Author: Richard E. Neustadt
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute
ISBN: 9780844741390
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
In 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy asked author Richard Neustadt to write a series of memos to plan for the transition into office. Neustadt later also prepared transition memos for Reagan, Dukakis, and Clinton. This work presents these previously unpublished memos, along with new essays by Neustadt and volume editor Jones. The memos provide new information on the workings of several presidential campaigns and administrations, addressing questions on organizing the transition team, staffing, and the roles of the vice president and first lady. Neustadt reveals how he came to advise the presidents-elect and candidates and the thinking behind recommendations he made. Neustadt is affiliated with Harvard University. Jones is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Brookings Institute. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
Preparing to be President
Author: Richard E. Neustadt
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute
ISBN: 9780844741390
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
In 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy asked author Richard Neustadt to write a series of memos to plan for the transition into office. Neustadt later also prepared transition memos for Reagan, Dukakis, and Clinton. This work presents these previously unpublished memos, along with new essays by Neustadt and volume editor Jones. The memos provide new information on the workings of several presidential campaigns and administrations, addressing questions on organizing the transition team, staffing, and the roles of the vice president and first lady. Neustadt reveals how he came to advise the presidents-elect and candidates and the thinking behind recommendations he made. Neustadt is affiliated with Harvard University. Jones is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Brookings Institute. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute
ISBN: 9780844741390
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
In 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy asked author Richard Neustadt to write a series of memos to plan for the transition into office. Neustadt later also prepared transition memos for Reagan, Dukakis, and Clinton. This work presents these previously unpublished memos, along with new essays by Neustadt and volume editor Jones. The memos provide new information on the workings of several presidential campaigns and administrations, addressing questions on organizing the transition team, staffing, and the roles of the vice president and first lady. Neustadt reveals how he came to advise the presidents-elect and candidates and the thinking behind recommendations he made. Neustadt is affiliated with Harvard University. Jones is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Brookings Institute. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
What Will It Take to Make A Woman President?
Author: Marianne Schnall
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN: 158005496X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 631
Book Description
Prompted by a question from her eight-year-old daughter during the 2008 election of Barack Obama—“Why haven’t we ever had a woman president?”—Marianne Schnall set out on a journey to find the answer. A widely published writer, author, and interviewer, and the Executive Director of Feminist.com, Schnall began looking at the issues from various angles and perspectives, gathering viewpoints from influential people from all sectors. What Will It Take to Make A Woman President? features interviews with politicians, public officials, thought leaders, writers, artists, and activists in an attempt to discover the obstacles that have held women back and what needs to change in order to elect a woman into the White House. With insights and personal anecdotes from Sheryl Sandberg, Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Nancy Pelosi, Nicholas Kristof, Melissa Etheridge, and many more, this book addresses timely, provocative issues involving women, politics, and power. With a broader goal of encouraging women and girls to be leaders in their lives, their communities, and the larger world, Schnall and her interviewees explore the changing paradigms occurring in politics and in our culture with the hope of moving toward meaningful and effective solutions—and a world where a woman can be president.
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN: 158005496X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 631
Book Description
Prompted by a question from her eight-year-old daughter during the 2008 election of Barack Obama—“Why haven’t we ever had a woman president?”—Marianne Schnall set out on a journey to find the answer. A widely published writer, author, and interviewer, and the Executive Director of Feminist.com, Schnall began looking at the issues from various angles and perspectives, gathering viewpoints from influential people from all sectors. What Will It Take to Make A Woman President? features interviews with politicians, public officials, thought leaders, writers, artists, and activists in an attempt to discover the obstacles that have held women back and what needs to change in order to elect a woman into the White House. With insights and personal anecdotes from Sheryl Sandberg, Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Nancy Pelosi, Nicholas Kristof, Melissa Etheridge, and many more, this book addresses timely, provocative issues involving women, politics, and power. With a broader goal of encouraging women and girls to be leaders in their lives, their communities, and the larger world, Schnall and her interviewees explore the changing paradigms occurring in politics and in our culture with the hope of moving toward meaningful and effective solutions—and a world where a woman can be president.
The Chapter President
Author: Patrick Daley
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781490943350
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 170
Book Description
You have a plan for your term as chapter president. Your plan includes goals for academic, social, philanthropic and athletic success. But your plan doesn't account for the unexpected. It is the unexpected that cripples chapters and prevents them from reaching their full potential. A president must understand their responsibilities and be prepared to address a myriad of leadership challenges. “The Chapter President”, compiled from the insight of thefraternityadvisor.com's most loyal readers, explains how a sorority or fraternity leader can overcome these situations to become an effective president and lead their chapters to great heights. This book will become a trusted resource that will be passed down from generation to generation of Greek Leaders. This book will prepare you to be the president of your chapter.
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781490943350
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 170
Book Description
You have a plan for your term as chapter president. Your plan includes goals for academic, social, philanthropic and athletic success. But your plan doesn't account for the unexpected. It is the unexpected that cripples chapters and prevents them from reaching their full potential. A president must understand their responsibilities and be prepared to address a myriad of leadership challenges. “The Chapter President”, compiled from the insight of thefraternityadvisor.com's most loyal readers, explains how a sorority or fraternity leader can overcome these situations to become an effective president and lead their chapters to great heights. This book will become a trusted resource that will be passed down from generation to generation of Greek Leaders. This book will prepare you to be the president of your chapter.
Grace for President
Author: Kelly DiPucchio
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 136804168X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40
Book Description
A fresh, fun, and "thought-provoking" New York Times bestseller about the American electoral college and why every vote counts from bestselling and award-winning duo Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham. "Where are the girls?" When Grace's teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides she wants to be the nation's first and immediately jumpstarts her political career by running in her school's mock election! The race is tougher than she expected: her popular opponent declares that he's the "best man for the job" and seems to have captured the votes of all of the class's boys. But Grace is more determined than ever. Even if she can't be the best man for the job, she can certainly try to be the best person! This timely story not only gives readers a fun introduction to the American electoral system but also teaches the value of hard work, courage, independent thought -- and offers an inspiring example of how to choose our leaders.
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 136804168X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 40
Book Description
A fresh, fun, and "thought-provoking" New York Times bestseller about the American electoral college and why every vote counts from bestselling and award-winning duo Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham. "Where are the girls?" When Grace's teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides she wants to be the nation's first and immediately jumpstarts her political career by running in her school's mock election! The race is tougher than she expected: her popular opponent declares that he's the "best man for the job" and seems to have captured the votes of all of the class's boys. But Grace is more determined than ever. Even if she can't be the best man for the job, she can certainly try to be the best person! This timely story not only gives readers a fun introduction to the American electoral system but also teaches the value of hard work, courage, independent thought -- and offers an inspiring example of how to choose our leaders.
Rage
Author: Bob Woodward
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982131764
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 480
Book Description
Rage is an unprecedented and intimate tour de force of new reporting on the Trump presidency facing a global pandemic, economic disaster and racial unrest. Woodward, the #1 international bestselling author of Fear: Trump in the White House, has uncovered the precise moment the president was warned that the Covid-19 epidemic would be the biggest national security threat to his presidency. In dramatic detail, Woodward takes readers into the Oval Office as Trump’s head pops up when he is told in January 2020 that the pandemic could reach the scale of the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed 675,000 Americans. In 17 on-the-record interviews with Woodward over seven volatile months—an utterly vivid window into Trump’s mind—the president provides a self-portrait that is part denial and part combative interchange mixed with surprising moments of doubt as he glimpses the perils in the presidency and what he calls the “dynamite behind every door.” At key decision points, Rage shows how Trump’s responses to the crises of 2020 were rooted in the instincts, habits and style he developed during his first three years as president. Revisiting the earliest days of the Trump presidency, Rage reveals how Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats struggled to keep the country safe as the president dismantled any semblance of collegial national security decision making. Rage draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand witnesses as well as participants’ notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents. Woodward obtained 25 never-seen personal letters exchanged between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a “fantasy film.” Trump insists to Woodward he will triumph over Covid-19 and the economic calamity. “Don’t worry about it, Bob. Okay?” Trump told the author in July. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get to do another book. You’ll find I was right.”
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982131764
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 480
Book Description
Rage is an unprecedented and intimate tour de force of new reporting on the Trump presidency facing a global pandemic, economic disaster and racial unrest. Woodward, the #1 international bestselling author of Fear: Trump in the White House, has uncovered the precise moment the president was warned that the Covid-19 epidemic would be the biggest national security threat to his presidency. In dramatic detail, Woodward takes readers into the Oval Office as Trump’s head pops up when he is told in January 2020 that the pandemic could reach the scale of the 1918 Spanish Flu that killed 675,000 Americans. In 17 on-the-record interviews with Woodward over seven volatile months—an utterly vivid window into Trump’s mind—the president provides a self-portrait that is part denial and part combative interchange mixed with surprising moments of doubt as he glimpses the perils in the presidency and what he calls the “dynamite behind every door.” At key decision points, Rage shows how Trump’s responses to the crises of 2020 were rooted in the instincts, habits and style he developed during his first three years as president. Revisiting the earliest days of the Trump presidency, Rage reveals how Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats struggled to keep the country safe as the president dismantled any semblance of collegial national security decision making. Rage draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand witnesses as well as participants’ notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents. Woodward obtained 25 never-seen personal letters exchanged between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a “fantasy film.” Trump insists to Woodward he will triumph over Covid-19 and the economic calamity. “Don’t worry about it, Bob. Okay?” Trump told the author in July. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get to do another book. You’ll find I was right.”
Digital Television
Author: Constance Ledoux Book
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780813809274
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Dozens of books currently available address some aspect of digital television, yet almost all of these texts deal exclusively with engineering and production issues associated with implementing new hardware and software. Digital Television: DTV and the Consumer offers a pragmatic, more socially oriented basis for understanding digital television. Beginning with a basic summary of how digital television works and how it evolved into its present state in the different television viewing environments (over-the-air, cable and satellite), author and researcher Book then offers the reader a more practical understanding of how digital television is currently being consumed in the household. Additionally, the text presents a summary of what consumers are saying regarding their digital television experience and what this data suggests for the future development of digital television business models. Unique to this volume are numerous Innovator Essays by some of the industry’s digital television pioneers. These insightful essays – from significant DTV innovators such as Jim Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting, home of the first commercial digital television broadcast – give brief snapshots of critical moments in the transition and rollout of DTV, while focusing on what the future holds for consumers and the broadcast and electronics industries. The latest entry in Blackwell Publishing’s Media and Technology series, Digital Television: DTV and the Consumer provides media students, scholars, and professionals a compelling perspective of the social and cultural presence of this emerging technological phenomenon.
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780813809274
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Dozens of books currently available address some aspect of digital television, yet almost all of these texts deal exclusively with engineering and production issues associated with implementing new hardware and software. Digital Television: DTV and the Consumer offers a pragmatic, more socially oriented basis for understanding digital television. Beginning with a basic summary of how digital television works and how it evolved into its present state in the different television viewing environments (over-the-air, cable and satellite), author and researcher Book then offers the reader a more practical understanding of how digital television is currently being consumed in the household. Additionally, the text presents a summary of what consumers are saying regarding their digital television experience and what this data suggests for the future development of digital television business models. Unique to this volume are numerous Innovator Essays by some of the industry’s digital television pioneers. These insightful essays – from significant DTV innovators such as Jim Goodmon, president and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting, home of the first commercial digital television broadcast – give brief snapshots of critical moments in the transition and rollout of DTV, while focusing on what the future holds for consumers and the broadcast and electronics industries. The latest entry in Blackwell Publishing’s Media and Technology series, Digital Television: DTV and the Consumer provides media students, scholars, and professionals a compelling perspective of the social and cultural presence of this emerging technological phenomenon.
Shall We Wake the President?
Author: Tevi Troy
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493024655
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
The history of presidential dealings with disasters shows that whatever their ideology, presidents need to be prepared to deal with unexpected crises. In recent years, the expectations have grown as the disasters seem to appear to be coming more frequently. Since 2001, numerous unpredictable crises, including terror attacks, massive storms, and an economic collapse, have shaken Americans to their core. It seems as if technology, for all of its beneficences, also provides mankind with increasingly powerful ways to wreak destruction, including nuclear explosions, bioterror attacks, and cyber-attacks. In addition, instantaneous and incessant communications technologies send us word of disasters taking place anywhere in the nation far more rapidly, giving disasters an immediacy that some may have lacked in the past. In 21st century America, the eyes of the American people look to the president to lead the response to whatever disasters happen to strike. President Obama and his team learned this and were taken aback by the sheer number of crises that a president needed to deal with, including swine flu, BP’s Macondo oil spill, and the Somali pirates who attacked an American ship. Many of these did not quite reach disaster status, but Obama’s reaction to the constant stream of crises was both revealing and unnerving: “Who thought we were going to have to deal with pirates?” In Shall We Wake the President?, Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former senior White House aide and deputy secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, looks at the evolving role of the president in dealing with disasters, and looks at how our presidents have handled disasters throughout our history. He also looks at the likelihood of similar disasters befalling modern America, and details how smart policies today can help us avoid future crises, or can best react to them should they occur. In addition, he provides information on what individuals can do to prepare for disasters. This book includes sections on how American presidents have dealt with a variety of disasters, including health crises, terror attacks, economic upheaval, bioterror and cyber-attacks, natural disasters, and civil breakdown. In doing so, Shall We Wake the President? will provide lessons from presidents of the past that will inform policy strategies for presidents of the future.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493024655
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
The history of presidential dealings with disasters shows that whatever their ideology, presidents need to be prepared to deal with unexpected crises. In recent years, the expectations have grown as the disasters seem to appear to be coming more frequently. Since 2001, numerous unpredictable crises, including terror attacks, massive storms, and an economic collapse, have shaken Americans to their core. It seems as if technology, for all of its beneficences, also provides mankind with increasingly powerful ways to wreak destruction, including nuclear explosions, bioterror attacks, and cyber-attacks. In addition, instantaneous and incessant communications technologies send us word of disasters taking place anywhere in the nation far more rapidly, giving disasters an immediacy that some may have lacked in the past. In 21st century America, the eyes of the American people look to the president to lead the response to whatever disasters happen to strike. President Obama and his team learned this and were taken aback by the sheer number of crises that a president needed to deal with, including swine flu, BP’s Macondo oil spill, and the Somali pirates who attacked an American ship. Many of these did not quite reach disaster status, but Obama’s reaction to the constant stream of crises was both revealing and unnerving: “Who thought we were going to have to deal with pirates?” In Shall We Wake the President?, Tevi Troy, a presidential historian and former senior White House aide and deputy secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, looks at the evolving role of the president in dealing with disasters, and looks at how our presidents have handled disasters throughout our history. He also looks at the likelihood of similar disasters befalling modern America, and details how smart policies today can help us avoid future crises, or can best react to them should they occur. In addition, he provides information on what individuals can do to prepare for disasters. This book includes sections on how American presidents have dealt with a variety of disasters, including health crises, terror attacks, economic upheaval, bioterror and cyber-attacks, natural disasters, and civil breakdown. In doing so, Shall We Wake the President? will provide lessons from presidents of the past that will inform policy strategies for presidents of the future.
Make Your Own President
Author: Amy Pastan
Publisher: Harper Perennial
ISBN: 9780060891770
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 56
Book Description
A Smithsonian book that lets you mix and match the faces and philosophies of your favorite presidents This interactive volume allows people of all ages to gain a new perspective on the American presidency, from George Washington to George W. Bush. Starting with twenty-four portraits of America's favorite commanders in chief, each cut into five sections -- forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, and chin -- the reader can reposition the features to create a wealth of amusing and unique composites. Biographies of the featured leaders, famous quotations reflecting their political views, and a time line of the American presidents make this a useful reference as well as a fun game that will bring hours of enjoyment to anyone who has ever wanted to put a new face on the American presidency.
Publisher: Harper Perennial
ISBN: 9780060891770
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 56
Book Description
A Smithsonian book that lets you mix and match the faces and philosophies of your favorite presidents This interactive volume allows people of all ages to gain a new perspective on the American presidency, from George Washington to George W. Bush. Starting with twenty-four portraits of America's favorite commanders in chief, each cut into five sections -- forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, and chin -- the reader can reposition the features to create a wealth of amusing and unique composites. Biographies of the featured leaders, famous quotations reflecting their political views, and a time line of the American presidents make this a useful reference as well as a fun game that will bring hours of enjoyment to anyone who has ever wanted to put a new face on the American presidency.
The Shadow President
Author: Michael D'Antonio
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250301203
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
"It presents an entirely damning portrait of Pence. You've seen his colors before, but not so vividly and in this detail." —Frank Bruni, The New York Times "Producing a biography of a living, controversial politician is always difficult. D'Antonio and Eisner have succeeded in this well-documented, damning book. Cue the outrage from Sean Hannity et al."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) In this well-rounded, deeply-investigated biography, the first full look at the vice president, two award-winning journalists unmask the real Mike Pence. Little-known outside his home state until Donald Trump made him his running mate, Mike Pence—who proclaims himself a Christian first, a conservative second, and a Republican third—has long worn a carefully-constructed mask of Midwestern nice. Behind his self-proclaimed humility and self-abasing deference, however, hides a man whose own presidential ambitions have blazed since high school. Pence’s drive for power, perhaps inspired by his belief that God might have big plans for him, explains why he shocked his allies by lending Christian credibility to a scandal-plagued candidate like Trump. In this landmark biography, Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael D’Antonio and Emmy-nominated journalist Peter Eisner follow the path Pence followed from Catholic Democrat to conservative evangelical Republican. They reveal how he used his time as rightwing radio star to build connections with powerful donors; how he was a lackluster lawmaker in Congress but a prodigious fundraiser from the GOP’s billionaire benefactors; and how, once he locked in his views on the issues—anti-gay, pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro big-business—he became laser-focused on his own pursuit of power. As THE SHADOW PRESIDENT reveals, Mike Pence is the most important and powerful Christian Right politician America has ever seen. Driven as much by theology as personal ambition, Pence is now positioned to seize the big prize—the presidency—and use it to fashion a nation more pleasing to his god and corporate sponsors.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250301203
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 314
Book Description
"It presents an entirely damning portrait of Pence. You've seen his colors before, but not so vividly and in this detail." —Frank Bruni, The New York Times "Producing a biography of a living, controversial politician is always difficult. D'Antonio and Eisner have succeeded in this well-documented, damning book. Cue the outrage from Sean Hannity et al."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) In this well-rounded, deeply-investigated biography, the first full look at the vice president, two award-winning journalists unmask the real Mike Pence. Little-known outside his home state until Donald Trump made him his running mate, Mike Pence—who proclaims himself a Christian first, a conservative second, and a Republican third—has long worn a carefully-constructed mask of Midwestern nice. Behind his self-proclaimed humility and self-abasing deference, however, hides a man whose own presidential ambitions have blazed since high school. Pence’s drive for power, perhaps inspired by his belief that God might have big plans for him, explains why he shocked his allies by lending Christian credibility to a scandal-plagued candidate like Trump. In this landmark biography, Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael D’Antonio and Emmy-nominated journalist Peter Eisner follow the path Pence followed from Catholic Democrat to conservative evangelical Republican. They reveal how he used his time as rightwing radio star to build connections with powerful donors; how he was a lackluster lawmaker in Congress but a prodigious fundraiser from the GOP’s billionaire benefactors; and how, once he locked in his views on the issues—anti-gay, pro-gun, anti-abortion, pro big-business—he became laser-focused on his own pursuit of power. As THE SHADOW PRESIDENT reveals, Mike Pence is the most important and powerful Christian Right politician America has ever seen. Driven as much by theology as personal ambition, Pence is now positioned to seize the big prize—the presidency—and use it to fashion a nation more pleasing to his god and corporate sponsors.
Accidental Presidents
Author: Jared Cohen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1501109839
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 528
Book Description
This New York Times bestselling “deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is chock-full of political hijinks—and déjà vu” (Vanity Fair) and provides a fascinating look at the men who came to the office without being elected to it, showing how each affected the nation and world. The strength and prestige of the American presidency has waxed and waned since George Washington. Eight men have succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died in office. In one way or another they vastly changed our history. Only Theodore Roosevelt would have been elected in his own right. Only TR, Truman, Coolidge, and LBJ were re-elected. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison who died 30 days into his term. He was kicked out of his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Millard Fillmore succeeded esteemed General Zachary Taylor. He immediately sacked the entire cabinet and delayed an inevitable Civil War by standing with Henry Clay’s compromise of 1850. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded our greatest president, sided with remnants of the Confederacy in Reconstruction. Chester Arthur, the embodiment of the spoils system, was so reviled as James Garfield’s successor that he had to defend himself against plotting Garfield’s assassination; but he reformed the civil service. Theodore Roosevelt broke up the trusts. Calvin Coolidge silently cooled down the Harding scandals and preserved the White House for the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Harry Truman surprised everybody when he succeeded the great FDR and proved an able and accomplished president. Lyndon B. Johnson was named to deliver Texas electorally. He led the nation forward on Civil Rights but failed on Vietnam. Accidental Presidents shows that “history unfolds in death as well as in life” (The Wall Street Journal) and adds immeasurably to our understanding of the power and limits of the American presidency in critical times.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1501109839
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 528
Book Description
This New York Times bestselling “deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is chock-full of political hijinks—and déjà vu” (Vanity Fair) and provides a fascinating look at the men who came to the office without being elected to it, showing how each affected the nation and world. The strength and prestige of the American presidency has waxed and waned since George Washington. Eight men have succeeded to the presidency when the incumbent died in office. In one way or another they vastly changed our history. Only Theodore Roosevelt would have been elected in his own right. Only TR, Truman, Coolidge, and LBJ were re-elected. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison who died 30 days into his term. He was kicked out of his party and became the first president threatened with impeachment. Millard Fillmore succeeded esteemed General Zachary Taylor. He immediately sacked the entire cabinet and delayed an inevitable Civil War by standing with Henry Clay’s compromise of 1850. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded our greatest president, sided with remnants of the Confederacy in Reconstruction. Chester Arthur, the embodiment of the spoils system, was so reviled as James Garfield’s successor that he had to defend himself against plotting Garfield’s assassination; but he reformed the civil service. Theodore Roosevelt broke up the trusts. Calvin Coolidge silently cooled down the Harding scandals and preserved the White House for the Republican Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression. Harry Truman surprised everybody when he succeeded the great FDR and proved an able and accomplished president. Lyndon B. Johnson was named to deliver Texas electorally. He led the nation forward on Civil Rights but failed on Vietnam. Accidental Presidents shows that “history unfolds in death as well as in life” (The Wall Street Journal) and adds immeasurably to our understanding of the power and limits of the American presidency in critical times.