The role and range of the American presidency has undergone significant changes in the twenty-first century, with George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and now Joe Biden transforming the office in distinct ways. Many but not all of these changes stem from the numerous crises of this young century: 9/11 and the resulting war on terror, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the social unrest of 2020.
While crisis brings rapid change, there are other factors at work as well. Increased polarization has led presidents of both parties to press existing rules and norms to their limits in an attempt to accomplish more during their brief tenures. The result is a lot of policy and structural change in a short period, including new cabinet departments, new election rules, and significantly increased spending and debt, among other things. For the most part, these changes have occurred with little thought to what it all means for the functionality and stability of our democratic institutions and, consequently, our nation’s capacity to address the needs as well as the aspirations of the American people.
The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Tevi Troy has brought together a group of presidential scholars and political experts to address these important issues and to reflect on how the presidency has changed and what it might mean for the future. Contributors include Elaine Kamarck (former aide to President Clinton), Jonathan Burks (former chief of staff to Speaker Paul Ryan), Kenneth Baer (former aide to presidents Clinton and Obama), and Kristen Soltis Anderson (Republican pollster and radio host).
Table of Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Rapidly Changing Twenty-First-Century Presidency, Tevi Troy
Section I. The Management of the Presidency in the Twenty-First Century
1. Implementation Failure and Presidential Success, Elaine Kamarck
2. Presidential Transitions in the Twenty-First Century, Martha Joynt Kumar
3. Foreign Policy Interactions between Congress and the White House in the Twenty-First Century, Jonathan Burks
Panel One: The Management of the Evolving Twenty-First-Century Presidency
Section II. The Twenty-First-Century Presidency in the External Environment
4. Presidential Approval Ratings in the Twenty-First Century, Kristen Soltis Anderson
5. Communications and the Presidency in the Twenty-First Century, Kenneth S. Baer
Panel Two: The Twenty-First-Century Presidency in the External Environment
Section III. How We Got Here
Panel Three the Formers Weigh In
Conclusion: The Meaning of the Twenty-First-Century Presidency, Tevi Troy
About the Contributors
Index
photo galleryAbout the author
Tevi Troy is a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, a Senior Scholar at Yeshiva University’s Straus Center, and a former Deputy Secretary of HHS and senior White House aide. He is the author of five books on the presidency, including The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
114,479 Ebooks in this category
