Orman's Comparing Presidential Power is an important and insightful study of the American Presidency. The macho model of presidential leadership is developed well and supported by both primary and secondary research. In fact, a brief overview of the book cannot do justice to the detailed analysis and support provided in the work. The text is well documented and every assumption is illustrated by several specific examples. The humanistic study is written from an audience perspective providing a socio-psychological orientation of how the public interprets the office. Thus, the lasting value of the book is not so much in the comparison of the Carter and Reagan presidencies or the defense of the Carter administration but in the provision of a complete model or theory of the contemporary institutional presidency. The book is a valuable contribution to the literature and thus a must for scholars and students of the American presidency. Presidential Studies Quarterly The president of the United States may be considered the quintessential symbol of the country, and, as such, a reflection of society's dominent values. His actions and decisions are influenced by a number of factors, including the prevailing environment, bureaucratic policies, and the incumbent's personality. Over and above the abilities and opportunities of the person who holds the office, John Orman argues that success of a president's policy endeavors is ultimately dependent in luck and good timing. His hypothesis is that a president's success depends on the ability to align actions with a society that places a premium on machismo. Using this theory, he analyzes the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

This collection assesses the condition of civic dialogue in our avowedly participatory democracy and suggests specific educational, institutional, and individual actions to enhance the contemporary public debate of social and political issues. An interdisciplinary group of distinguished scholars examines current problems and potential improvements in areas such as citizenship education, media literacy, critical viewing skills, civic journalism, the internet and democratic dialogue, media coverage of political campaigns, the recovery of excluded cultural voices, and citizen engagement in media and electoral processes. The book is divided into four parts: the first summarizes many of the predominant criticisms leveled at what passes for democratic debate in America today. Each of the next three parts focuses on specific areas for potential enhancement: public education, the mass media, and citizen awareness. The Public Voice in a Democracy at Risk offers important insights for scholars, students, and citizens interested in fostering participatory democracy.

Climbing the Hill explores the history and current status of women members and staff on Capitol Hill. It traces the difficult history of women in Congress, their slow and painful path to political power, and their hopes and fears of today. It presents a comprehensive analysis of women's success at the polls and within the congressional hierarchy - legislatively, politically, and socially. Through in-depth research and extensive personal interviews, the authors reveal the deep-rooted sexual divisions within the U.S. Congress and the continuing struggle of women to break into the "old boy" network. The book's comprehensive coverage is unique and up-to-date and will be of interest to scholars, students, and interested layreaders.

The creation of temporary, independent advisory bodies that give advice to Congress, is an important yet under-investigated area of congressional delegation. With variations to fit the circumstances, lawmakers entrust commissions to accomplish diverse goals, such as coping with increases in the scope and complexity of legislation, forging consensus, drafting legislation, finessing institutional obstacles, coordinating strategy, and promoting party unity.

Campbell investigates why and when Congress formulates policy by commissions rather than by the normal legislative process. He shows that many variables go into the decision to entrust those bodies to render non-partisan recommendations. According to lawmakers and their staff, the three primary justifications for choosing to delegate to commission include expertise, workload, and avoidance. Which of these three dominates depends in large part on the politics surrounding a particular issue and the nature of the policy problem. The logic of delegation to each of the three commission types is different. Which reason dominates depends in large part on the politics surrounding the issue and the nature of the legislative policy problem. Scholars, students, and other researchers involved with Congress, American government, and public policy will find the study of particular interest.

Covering key issues ranging from education to political mobilization to racial stratification, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the Obama Presidency. President Barack Obama's election and subsequent reelection represent a critical paradigm shift in American political history. But will there be lasting effects of the election of an African American to the highest office in the land in terms of the United States' economic, educational, political and social realities? A valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, state and federal policymakers, and general readers, this book poses critical questions and offers insightful answers from expert contributors, provides a balanced critique of President Obama's accomplishments and challenges, and considers the national and international impact President Obama's tenure had on politics. The numerous contributors to this book provide a range of perspectives on President Obama's presidency that question conventional thinking, covering key issues that include health care, education, political mobilization, gender, racial stratification, voting patterns, and criminal justice. Readers will come away with a heightened comprehension of the complex relationships between political structures, economic policies, and minority interests; how Congress, traditional and contemporary activists, and domestic and international issues all shaped the Obama Presidency; and how micro and macro issues such as voting rights, voting patterns, and Get Out the Vote (GOTV) initiatives are connected.

One of the most powerful and widespread ideal and political reasons underlying the birth and building of the Nation-state has been the concurrence of territory, culture and people. Lately, however, one can observe a complete overturning of the relation between territorial and social spaces. New forms of international migrations, new systems of communication, new financial flows, and new political entities constitute relations, which, by crossing over the old borders, take on a territorial multipolarity as the area of their sociocultural practices. Studying the new relations between culture and territory implies laying stress on the effects of processes of contemporary nomadisms at global, local, virtual, and everyday life levels. The volume contains a collection of essays that try to illustrate the trends of the ceaseless nomadisms spanning our world, the distinctive modalities by which they fuel yet are also subjected to the complexity of contemporariness, looking into an ethnography of the modern traffic of the incorporeal but also of identity experiences and of state and state-like practices enfolding them.

"Matilde Callari Galli" is full professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Bologna, Department of Education (Italy).

This book assesses the state of presidential accountability in the post-Reagan era. It looks at five major areas of concern for students of the presidency. These problem areas concern (1.) presidents, national security, and civil liberties; (2.) controlling the intelligence community; (3.) the politized nature of the Justice Department; (4.) celebrity politics and symbolic manipulation; and (5.) the popularity of the Reagan administration and its implications for accountability. The research concludes that in the post- modern presidency, we have lost the desire and power to keep presidents accountable for their actions. After discussing the problem of presidential accountability in the opening chapter, the book turns to the checkered pasts of American presidents with respect to protecting civil liberties. It then examines the problems of presidential accountability that are posed by the intelligence community. Next, it looks at the exercises of the president's discretionary power in the criminal justice policy arena. The newer phenomenon of "Celebrity Politics" is explored next in terms of the consequences it has on citizens who want to keep the American president in check. Following this, the lessons of the popular Reagan presidency on presidential accountability are outlined. Finally, it concludes by lamenting the loss of presidential accountability in the American political system. This book should appeal to presidential researchers and anyone interested in the American presidency.

The Senate of the mid twentieth century, which was venerated by journalists, historians, and senators alike, is today but a distant memory. Electioneering on the Senate floor, playing games with the legislative process, and questioning your fellow senators' motives have become commonplace.
In this book, noted political scientist Sean Theriault documents the Senate's demise over the last 30 years by showing how one group of senators has been at the forefront of this transformation. He calls this group the "Gingrich Senators" and defines them as Republican senators who previously served in the House after 1978, the year of Newt Gingrich's first election to the House. He shows how the Gingrich Senators are more conservative, more likely to engage in tactics that obstruct the legislative process, and more likely to oppose Democratic presidents than even their fellow other Republicans. Phil Gramm, Rick Santorum, Jim DeMint, and Tom Coburn are just four examples of the group that has includes 40 total senators and 22 currently serving senators.
Theriault first documents the ideological distinctiveness of the Gingrich Senators and examines possible explanations for it. He then shows how the Gingrich Senators behave as partisan warriors, which has radically transformed the way the Senate operates as an institution, by using cutthroat tactics, obstructionism, and legislative games. He concludes the book by examining the fate of the Gingrich Senators and the future of the U.S. Senate.

Presidents and Place: America's Favorite Sons highlights the interrelationship between America's leading political icons and various facets of space and place, including places of birth and death as well as regional allegiances, among others. Chapters examine the legacy of relationships between presidents and place in a variety of social and cultural forms, ranging from famous political campaigns to television series to developments in tourism. Beginning with the political iconography of New York's Federal Hall in early eighteenth-century America and ending with a focus on the Republican Party's electoral relationship with the South, the interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse nature of the chapters reveals that place has more than a biographical significance in relation to US presidents.

The 'Russiagate' affair is one of the most far-reaching political events of recent years. But what exactly was the nature and extent of Russian interference in the campaign that led to the presidency of Donald J. Trump? Richard Sakwa sets out the dramatic series of events that combined to create Russiagate and examines whether together they form a persuasive account of Russia's role in the extraordinary 2016 American election. Offering a meticulous account of the multiple layers in play, his authoritative analysis challenges the claims of Russian interference and collusion. As we enter into a new cold war, this myth-busting, accessible and balanced account is essential reading to understand contemporary East-West relations.

This original contribution largely based on unpublished material to the biography of an American president and to the diplomatic history of the United States traces Franklin Roosevelt's contacts with the French from his childhood until the end of his life. It necessarily concentrates on the years after he ascended the presidency--the pre-war years of the 1930s and the war years from 1939 to 1944. Especially knotty were the war years when Roosevelt had to deal with two French governments--the Vichy government and the Free French government of Charles de Gaulle--as well as their representatives and supporters.

This book illuminates the decision-making process of the U.S. Senate by examining the Trade Agreements Act of 1979. The purpose of Jerome's study is threefold: first, to discuss the legislative process dealing with the act, and thereby to document the particular nature of Senate decision-making. Second, the author reviews current decision-making theories and examines various points of his case study to see how reality conforms with the theories. Finally, he suggests revisions of the decision-making theories. Jerome creates three broad theoretical categories to analyze the Senate decision-making process: The first stresses a structural approach; the second emphasizes factors that influence the decision; and the third emphasizes specific behavioral patterns. Over the course of the decision-making process, the author argues, no one dimension is necessarily more important than another. He develops a model that views the process as a time line or braided rope with each of the three dimensions comprising one cord of the rope. By slicing through this rope the decision process can be examined at various points, emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses in each of the individual theories. Because Jerome's conceptual framework is based on an insider's perspective, his work will be of considerable interest to political scientists studying decision-making theories and the legislative process. Economists interested in trade policy will also find this book useful.

Examines the decisions of US presidents to appoint judges from diverse backgrounds to federal courts In Diversifying the Courts, Nancy Scherer addresses why presidents choose—or don’t choose—to diversify the federal courts by race, ethnicity, and gender. She explores how and why the issue became a bitter partisan fight in the first place, tracking the controversial history—and politics—of court diversification. Drawing on polls, political experiments, surveys and one-on-one interviews, Scherer illuminates the complicated relationship between diversity and court legitimacy. She shows us how diverse representation can positively impact perceptions of the court among women and racial minorities, while having a negative impact on the perceptions among white people and men. Ultimately, Diversifying the Courts provides insight into the impact of gender, race, and ethnicity on the courts, illuminating some of the major challenges facing the American judicial system in the years that lie ahead.

An original and comprehensive study of the sociological and psychological forces driving individual choices in French Presidential elections. Based on a unique comparative analysis of four French presidential contests over the last two decades, this book presents a rigorous examination of long-term and short-term voter motivations.

Delving into the concept of America as an empire, this investigation demonstrates how the country has been steadily expanding its control of overseas territories since the turn of the 20th century. By explaining how U.S. military interventionism harms the interests of Americans politically, economically, and militarily and illustrating how the United States--and the world--would be more free, secure, and prosperous if the U.S. government reduced its military involvement overseas, the study explores how rampant imperialism has threatened U.S. security, straining the country's relations with the rest of the world. A thorough and compelling examination of U.S. foreign and domestic security policies, this informed survey maintains a neutral stance by arguing against both liberal and conservative proponents.

The first of four volumes comprising a biographical dictionary of state house speakers from 1911 to 1994, this book covers speakers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Entries provide basic biographical and career information on more than 400 speakers. The book opens with an insightful analytical introduction and includes valuable statistical appendixes based on an exhaustive database.

Complementing Charles R. Ritter and Jon L. Wakelyn's book IAmerican Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910R (1989), this book covers those who have served as state speakers in the West since 1910. Forthcoming volumes will cover state house speakers in the South, the Midwest, and the Northeast.

At last, there's a business leadership book that really tackles the tough issues of integrity and governance. Taking a unique approach to leadership, this book gathers the path--breaking perspectives of influential shareholder activists; opinion--leading CEOs of major firms; trailblazing, distinguished academics; and courageous regulators. The all--star roster of contributors from the corporate world and academia includes Vanguarda s John Bogle, former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt, and Harvard Business Schoola s Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Sherron Watkins, Enron whistleblower and Time Person of the Year, shares an inside look at Enron, and Barbara Ley Toffler, former head of Arthur Andersena s Ethics Practice, paints a picture of Anderson Consulting before their fall.

The number one bestselling memoir of one of New Labour s three founding architects, now with a revealing new chapter updating this paperback edition.

Peter Mandelson is one of the most influential politicians of modern times. The Third Man is his story of a life played out in the backroom and then on the frontline of the Labour Party during its unprecedented three terms in government.

Much of the book is devoted to the defining political relationships of Peter Mandelson s life with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Charting what he terms the soap-opera years of the Labour government, his book continues to ruffle feathers with an updated preface bringing the story up to the tempestuous present."

The 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial race between ex-Klan Grand Wizard David Duke and former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards was the most closely watched statewide or local election ever. Years of racial and economic resentment, one-party rule in the state, and two controversial candidates turned a cakewalk into a hotly contested race, almost without anyone noticing. More importantly, it shook up national politics, led to a rise in the Radical Right, and influenced our current political moment. Perhaps most surprisingly, the story of the campaign and how one little-noticed Republican woman managed to almost singlehandedly rescue the state provides a galvanizing blueprint for anti-racist, pro-union, progressive Democrats, especially in the South. In the fall of 1991, when brilliant fall foliage lit up the Kisatchie National Forest, crisp peppers, collards, and turnip greens lined the grocery aisles, and football fever swept weekend campuses, two wizards put their lunacy on hold and let everyone around them create the fireworks. Their eventual tEte-A-tEte on November 17 would mark the end of "the New South" and the birth of a darker yet invigorated era.

Henry Bernard Loewendahl scrutinizes the relationship between multinational companies, regional development, and governments, using a framework of bargaining between government and multinationals. He critically analyzes the role of foreign investment in economic development, and examines how governments can link inward investment to regional economic development. Based on extensive use of data, interviews and case studies of Siemens and Nissan's UK investment, the book shows why MNCs have invested in the UK in the past, how they bargained with the government, and what the impact was on the national and regional economies. In particular, through linking the strategy of multinationals to the location advantages of the UK, it is argued that labor flexibility and incentives were crucial to investment decisions. Loewendahl recommends a framework to integrate endogenous and exogenous approaches to developments; and proposes a greater role for the region and the EU to control incentives and monitor multinationals.