Synopses & Reviews
Since ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, five American presidents—Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama—have been elected to serve a second term. Presumably, by virtue of their term-limited status, these presidents are free from electoral pressure to pursue policies in the public interest, but this is a questionable assumption. Second term presidents face a host of structural obstacles that make it difficult for them to carry out their tasks. How then do presidents lead through these politically-complex circumstances? How can presidents make the most of their second-tem "mandates" while battling against waning political power? This book seeks to answer the complex—and often paradoxical—challenges presidents encounter in their lame duck years.
Review
"In this engagingly written and empirically well-grounded work, Daniel Franklin probes the activities and experiences of every lame duck president since the U.S. began. Pitiful Giants paints a compelling and sometimes poignant picture of the 'human side' of transitions out of office, often accompanied by disappointment and incompletely fulfilled goals. Enlivened by fascinating cases, the volume argues convincingly that the 22nd Amendment has both made two term presidencies more common and lengthened the unproductive lame duck periods of second terms." - Karen M. Hult, Professor of Political Science, Virginia Tech, USA
Synopsis
Five presidents (Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama) have been elected to and served a second term. Seemingly free from electoral pressure, each president has taken a unique approach to their second term, and the book seeks to unpack the rationale behind their decisions and actions in their final years of power.
About the Author
Daniel Franklin is Associate Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University, USA. He is the author of three books, including Film and Politics: The Political Culture of Film in the United States (2006) and a recipient of Georgia State University's Distinguished Honors Professor Award.
Table of Contents
1. Leaving Presidents and their Relations with Congress
2. Leaving Presidents and the Administrative State
3. Lame Duck Presidents and Foreign Policy
4. Leaving Presidents and Partisan Politics
5. The Leaving President and the Mechanics of Transition
Conclusion: The Public Good and the Limits of the Leaving President