With Reverence and Contempt: How Americans Think About Their President - Brossura

Langston, Thomas S.

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0801855101 ISBN 13: 9780801855108

Casa editrice: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, 1997

Riassunto

What's wrong with the American presidency? Why is the world's oldest surviving democracy headed by a leader who lives and acts like a king? And why is that same leader so often held in low esteem by those who elected him? In this survey of presidential history, the author examines two centuries of unrealistic expectations, false hopes and willful misunderstandings that lie at the heart of America's "dysfunctional relationship" with its president. Langston argues that each president becomes an icon, a stylized image of Americans' faith in themselves and in their country. Providing an investigation of how the game of presidential symbol-making is played, the author reveals how Americans' wishful thinking is encouraged and how even the best presidents are invited to deceive the public. The work concludes with a series of recommendations, including legislative changes aimed at improving the relationship between the president and the public by cutting the president's symbolic value down to size.

Su questo libro

Recensione

""Are individual presidents at fault for a series of failed presidencies -- or are the expectations of the American people to blame? Thomas Langston's fascinating analysis of the dysfunctional relationship between Americans and their presidents is required reading for anyone concerned with the future of American politics. The crisis of the presidency is our own." -- Michael LindSenior, Editor, New Republic

""The era of the heroic presidency in political science may finally be over.. Yet if a skeptical mood has become more common, it has not been given the scholarly elaboration it requires. Thomas S. Langston begins to fill this gap in With Reverence and Contempt, showing us why citizens and scholars alike need the presidency to be demystified.. Future researchers in this field will owe Langston a debt for his mapping of the terrain." -- Bruce Miroff, American Political Science Review

Descrizione del libro

In this spirited survey of presidential history, Langston examines two centuries of unrealistic expectations, false hopes, and willful misunderstandings that lie at the heart of America's dysfunctional relationship with its president.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 1997
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0801855101
• ISBN 13: 9780801855108
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 328
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile
• Persona responsabile: non disponibile