Evaluating the Obama Presidency: From Transformational Goals to Governing Realities

Published by De Gruyter 2024

Evaluating the Obama Presidency

From Transformational Goals to Governing Realities

Edited by: Meena Bose and Paul Fritz

Volume 1 in the series De Gruyter Series in Presidential Politics, Leadership, and Policy Making

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111384108

Overview
Contents

About this book

In 2007 and 2008, Barack Obama ran for president with a message of a shared purpose uniting all Americans, and was elected with expectations that he would usher in a new national culture under an approach grounded in public engagement that would transcend partisan divisions. But in an institutional system designed for incremental and contested policy-making governance, enacting these transformational ambitions proved to be far more difficult than anticipated.

This innovative volume assesses the legacy of President Obama, with a conceptual focus on the challenge of meeting his goals with the realities of governing. A diverse group of political science, history, and communication studies experts systematically examines Obama’s performance, accomplishments, and shortcomings through the lens of the expectations gap – the tensions and obstacles of translating campaign promises into policies.

The wide, representative set of case studies address campaigning and coalition building, party polarization, presidential communication, executive power, leadership and decision-making, and domestic and foreign policy. With original and deep analysis, these scholars make a unique, enduring contribution to understanding the Obama presidency, the office of the president, and indeed American politics. This insightful, accessible book will be of great interest to students and scholars of the presidency, political communication & rhetoric, and broadly across US government and democracy.

Provides a variety of disciplinary perspectives and a mix of expert contributors
Meets the need for a current, timely, unique work on the presidency
Previously published volumes on Obama’s presidency fail to have a clear unifying conceptual framework

Author / Editor information

Meena Bose, Hofstra University, New York, USA.
Paul Fritz, Hofstra University, New York, USA.

Reviews

This book offers an important contribution to the emerging literature on the Obama presidency, with both scholarly depth as well as topical breadth.

Lori Cox Han, Doy B. Henley Chair of American Presidential Studies and Director, Presidential Studies Program, Chapman University

The contributors in this study understand the goal of Obama’s leadership was specifically transformational, and that this created both opportunities and challenges for him. They understand that governing is hard, and that understanding it requires attention to administration/ policy/ leadership. And they understand that elections matter and that money matters to elections.

Mary E. Stuckey, Professor, Communication Arts & Sciences, Penn State University

This edited volume addresses a fundamental question: What is the nature of the relationship between campaign promises and governance? Through case studies of the Obama administration’s efforts to translate bold and ambitious campaign promises into effective policymaking and governance, the volume makes an important contribution to the scholarly literature on the Obama administration.

David A. Yalof, Vice Provost of Academic Affairs and Professor of Government, College of William and Mary

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
List of Figures Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Chapter 1 Introduction: Evaluating the Obama Presidency Meena Bose and Paul Fritz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I: Winning Elections and Building Political Coalitions
Chapter 2 The Transformation of Presidential Fundraising During the Obama Years Brendan J. Doherty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
Chapter 3 The Obama Coalition’s Kryptonite: Ralph Stanley, Bruce Springsteen, and the White Working Class Jeff Bloodworth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
Part II: Planning, Governance, and Policy Making
Chapter 4 Why Health Care Came First, and Other Observations on Barack Obama’s Early Domestic Policy Agenda Jack B. Greenberg Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
Chapter 5 A Green Presidency? Barack Obama and the Environment Mark Kelso Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
Chapter 6 Obama’s Domestic Policy Making and the Administrative Presidency Andrew Rudalevige Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
Chapter 7 Developing a Bench: President Obama’s Judicial Appointment Legacy Nicholas O. Howard and Mark Owens Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
Chapter 8 Women and the Obama Administration: Gender Policy at Home and Abroad Barbara A. Perry and Sheila M. Blackford Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
Chapter 9 The US and Russia during the Obama Administration: An Inevitable Return of Great Power Politics? Paul Fritz Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Chapter 10 The Obama Legacy on Nuclear Weapons: Transformative Vision, Pragmatic Results David W. Kearn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	167
Chapter 11 Why Ask? Presidential Leverage and Obama’s Decision to Seek Congressional Authorization for the Use of Force against Syria Daniel E. Ponder and Jeffrey VanDenBerg Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	187
Part III: Communication, Executive Power, and Leadership
Chapter 12 Obama, the Pen, and the Phone: Promises to Policies Donna R. Hoffman and Alison D. Howard Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
Chapter 13 The Genius of America and the Model Immigrant: Barack Obama’s Rhetorical Characterization of DACA Recipients Ann E. Burnette and Wayne L. Kraemer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
Chapter 14 Race, Representation, and Reaction in the Obama Presidency Daryl A. Carter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	243
Chapter 15 Obama’s Presidency: Redemption and the Misdirected Search for Presidential Greatness Stanley A. Renshon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	259
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	275
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	283

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Students and scholars of US Presidency, Political Communication, US Government & Politics.
Pages
- Front matter: 7
- Main content: 288
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 22
- Tables: 9
Keywords: Barack Obama; Campaigns & Elections; Electoral Coalitions; Policymaking; US Domestic & Public Policy; US Foreign Policy; Political Communication & Rhetoric; Political Parties; Presidential Power and Leadership; US Government & Governance; Executive Branch; Ddministrative Agencies; US Presidency; White House

eBook

Published: July 22, 2024
ISBN: 9783111384108

Hardcover

Published: July 22, 2024
ISBN: 9783111384542

Paperback

Published: July 22, 2024
ISBN: 9783111382241