Pitiful giants
Subtitle: presidents in their final terms
By: Daniel P. Franklin
Edition: First edition.
Series: Evolving American presidency series
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2014
Place of publication: New York City, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 228
ISBN-13: 9781137410986
Subjects: Presidents; Term of office; Decision making; Politics and government; POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Leadership; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Executive Branch
Description: "Since ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, five presidents (Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama) have been elected to and served a second term. Presumably, by virtue of their term-limited status, these lame duck presidents are free from electoral pressure to pursue policies in the public interest. This, however, is a questionable assumption. Without the prospect of running for reelection and standing in judgment before the voters, presidents could use their last four years in office to pursue personal or peripheral political ambition, though few - if any - do so. Regardless of their personal ambitions, second term presidents face a number of structural obstacles that make it difficult for them to carry out their tasks. How then do presidents lead through these politically-complex circumstances. How can presidents make the most of their second-tem "mandates" while battling against waning political power? This book seeks to answer the complex - and often paradoxical - challenges laid forth for presidents in their lame duck years"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-216) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note:; title: 1. Leaving Presidents and their Relations with Congress2. Leaving Presidents and the Administrative State3. Lame Duck Presidents and Foreign Policy4. Leaving Presidents and Partisan Politics 5. The Leaving President and the Mechanics of TransitionConclusion: The Public Good and the Limits of the Leaving President.