Pika and Maltese deliver a comprehensive and engaging analysis of the increasingly political nature of the presidency, while artfully balancing the historical foundations of the office. With strategic streamlining, new data, bolded key terms, and recent scholarship in every chapter, this extensively revised seventh edition remains an engaging and solid foundation for any presidency course.
Key updates include:
- a thorough discussion of “unitary executive” theory and the Bush administration’s controversial use of presidential signing statements;
- analysis of the accelerated 2008 nomination process as well as a look back at the 2006 midterm elections and the impact of a Republican president having to work with a Democratic majority in Congress;
- further scrutiny of the war in Iraq, including events through the end of summer 2007 and the troop “surge” policy;
- a close look at Bush’s judicial policies, including a discussion of the administration’s use of warrantless wiretaps and the appointments of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court;
- a measured assessment of the president’s impact on such pressing issues as education, the economy, and illegal immigration.
Table of Contents
Part I. The President and the Public
1. The Changing Presidency
2. Election Politics
3. Public Politics
4. Presidential Character and Performance
Part II. The President and the Government
5. Legislative Politics
6. Executive Politics
7. Judicial Politics
Part III. The President and Public Policy
8. The Politics of Domestic Policy
9. The Politics of Economic Policy
10. The Politics of National Security Policy
11. George W. Bush: Challenges of a Wartime President
Testimonials
“Politics of the Presidency has several strengths that separate it from other tomes on the American presidency. The authors present the material in a manner that is conceptually sound and do so in a style that is quite accessible to students. Pika and Maltese take students through the presidency from its inception at the Constitutional Convention through the current war in Iraq. Students have found Politics of the Presidency to be the most readable text that I have used for this course. There is a good balance between description, example, and analysis. Students comment that readings in other books appear to be (at least in their view) partisan with respect to the coverage of the presidency. Never have I heard a complaint regarding Pika and Maltese. It provides a fair, honest treatment of the subject.”
- Charles Smith, The Ohio State University“In this book, Pika and Maltese continue to provide a successful cross between long-standing theoretical research and illustrations of modern presidents. Because it exemplifies political science literature with issues in the Bush Administration, as well as administrations from the recent past, it is ideal for students who may have little to no knowledge of presidential research or even the basic foundations of political science. It captures students’ attention, and with its easy-read style, teaches them the ins and outs of the executive branch. Overall, The Politics of the Presidency is ideal for use in undergraduate classes.”
- Suzanne Gold, The Pennsylvania State University"I have faithfully used The Politics of the Presidency for the past ten years while teaching undergraduate courses on the American president and presidential politics and homeland security. It is without question the finest textbook available for instructing students about the vital importance of the evolving institutionalized presidency to our American political system. Backed by an impeccable and ongoing research foundation, Pika and Maltese have created a masterpiece, now recently updated, to reflect executive politics in our contemporary political arena."
- Randy Arrington, University of California, Los Angeles"The Politics of the Presidency provides undergraduate students with a highly accessible introduction to the study of American presidency. Pika and Maltese do an extraordinary job of highlighting the inherent challenges and opportunities confronting U.S. presidents within the broader American political system. In terms of its substantive content, organization, and clarity, The Politics of the Presidency is quite simply a superb ‘general’ introductory textbook on the American presidency."
- George A. Krause, University of Pittsburgh
Bio(s)
Joseph A. Pika, University of Delaware
Joseph A. Pika is professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and taught previously at SUNY at Buffalo. He is coauthor with Jason D. Mycoff of Conflict & Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001-2006 and continues his interests in the vice presidency, relations with interest groups, legislative–executive relations, and education policy. He served for four years as president of the Delaware State Board of Education.
John Anthony Maltese, University of Georgia
John Anthony Maltese is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia. He holds a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. His books include The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees (1995), winner of the C. Herman Pritchett Award, and Spin Control: The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News (1992), winner of a Frank Luther Mott Award. He was recently named the Georgia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Professor Maltese also writes extensively about classical music and won a Grammy Award in 1996 from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
