Presidents are uniquely positioned to promote themselves and their polices directly to the public. Using sympathetic crowds as a backdrop, a president can rally public opinion to his side, along the way delivering a subtle yet unmistakable message to his intended audience in Congress. Samuel Kernell shows how “going public” remains a potent weapon in the president’s arsenal, both for advancing his own agenda and blocking initiatives from his political adversaries in Congress.

In his highly anticipated fourth edition, Kernell delivers thorough analysis and detailed background on how this strategy continues to evolve given the intense polarization of Congress and the electorate as well as changes in communications technology. He considers the implications of both factors—especially in combination—on the future of presidential leadership and weighs the lessons of 9/11 on “going public” in foreign affairs.

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1. Introduction: Going Public in Theory and Practice
Presidential Theory
Presidential Practice

2. How Washington Has Changed
Institutionalized Pluralism: The Bargaining Community
Public Opinion and Institutionalized Pluralism
Individualized Pluralism: The Modern Washington Community
Going Public and Individualized Pluralism

3. How the Presidents Have Changed
Presidential Selection Reforms: Outsiders in the White House
The Politics of Divided Government
Conclusion

4. The President and the Press
The Bargaining President and the Press
Emergence of the Washington Press as an Institution
The FDR System: Hard News, Openly Conveyed
Press Relations under Truman and Eisenhower
The Kennedy System: Press Relations in an Era of Direct Communication
The Kennedy System as a Model for Presidents who Go Public
The Modern Trajectory of Presidential-Press Relations

5. The Growth of Going Public
Trends in Going Public
The Incremental Growth of Going Public
Conclusion
Appendix

6. President Reagan and His First Three Budgets: A Classic Case of Going Public in Action
Reagan as an Outsider
Reagan’s Three Budgets
Going Public and Leadership: The Lessons of Reagan’s Budgets

7. Opinion Leadership and Foreign Affairs
Rally Events and Presidential Approval
Rally Events and Leadership in Washington
Rally Events, Approval, and Opinion Leadership
The Truman Doctrine Speech: A Case Study
Conclusion

8. Present and Future Prospects for Going Public
Resurgent Political Parties
Declining Effectiveness of National Addresses
Two Heroic Failures
The Potential for Pathology

"Modern presidents often find public support to be an important political resource. In Going Public Sam Kernell provides the classic account of why presidents think this way and the implications, including the limitations, of a 'going public' leadership strategy. With this new edition, Kernell brings his idea up to date, taking into account important changes in the political landscape, such as the heightened polarization between the parties. Although some of the specifics of the story change, Kernell shows that the basic logic of 'going public' remains intact."

"Going Public is simply a classic, yet it is as timely today as it was when it was first published. It is the first book anyone who is interested in how and why modern presidents take their case to the American people should read."

"The fourth edition of Going Public includes valuable updates in terms of applied examples and recent research. Plus the book retains all the great qualities of earlier versions--including in-depth treatment of a critical political development, readability, and valuable data. The book will be a hit with students and scholars alike."

Samuel Kernell is professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where he has taught since 1977. Previously, he taught at the University of Mississippi and the University of Minnesota and served as a Senior Fells at the Brookings Institution. Kernell’s research interests focus on the presidency and American political history. His books include Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership, 4th edition, Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 4th edition (edited with Steven S. Smith), an edited collection of essays, James Madison: The Theory and Practice of Republican Government, and Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd edition. Manufactured Responsiveness: The Transformation of America's Nineteenth Century Electoral Institutions (with Erik J. Engstrom) will be published in 2014.