Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive

by Richard J. Ellis (Editor), Michael Nelson (Editor)

Overview

The study of the presidency—the power of the office, the evolution of the executive as an institution, the men who have served—has generated a great body of research and scholarship. What better way to get students to grapple with the ideas of the literature than through conflicting perspectives on some of the most pivotal issues facing the modern presidency? Richard Ellis and Michael Nelson have once again assembled a cadre of top scholars to offer a series of pro/con essays that will inspire spirited debate beyond the pages of the book. Each essay—written in the form of a debate resolution— offers a compelling yet concise view on the American executive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544390680
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	12/20/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Richard J. Ellis is Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics at Willamette University. His books include The Development of the American Presidency (2015; 2nd ed.); Debating Reform: Conflicting Perspectives on How to Fix the American Political System (with Michael Nelson, 3nd ed., 2016); Judging the Boy Scouts of America: Gay Rights, Freedom of Association, and the Dale Case (2014); Judging Executive Power: Sixteen Supreme Court Cases That Have Shaped the American Presidency (2009); and Presidential Travel: The Journey from George Washington to George W. Bush (2008). In 2008 he was named the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Oregon Professor of the Year.

Michael Nelson is Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College and a senior fellow at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. A former editor of the Washington Monthly, his most recent books include Trump’s First Year (2018); The Elections of 2016 (2018); The Evolving Presidency: Landmark Documents (2019); The American Presidency: Origins and Development (with Sidney M. Milkis, 2011); and Governing at Home: The White House and Domestic Policymaking (with Russell B. Riley, 2011). Nelson has contributed to numerous journals, including the Journal of Policy History, Journal of Politics, and Political Science Quarterly. He also has written multiple articles on subjects as varied as baseball, Frank Sinatra, and C. S. Lewis. More than fifty of his articles have been anthologized in works of political science, history, and English composition.  His 2014 book, Resilient America: Electing Nixon, Channeling Dissent, and Dividing Government, won the American Political Science Association’s Richard E. Neustadt Award for best book on the presidency published that year; and his 2006 book with John Lyman Mason, How the South Joined the Gambling Nation, won the Southern Political Science Association’s V.O. Key Award. 

 

Table of Contents

Preface
Contributors
1. Resolved, the framers of the Constitution would approve of the modern Presidency
Pro: - David Nichols
Con: - Terri Bimes
2. Resolved, the unitary executive is a myth
Pro: - Richard J. Ellis
Con: - Saikrishna Prakash
3. Resolved, political parties should nominate candidates for the presidency through a national primary
Pro: - Michael Nelson
Con: - Andrew E. Busch
4. Resolved, the president should be elected directly by the people
Pro: - Burdett Loomis
Con: - Byron E. Shafer and Monica Busch
5. Resolved, the 22nd Amendment should be repealed
Pro: - David Karol
Con: - Thomas E. Cronin
6. Resolved, the new media has brought the president closer to the people
Pro: - Matthew R. Kerbel
Con: - Bruce Miroff
7. Resolved, presidential success and failure are better explained by political time and the strength of governing coalitions than a president′s character and leadership qualities
Pro: - Stephen Skowronek
Con: - Paul Quirk
8. Resolved, presidential power is (still) the power to persuade
Pro: - Matt Dickinson
Con: - George C. Edwards III
9. Resolved Congress should be required to vote up or down on legislation proposed by the president
Pro: - William G. Howell and Terry Moe
Con: - B. Dan Wood
10. Resolved, presidents have usurped the war power that rightfully belongs to Congress
Pro: - Nancy Kassop
Con: - Robert Bauer
11. Resolved, Congress should have the power to override a presidential pardon by a two-thirds majority vote of both houses
Pro: - Sharece Thrower
Con: - Jeffrey Crouch
12. Resolved, executive orders and other unilateral presidential directives undermine democracy
Pro: - Gene Healy
Con: - Andrew Rudalevige
13. Resolved, the president has too much power in the selection of judges
Pro: - David A. Yalof
Con: - John Anthony Maltese
14. Resolved, the vice presidency should be abolished
Pro: - Douglas L. Kriner
Con: - Joel K. Goldstein
Chapter 1: Resolved, the framers of the Constitution would approve of the modern presidency. - David Nichols, Terri Bimes
Chapter 2: Resolved, the unitary executive is a myth - Richard Ellis, Sai Prakash
Chapter 3: Resolved, political parties should nominate candidates for the presidency through a national primary. - Michael Nelson, Andrew Busch
Chapter 4: Resolved, the president should be elected directly by the people. - Burdett Loomis, Byron Shafer, Monica Busch
Chapter 5: Resolved, the 22nd Amendment should be repealed. - David Karol, Thomas Cronin
Chapter 6: Resolved, the new media has brought the president closer to the people. - Matthew Kerbel, Bruce Miroff
Chapter 7: Resolved, presidential success and failure are better explained by political time and the strength of governing coalitions than a president’s character and leadership qualities - Stephen Skowronek, Paul Quirk
Chapter 8: Resolved, presidential power is (still) the power to persuade. - Matt Dickinson, George Edwards
Chapter 9: Resolved Congress should have to vote up or down on legislation proposed by the president - Willliam Howell, Terry Moe, B. Wood
Chapter 10: Resolved, presidents have usurped the war power that rightfully belongs to Congress. - Nancy Kassop, Robert Bauer
Chapter 11: Resolved, Congress should have the power to override a presidential pardon by a two thirds majority vote of both houses - Sharece Thrower, Jeffrey Crouch
Chapter 12: Resolved, executive orders and other unilateral presidential directives undermine democracy. - Gene Healy, Andrew Rudalevige
Chapter 13: Resolved, the president has too much power in the selection of judges. - David Yalof, John Maltese
Chapter 14: Resolved, the vice presidency should be abolished. - Douglas Kriner, Joel Goldstein

Editorial Reviews

A tried and true teaching tool, provocative topics, and an outstanding group of scholars. Debating the Presidency delivers it all. Discussing critical issues helps people to learn different angles and how to construct winning arguments. This useful supplement is easy to read and useful in the classroom. It contains historical and current events, giving readers a broad range of information about the presidency, American politics, and global affairs.

Sean Foreman

Among the books I use for this course, Debating the Presidency is the students’ favorite...There is no alternative that I have found to be worth substituting.

Barry L. Tadlock

This is one of my favorite books to use as a teaching tool—students respond well to the challenge to think critically about both sides of important arguments about the presidency. The chapter introductions are tremendously valuable and quite well done.”

Brendan Doherty

Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson’s edited volume, Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the Presidency, is a tour de force. It mightily enhanced my 2015 course on the executive process. Political science students engaged in spirited arguments over topics as classic as the direct election of the president and as prescient as whether the president has too much power in the selection of judges. Particularly given the plethora of U.S. presidential debates in 2016, such a volume promises to be even more pedagogically powerful in coming years.

Henry Sirgo

This text is a great supplement to the main text I assign. The brief introduction in each chapter nicely frames the issue and the format of the text exposes students to both sides of the debate. My students have responded very positively to the text, particularly because the essays are relatively short and written appropriately for undergraduate students.”

Andrew H. Sidman