This Is Not a President : Sense, Nonsense, and the American Political Imaginary

read The Chronicle Of Higher Ed Author Interview in this Is Not A President , Diane Rubenstein Looks At The Postmodern Presidency — From Reagan And George H. W. Bush, Through The Current Administration, And Including Hillary. Focusing On Those Seemingly Inexplicable Gaps Or Blind Spots In Recent American Presidential Politics, Rubenstein Interrogates Symptomatic Moments In Political Rhetoric, Popular Culture, And Presidential Behavior To Elucidate Profound And Disturbing Changes In The American Presidency And The Way It Embodies A National Imaginary. in A Series Of Essays Written In Real Time Over The Past Four Presidential Administrations, Rubenstein Traces The Vernacular Use Of The American Presidency (as Currency, As Grist For Popular Biography, As Fictional Tv Material) To Explore The Ways In Which The American Presidency Functions As A 'transitional Object' That Allows The American Citizen To Meet Or Discover The President While Going About Her Everyday Life. The Book Argues That It Is French Theory — Primarily Lacanian Psychoanalysis And The Radical Semiotic Theories Of Jean Baudrillard — That Best Accounts For American Political Life Today. Through Episodes As Diverse As Iran Contra, George H. W. Bush Vomiting In Japan, The 1992 Republican Convention, The Failed Nomination Of Lani Guinier, And The Iraq War, this Is Not A President Brilliantly Situates Our Collective Investment In American Political Culture. Read The Chronicle of Higher Ed Author Interview In This Is Not a President, Diane Rubenstein looks at the postmodern presidency — from Reagan and George H. W. Bush, through the current administration, and including Hillary. Focusing on those seemingly inexplicable gaps or blind spots in recent American presidential politics, Rubenstein interrogates symptomatic moments in political rhetoric, popular culture, and presidential behavior to elucidate profound and disturbing changes in the American presidency and the way it embodies a national imaginary. In a series of essays written in real time over the past four presidential administrations, Rubenstein traces the vernacular use of the American presidency (as currency, as grist for popular biography, as fictional TV material) to explore the ways in which the American presidency functions as a “transitional object” that allows the American citizen to meet or discover the president while going about her everyday life. The book argues that it is French theory — primarily Lacanian psychoanalysis and the radical semiotic theories of Jean Baudrillard — that best accounts for American political life today. Through episodes as diverse as Iran Contra, George H. W. Bush vomiting in Japan, the 1992 Republican convention, the failed nomination of Lani Guinier, and the Iraq War, This Is Not a President brilliantly situates our collective investment in American political culture. "In This Is Not a President, Diane Rubenstein looks at the postmodern presidency - from Reagan and George H.W. Bush, through the current administration, and including Hillary. Focusing on those seemingly inexplicable gaps or blind spots in recent American presidential politics, Rubenstein interrogates symptomatic moments in political rhetoric, popular culture, and presidential behavior to elucidate profound and disturbing changes in the American presidency and the way it embodies a national imaginary." "In a series of essays written in real time over the past four presidential administrations, Rubenstein traces the vernacular use of the American presidency (as currency, as grist for popular biography, as fictional TV material) to explore the ways in which the American presidency functions as a transitional object that allows the American citizen to meet or discover the president while going about her everyday life. The book argues that it is French theory - primarily Lacanian psychoanalysis and the radical semiotic theories of Jean Baudrillard - that best accounts for American political life today. Through episodes as diverse as Iran Contra, George H. W. Bush vomiting in Japan, the 1992 Republican convention, the failed nomination of Lani Guinier, and the Iraq War, This Is Not a President situates our collective investment in American political culture."--BOOK JACKET Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction: My Own Private Presidents......Page 14 Organizational Note......Page 36 The Mirror of Reproduction: Baudrillard and Reagan’s America......Page 38 Oliver North and the Lying Nose......Page 63 This Is Not a President: Baudrillard, Bush, and Enchanted Simulation......Page 86 Bush, the Man Who Sununu Too Much: Male Trouble and Presidential Subjectivity......Page 98 “Chicks with Dicks”: Transgendering the Presidency......Page 129 “Honey, I Shrunk the President”: Psychoanalysis, Postmodernism, and the Clinton Presidency......Page 159 “Father, Can’t You See I’m Bombing?” A Bush Family Romance......Page 183 Hillary Regained......Page 214 Notes......Page 250 Index......Page 306 About the Author......Page 312 Introduction: My Own Private Presidents -- Organizational Note -- The Mirror Of Reproduction: Baudrillard And Reagan's America -- Oliver North And The Lying Nose -- This Is Not A President: Baudrillard, Bush, And Enchanted Simulation -- Bush, The Man Who Sununu Too Much: Male Trouble And Presidential Subjectivity -- Chicks With Dicks: Transgendering The Presidency -- Honey, I Shrunk The President: Psychoanalysis, Postmodernism, And The Clinton Presidency -- Father, Can't You See I'm Bombing? A Bush Family Romance -- Hillary Regained -- Notes -- Index -- About The Author. Diane Rubenstein. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 237-291) And Index. Focusing on those seemingly inexplicable gaps or blind spots in recent American presidential politics, the author interrogates symptomatic moments in political rhetoric, popular culture, and presidential behavior to elucidate profound and disturbing changes in the American presidency and the way it embodies a national imaginary.