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This book offers an accessible and compelling guide to the American presidency by exploring a series of key questions. How powerful is the American presidency, and to what extent is presidential power dependent on persuasion? Do the personal qualities of presidents drive events, or does the institution of the presidency shape their choices? Is the presidency a “unitary” office or a limited and circumscribed institution? Which is more important, character or competence? Is presidential success a matter of skill or opportunity? And will future presidencies turn away from checks and balances in favor of illiberal democracy?
Michael A. Genovese, a leading scholar of the presidency, provides a clear overview of the core arguments and debates over the essential characteristics of this contradictory institution. Ideal for classroom use, this book provides insights into what the presidency was designed to be, what it has evolved into, how it has been reshaped to respond to new demands, and what its future might hold. Engaging and reader-friendly, The Modern Presidency gives students the tools to think critically about the nature of this complex office and how its powers can be wielded.
— Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America
These six foundational debates are essential reading for understanding the challenges of presidential leadership in the twenty-first century. Concise and engaging, this book is ideal for classroom instruction as well as for guiding new scholarship on the chief executive.
— Meena Bose, coauthor of American Government: Institutions and Policies
Genovese masterfully distills the six scholarly debates that animate the presidency field, as he investigates what a president must do to be a successful leader. Well-organized and thought-provoking, Genovese’s elegantly parsimonious prose makes this book the perfect introduction to the presidency.
— Lara M. Brown, author of Amateur Hour: Presidential Character and the Question of Leadership
In this short volume, Michael A. Genovese excavates the core controversies and tensions that define our nation’s most important—and most vexing—political office. The Modern Presidency is at once a helpful guide for classroom discussion, a fine distillation of the views of one of the most thoughtful presidency scholars, and a joy to read.
— William G. Howell, coauthor of Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy
Introduction
1. What Is More Important, Power or Persuasion?
2. What Matters More, the Individual or the Institution?
3. Did the Framers Invent a Powerful Unitary Executive or a Limited Constitutional Office?
4. Which Is More Valuable, Character or Competence?
5. What Is More Important, Skill or Opportunity?
6. Will the Future of the U.S. Presidency Be One of Liberal Democracy or Illiberal Democracy?
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index