With Reverence and Contempt
How Americans Think About Their Presidents
Published on 2. January 1997
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-0-8018-5510-8 (ISBN)
Description
What's wrong with the American presidency? Why is the world's oldest surviving democracy headed by a leader who lives and acts like a king? And why is that same leader so often held in low esteem by those who elected him? In this survey of presidential history, the author examines two centuries of unrealistic expectations, false hopes and willful misunderstandings that lie at the heart of America's "dysfunctional relationship" with its president. Langston argues that each president becomes an icon, a stylized image of Americans' faith in themselves and in their country. Providing an investigation of how the game of presidential symbol-making is played, the author reveals how Americans' wishful thinking is encouraged and how even the best presidents are invited to deceive the public. The work concludes with a series of recommendations, including legislative changes aimed at improving the relationship between the president and the public by cutting the president's symbolic value down to size.
Reviews / Votes
"[Rozell and Wilcox] look at two races in particular where fundamentalist Christians were a major force in the nominations of statewide candidates -- that of conservative home-schooling activist Mike Farris for lieutenant governor in 1993 and Iran-Contra figure Oliver North for the U.S. Senate in 1994 -- only to see them lose in their respective general elections."--Preston Bryant, 'The Roanoke (Va.) Times' "Rozell and Wilcox have authored a highly readable account of the rise of the Christian Right within the Republican Party in Virginia. Unlike many recent political science monographs, the writing is lively, absorbing, and suitable for the general reader. Anyone interested in Virginia politics should read what is sure to become an important book."--Henry L. Waller, 'The Richmond State' "While the focus of their research is, as the subtitle states, on Virginia, their thorough description of the Christian Right's increasing presence in local, state, and national Republican Party politics is applicable across the country."--A. Didrick Castberg, 'Perspectives on Political Science' "Are individual presidents at fault for a series of failed presidenciesor are the expectations of the American people to blame? Thomas Langston's fascinating analysis of the dysfunctional relationship between Americans and their presidents is required reading for anyone concerned with the future of American politics. The crisis of the presidency is our own."--Michael Lind, Senior Editor, 'New Republic' "The era of the heroic presidency in political science may finally be over... Yet if a skeptical mood has become more common, it has not been given the scholarly elaboration it requires. Thomas S. Langston begins to fill this gap in 'With Reverence and Contempt', showing us why citizens and scholars alike need the presidency to be demystified... Future researchers in this field will owe Langston a debt for his mapping of the terrain."--Bruce Miroff, 'American Political Science Review'More details
Series
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
New edition
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
300 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-5510-8 (9780801855108)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Thomas S. Langston is associate professor of political science at Tulane University. He is the author of 'Ideologues and Presidents: From the New Deal to the Reagan Revolution