Directing the Whirlwind
Description
Donald J. Trump ran on a platform that, among other things, promised to "drain the swamp" that is Washington, DC. Part of that draining would entail what his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, would call "the deconstruction of the administrative state." Set in the political environment of 2020, with a raging pandemic and nationwide protests, this work examines the philosophy that guides the Trump Administration's approach and the mechanisms by which it seeks to accomplish the deconstruction. By combining journalistic accounts with presidential and public administration scholarship, the book raises questions about the impact of Trump's approach on the future of public administration. As such, this work makes a strong contribution to public administration and presidential studies and casts a scholarly light on treatments of Trump's contribution to governance and politics.
Reviews / Votes
"Parshall and Twombly have provided us with a clear-eyed, careful analysis of what Donald Trump's campaign promise to 'drain the swamp' has looked like in practice: an effort to deconstruct and delegitimize the administrative state. This impressive and thorough treatment of how the Trump administration has undercut the bureaucracy via executive powers, appointments, and rhetorical assaults is essential reading for all concerned with government effectiveness and rule of law, and importantly illuminates an often overlooked dimension of an otherwise highly scrutinized presidency."-Dr. Jennifer Hopper, Associate Professor of Political Science, Southern Connecticut State UniversityMore details
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Persons
Lisa K. Parshall is Professor of Political Science at Daemen College in Amherst, New York. She earned her Ph.D. at the SUNY-Buffalo in 2001 and is the author of Reforming the Presidential Nominating Process: Front-Loading's Consequences and the National Primary Solution.
Jim Twombly is Professor of Political Science at Elmira College in Elmira, New York. Earning his Ph.D. at Stony Brook University in 1992, he is the author of The Progression of the American Presidency and Political Scandal and Political Scandal and American Pop Culture: Sex, Power, and Cover-ups.
