The Opposition Presidency: Leadership and the Constraints of History (Joseph V. Hughes, Jr. and Holly O. Hughes Series in the Presidency and ... Series on the Presidency and Leadership) - Hardcover

Crockett, David A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585441570 ISBN 13: 9781585441570

Publisher: Texas A & M University Press, 2002

Synopsis

When a president's governing philosophy is out of step with the dominant ideology of the culture, his options for leadership are much different from those of a leader more in sync with the times. Such ""opposition leaders"" face distinctive challenges and opportunities. They should be judged by different standards, argues political scientist David A. Crockett. Crockett has analyzed presidents from Whig times through the Clinton presidency to develop a model for understanding presidential success and the strategies that are appropriate to the circumstances. Focusing on the terms of twelve opposition presidents, Crockett details the approaches they have taken to maximize their own goals and maintain political power. He illustrates vividly how these leaders must balance personal and partisan success, and he lays out the relationship between personality or character and the larger political context. All opposition presidents face roughly the same type of leadership situation_governing in an era in which they do not control the power to define politics_but Crockett's broad historical perspective demonstrates that they do not all handle this situation in the same way. Studying the presidency in such a political context enables Crockett to break free of the one-size-fits-all model of presidential leadership. Leadership strategies are contingent and context-bound, and the wise president understands the constraints history places on his leadership. In the case of opposition presidents, history demonstrates that pursuing a path of moderation is far healthier than launching a frontal assault on the governing party. It is healthier for the president and his party and healthier for the political system as a whole. Breaking free of the standard focus on post_World War II presidencies, this volume offers challenging understandings of presidential effectiveness. Students of American politics will join historians and scholars of the presidency in welcoming its tightly argued perspectives.

About this title

About the Author

DAVID A. CROCKETT is an assistant professor of political science at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. His dissertation, the basis for the present volume, won the prize for the Best Dissertation on the Presidency, awarded by the Center for Presidential Studies.

About this edition

• Publisher: Texas A & M University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1585441570
• ISBN 13: 9781585441570
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320