Description
Book SynopsisThe American presidency is not what it was meant to be. Taking on an issue as timely as Donald Trump's latest tweet and old as the American republic, Stephen Knott documents the devolution of the presidency from the neutral, unifying office envisioned by the framers of the Constitution into the demagogic, partisan entity of our day.
Trade ReviewAn important book with a compelling thesis."—
Law & Liberty"Knott tackles a subject on the minds of many Americans: How did we get to where we are? How did we get to our highly polarized country, complete with a highly divisive and arguably demagogic president? Knott offers an answer worth thinking about: our condition is at least partly the logical outgrowth of the transformation of the presidency from a constitutional office to a popular office." —
Perspectives on Politics"Thanks to Knott, readers finally have a book that places the Trump administration in historical context. [His] thesis is thought-provoking, making the book a must-read for students of the presidency. Essential." —
Choice"A fantastic history of the second branch of government. Fascinating throughout, and a model of how to think about American history through an institutional lens." —
National Review"Meticulously researched and eloquently reasoned." —
Washington Times "How did the Founders’ vision of a dignified presidency that elevates the republic evolve to its current status as the national seat of direct populist leadership often appealing to and enabling some of the worst instincts of our citizens? As Knott so ably describes and analyzes, it didn’t start with President Trump, who represents the culmination of a long and troubling trend in our democratic republic. To understand how we got to our current situation, no work of scholarship better tells that story. A must-read."—Mark J. Rozell, author of
Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy, and Accountability"
The Lost Soul of the American Presidency is a significant contribution to the field of presidency studies. Stephen F. Knott offers a reassessment of the office that challenges the tendency of many scholars in recent decades who focus more on ‘presidential greatness’ than the core constitutional principles the Framers envisioned for the office. It is an essential read for anyone who wants a better understanding of the origins of the office and how it can explain the president’s role in the current political environment."—Lori Cox Han, author of
Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan"
The Lost Soul of the American Presidency provides a welcome and timely antidote to both the left‘s romance with the progressive presidency model and the right’s newfound love affair with the ‘unitary executive.’ Arguing that the Framers’ limited ‘republican’ presidency has morphed into a president as democratic tribune to the people, Knott calls for a return to the ‘sober expectations’ of the Framers’ true or ‘originalist’ constitutional model of the presidency. Challenging the contemporary orthodoxy, this book should have a significant impact on how we view the presidency."—Michael A. Genovese, president, Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University and author of
How Trump Governs: An Assessment and a Prognosis"In this provocative, beautifully written book, Stephen F. Knott reopens the essential debate regarding the origins and evolution of presidential power."—David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler, award-winning historians and authors of
The Rise of Andrew Jackson: Myth, Manipulation, and the Making of Modern PoliticsTable of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction: The Long, Declining Road
- 1. The Founders Presidency: Washington, Hamilton, and an Office of Sober Expectations
- 2. The Presidency of Popular Consent: Thomas Jefferson and the "Revolution of 1800"
- 3. Andrew Jackson: "The Majority Is to Govern"
- 4. Abraham Lincoln and the "Mobocratic Spirit"
- 5. Woodrow Wilson: "To Be as Big a Man as He Can"
- 6. FDR and Harry Truman: "Give 'Em Hell"
- 7. Ike and Jack: A Study in Contrasting Presidencies
- 8. The Road to Degradation
- 9. The Apotheosis of the Popular Presidency: Donald J. Trump
- 10. The Prospects for Renewal
- Notes
- Index
