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

by Stephen Skowronek

A bestselling classic with a new chapter on President Barack ObamaRenowned 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.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Academic

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2008

About the author

Stephen Skowronek is the Pelatiah Perit Professor of Political and Social Science at Yale University.

Reviews

[violet wexler · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was not fun (or easy) to read in two days. Buuuuut it is an amazing book. While Skowronek requires you to reread every line multiple times — and deals with increasingly complicated concepts — his theory is fascinating and he makes a very compelling argument that it can help us judge presidents and predict future electoral outcomes or outcomes of presidential performance. This book shifted the way I think abt the presidency and its concepts will definitely stay with me as I think abt trump and future presidents !!!

[Jeff Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been conditioned to think about presidential politics in terms of the individual merits and personalities of each particular president. Good things happen when we have good presidents and bad things happen otherwise. Skowronek makes a pretty good case that there are more powerful forces at work here. These forces are more or less dictated by the unique American system of government ruled by large political parties. The idea is that the president's ability to govern is based upon two powers: power granted by the constitution, and power granted by legitimacy. In practice, limits on presidential power are almost always constrained by legitimacy. According to Skowronek, this leads to repeating political cycles he calls political time. The effectiveness of a president then, can roughly be described as where that president happens to be located in the political time cycle. The examples of the disjunctive/reconstructive president pairs are very convincing: Adams/Jefferson, J.Q. Adams/Jackson, Buchanan/Lincoln, Hoover/FDR and Carter Reagan. This edition focuses upon the modern presidencies and how they fit into the political time thesis. It sure explains a lot. Obama isn't mentioned but he fits Skowronek's scheme pretty well too considering how there continue to be so many questions about his legitimacy, and how he has embraced and owned some of the Republican's moderate positions on foreign policy and spending. It was really great to read this in the middle of the crazy 2016 primary season because it lets me speculate for myself about what each of these candidates represents. It's seems pretty clear that Trump's success is a symptom of the fracturing of the GOP on factional lines, where neither Cruz, Rubio, Kasich or Carson can get a majority of voters to support them. Clinton is the classic disruptive candidate who has embraced plenty of moderately conservative positions. Really, really fascinating.

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to make sense of history, we are gratified when clear patterns emerge to explain recurring phenomena. Patterns of repeating political climates offer a useful guide for evaluating Presidential performance and anticipating what comes next.

Skowronek's model is convincing, particularly as applied to the administrations of Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. The arc of these presidencies neatly exemplifies his categories of an enervated regime, a revolutionary reconstruction, orthodox innovation, and preemption. Looking back across history, most American Presidents appear to fit into these types, and parallels can be drawn in the types of challenges they faced.

What puzzles me, and makes me wonder if Skowronek's thesis is still valid, is the present political situation. I am unsure of how I would classify Obama's administration in this scheme, given his reconstructive intentions and the sheer stubborness of the opposition's defiance. Reconstructive presidents have historically been highly effective, but Obama's effectiveness has been blunted from its potential because the old regime still holds key levers of power. Where Obama fits, I think, depends greatly on the aftermath of the 2016 election.

[neeka · Rating 3 out of 5]

"what political time is it?" is an unhinged catchphrase

[Gordon Kwok · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and the thesis that the author puts forth about the exercise of presidential power. Even though the book is a series of essays that tally about 150 pages, I will say this topic is one of the most difficult books I have read across all subject matters. I would recommend this book for those who are interested in studying presidential power and just has interest in the presidency, otherwise it'll probably be a little on the dry side.