255364

Barack Obama entered office on a wave of popular expectation; will he exit at the hands of a Tea Party inspired populist tsunami or return for four more years? Obama in Office brings together well-established political scientists and journalists to offer the first detailed assessment of President Obama and his first two years in office. This book covers the range of policy tests which the administration has faced during this period, including the recession and its jobless recovery, health care reform, financial regulation, the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Looking beyond the midterms, Obama in Office considers the results of 2010, the impact of the Tea Party, and the prospects for 2012.