Title Delivering the people's message : the changing politics of the presidential mandate / Julia R. Azari

Published Ithaca ; London : Cornell University Press, 2014

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 206 pages) Contents Introduction : political institutions and the politics of the presidential mandate -- Changes in mandate rhetoric : from the progressive era to the partisan era -- The changing presidential script : Hoover, Roosevelt, and the politics of transition -- President of all the people? : Eisenhower, Johnson, and leadership in the modern era -- The presidency in crisis : Nixon, Carter, and the decline of consensus -- What an election is all about : Reagan, Bush, Obama, and the age of mandates -- Conclusion : delivering the people's message Summary Presidents have long invoked electoral mandates to justify the use of executive power. In Delivering the People's Message, Julia R. Azari draws on an original dataset of more than 1,500 presidential communications, as well as primary documents from six presidential libraries, to systematically examine choices made by presidents ranging from Herbert Hoover in 1928 to Barack Obama during his 2008 election. Azari argues that Ronald Reagan's election in 1980 marked a shift from the modern presidency formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to what she identifies as a more partisan era for the presidency. This partisan model is a form of governance in which the president appears to require a popular mandate in order to manage unruly and deeply contrary elements within his own party and succeed in the face of staunch resistance from the opposition party. Azari finds that when the presidency enjoys high public esteem and party polarization is low, mandate rhetoric is less frequent and employs broad themes. By contrast, presidents turn to mandate rhetoric when the office loses legitimacy, as in the wake of Watergate and Vietnam and during periods of intense polarization. In the twenty-first century, these two factors have converged. As a result, presidents rely on mandate rhetoric to defend their choices to supporters and critics alike, simultaneously creating unrealistic expectations about the electoral promises they will be able to fulfill Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-201) and index Notes In English Print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed SUBJECT USA Präsident gnd Subject Presidents -- United States -- Election -- History -- 20th century Presidents -- United States -- Election -- History -- 21st century Rhetoric -- Political aspects -- United States -- History -- 20th century Rhetoric -- Political aspects -- United States -- History -- 21st century Political leadership -- United States -- History -- 20th century Political leadership -- United States -- History -- 21st century POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- Elections. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- General. HISTORY -- United States -- 20th Century. Political leadership Presidents -- Election Rhetoric -- Political aspects Rhetorik United States Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2021702010 ISBN 9780801470257 0801470250 9780801470264 0801470269

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