The Rhetorical Presidency (Princeton Classics)

Tulis teaches in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. . Russell Muirhead is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College. His books include Legacies of Losing in American Politics. Jeffrey K

Modern presidents regularly appeal over the heads of Congress to the people at large to generate support for public policies. The Rhetorical Presidency makes the case that this development, born at the outset of the twentieth century, is the product of conscious political choices that fundamentally transformed the presidency and the meaning of American governance. Now with a new foreword by Russell Muirhead and a new afterword by the author, this landmark work probes political pathologies and analyzes the dilemmas of presidential statecraft. Extending a tradition of American political writing that begins with The Federalist and continues with Woodrow Wilson’s Congressional Government, The Rhetorical Presidency remains a pivotal work in its field.

A MUST READ FOR MODERN TIMES Jeff Becker Here is a critically important work on a major piece of the meteoric expansion of the executive branch of government over the legislative and judicial. Mr. Tulis carefully guides his readers over this under appreciated terrain of how our 20th century presidents have succeeded in imposing direct democracy from the Oval Office and the teleprompter. A must read for those concerned for preserving the remaining vestiges of republican government.. Excellent -- an absolute must-have. Newsman78 Tulis has written a brilliant account of the changing styles of presidential rhetoric. His essential argument is that the Framers intended the President to use rhetoric only to speak directly to Congress, rarely if ever to the masses, and always to put his ideas in a constitutional framework. But post-Woodrow Wilson, presidents speak directly to the public, even when ostensibly speaking to Congress, and have tried to overcome the constitutional barriers on their power.This book is well-written and is compact enough to be read quickly, but these features take nothing away from the superlative scholarship (in fact, many den. Four Stars Is is a very good book on presidencies, especially on speeches and meanings.

A formidable piece of scholarship."--Stephen Skowronek, The Review of Politics"The Rhetorical Presidency is one of the two or three most important and perceptive works written by a political scientist in the twentieth century, and it is the one that may help the most to explain the pathological aspects of modern politics--not only in the United States but in all social democracies."--Jeffrey Friedman, Critical Review"In this outstanding work Tulis elegantly portrays the increased use of rhetoric by 20th-century presidents, portraying the negative effects of the 'rhetorical Presidency.' Presidents of the 19th century were seldom seen or heard by the public, a comportment intended by the founders who feared the excitation of the masses by demagogic leaders. DiIulio, Critical Review"The best book on this subject."