1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910953956003321

Autore

Freie John F. <1947-, >

Titolo

The making of the postmodern presidency : from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama / / John F. Freie

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London ; ; New York : , : Routledge, , 2016

ISBN

1-317-25644-1

1-315-63357-4

1-317-25643-3

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (222 p.)

Disciplina

973.92092/2

Soggetti

Presidents - United States - History - 20th century

Presidents - United States - History - 21st century

Political leadership - United States - History - 20th century

Political leadership - United States - History - 21st century

United States Politics and government 20th century

United States Politics and government 21st century

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

First published 2011 by Paradigm Publishers.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; Half Title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; 1 The Modern and the Postmodern; 2 Re-imaging the Presidency: Ronald Reagan; 3 The Fragmented Presidency: George H. W. Bush; 4 The Shape-Shifter: Bill Clinton; 5 The Hyperreal President: George W. Bush; 6 Horizontal Politics: The 2008 Presidential Election; 7 The Juxtaposed Presidency: Barack Obama's Modern Presidency in a Postmodern World; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index; About the Author

Sommario/riassunto

Throughout American history presidents have been accused of being liars, of deceiving others for political gain, of being corrupt, or of violating the Constitution. Such criticism is, to some extent, a facet of our political culture. Yet, in recent years the intensity and depth of hostility coming from news reporters, political pundits, and even academics seems unprecedented. It is the argument of "The Making of the Postmodern Presidency" that something more fundamental is occurring other than personal mendacity, character failures, or political errors; that, in fact, the model we have used to explain presidential



behavior no longer works.The dominant paradigm used to assess presidential behavior-the modern presidency-is no longer an adequate explanatory model. Nonetheless, those who study the presidency continue to use it to explain behavior. This book claims that the more relevant paradigm that should be used today is the postmodern presidency model. This book traces the origins and development of the postmodern presidency.The heart of the book is composed of an examination of the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to show how each has contributed to the evolution and formation of the postmodern presidency. A penultimate chapter analyzes the 2008 presidential election through the lens of postmodernism. The book concludes with speculation on the challenges that face the Obama presidency in light of the postmodern presidency and American democracy.