When Barack Obama became president, many Americans embraced him
as a transformational leader who would fundamentally change the
politics and policy of the country. Yet, two years into his
administration, the public resisted his calls for support and
Congress was deadlocked over many of his major policy proposals.
How could this capable new president have difficulty attaining his
goals? Did he lack tactical skills?
In "Overreach," respected presidential scholar George Edwards
argues that the problem was strategic, not tactical. He finds that
in President Obama's first two years in office, Obama governed on
the premise that he could create opportunities for change by
persuading the public and some congressional Republicans to support
his major initiatives. As a result, he proposed a large, expensive,
and polarizing agenda in the middle of a severe economic crisis.
The president's proposals alienated many Americans and led to a
severe electoral defeat for the Democrats in the 2010 midterm
elections, undermining his ability to govern in the remainder of
his term.
Edwards shows that the president's frustrations were predictable
and the inevitable result of misunderstanding the nature of
presidential power. The author demonstrates that the essence of
successful presidential leadership is recognizing and exploiting
existing opportunities, not in creating them through persuasion.
When Obama succeeded in passing important policies, it was by
mobilizing Democrats who were already predisposed to back him.
Thus, to avoid overreaching, presidents should be alert to the
limitations of their power to persuade and rigorously assess the
possibilities for obtaining public and congressional support in
their environments.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!