Presidential Leadership in Political Time : Reprise and Reappraisal?Second Edition, Revised and Expanded

A bestselling classic with a new chapter on President Barack Obama Renowned scholar Stephen Skowronek's insights have fundamentally altered our understanding of the American presidency. His "political time" thesis has been particularly influential, revealing how presidents reckon with the work of their predecessors, situate their power within recent political events, and assert their authority in the service of change. In the original edition of this book, Skowronek revisited that thesis to make better sense of the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. In this new edition, he also addresses the first two years of Barack Obama's presidency.Already considered a classic and widely used in courses on the presidency, Skowronek's book has greatly expanded our understanding of and debates over the politics of leadership. It clarifies the typical political problems that presidents confront in political time, as well as the likely effects of their working through them, and considers contemporary innovations in our political system that bear on the leadership patterns from the more distant past. Drawing out parallels in the politics of leadership between Andrew Jackson and Franklin Roosevelt and between James Polk and John Kennedy, it develops a new and revealing perspective on the presidential leadership of Clinton, Bush, and now Obama.In this edition, Skowronek devotes an entirely new chapter to Obama's presidency and its prospects for becoming transformational-like the presidencies of Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, FDR, and Reagan, all of whom succeeded to varying degrees in reconstructing the playing field of national politics. Along the way, he wonders if this kind of leadership is still even possible, given the current divided state of the American polity. He also takes a fresh look at the impact of the twenty-four-hour news cycle, of a more disciplined and homogeneous Republican party, of conservative advocacy of the "unitary theory" of the executive, and of progressive disillusionment with the presidency as an institution.A provocative review of presidential history, Skowronek's book brims with fresh insights and opens a window on the institution of the executive office and the workings of the American political system as a whole. Intellectually satisfying for scholars, it also provides an accessible volume for students and general readers interested in the American presidency.

Renowned scholar Stephen Skowronek's insights have fundamentally altered our understanding of the American presidency. His seminal works have identified broad historical patterns in American politics and explained the dynamics at work behind them. His political time thesis has been particularly influential, revealing how presidents reckon with the work of their predecessors, situate their power within recent political events, and assert their authority to change things.

In this new book, Skowronek revisits his political time thesis and focuses on how it helps us make sense of the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The essays—some of which predate his book The Politics Presidents Make, some of which followed it, and one of which is wholly original to this volume—make his arguments about the politics of leadership generally accessible while also drawing them forward and highlighting new issues for our times.

Skowronek explains the typical political problems that presidents confront in political time, as well as the likely effects of their working through them. This allows him to draw out parallels in the politics of leadership between Andrew Jackson and Franklin Roosevelt and between James Polk and John Kennedy—and to develop a new and revealing perspective on the leadership of George W. Bush.

All along the way, Skowronek considers contemporary innovations in the American political system that bear on the leadership patterns he draws from the more distant past. The impact of the 24-hour news cycle, of a more disciplined and homogeneous Republican party, of conservative advocacy of the unitary theory of the executive, and of progressivedisillusionment with the presidency—all come under fresh scrutiny.

A provocative review of presidential history, Skowronek's book brims with fresh insights and opens a window on the institution of the executive office and the workings of the American political system as a whole. Intellectually satisfying for scholars, it also provides an accessible volume for students and general readers interested in the American presidency.

Stephen Skowronek's insights have altered our understanding of the American presidency. His "political time" thesis has been influential, revealing how presidents reckon with work of their predecessors, situate their power within recent political events, and assert their authority in service of change. In the first edition, Skowronek revisited that thesis to make better sense of the presidencies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. In this new edition, he also addresses the first two years of Barack Obama's presidency. Already considered a classic and widely used in courses on the presidency, Skowronek's book has expanded our understanding of Presidency and debates over politics of leadership. It clarifies typical political problems that presidents confront in political time, and the likely effects of their working through them. Drawing out parallels in politics of leadership between Andrew Jackson and Franklin Roosevelt and between James Polk and John Kennedy, it develops a new perspective on the presidential leadership of Clinton, Bush, and now Obama. In this edition, Skowronek devotes an entirely new chapter to Obama's presidency and its prospects for becoming transformational, like presidencies of Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, FDR, and Reagan, all of whom succeeded to varying degrees in reconstructing playing field of national politics. He wonders if this kind of leadership is still even possible, given current divided state of America's polity. He also takes a fresh look at impact of the twenty-four-hour news cycle, of a more disciplined and homogeneous Republican Party, of conservative advocacy of the "unitary theory" of the executive, and of progressive disillusionment with the presidency as an institution. Skowronek's book brims with fresh insights on institution of the executive office and workings of the American political system--Publisher's description The Presidency In American Political Development : A Third Look -- Presidential Leadership In Political Time -- The Politics Of Leadership At The End Of The Twentieth Century -- Leadership By Definition: First-term Reflections On George W. Bush's Political Stance -- The Imperial Presidency Thesis Revisited: George W. Bush At The Point Of No Return -- Is Transformational Leadership Still Possible? Barack Obama In Historical Perspective. Stephen Skowronek. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [195]-212) And Index. A classic on the politics of leadership, now expanded to include a new chapter on the Obama presidency. Examines the typical political problems that presidents confront and how they assert their authority in the service of change