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George W. Bush and the Partisan Presidency
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Notes
1
In the 1970s and 1980s, scholars discussed a “postmodern presidency,” which could also be called a
“postpartisan presidency.” This concept most clearly applied to Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and, to a lesser extent, to Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson, particularly at their political nadirs. Presidents could no longer count on their party to provide them with a base in the electorate or in Congress. The weakening of parties and the decentralization of power on Capitol Hill left presidents with few allies able to deliver support. Due to the reform of the nomination process, an “outsider” like Jimmy Carter was able to reach the presidency without gaining the support of traditional party leaders; presidents increasingly “went public” to appeal to voters directly. The executive branch was increasingly dominated by bureaucrats and issue activists detached from party politics. See Greenstein 1978; Rose 1991; Nathan 1983; Ranney 1975; Polsby 1983; King 1978; Kernell 1997).
2
For example, the Gallup Poll found that the audience for Bush’s address on June 27, 2005, in which he
defended his Iraq policy, was 50 percent Republican, 27 percent Independent and 23 percent Democratic – a much more Republican group than the nation as a whole. Not surprisingly, three-quarters of viewers approved of the speech. A similar partisan pattern has prevailed for many Bush addresses. See Dionne 2005 and Bazinet 2005. At the time, the most recent Gallup Poll showed only 45% of Americans approved of Bush’s performance as president, with only 42% approving of his handling of Iraq.
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| | Authors: Skinner, Richard. |
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Notes
1
In the 1970s and 1980s, scholars discussed a “postmodern presidency,” which could also be called a
“postpartisan presidency.” This concept most clearly applied to Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and, to a
lesser extent, to Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson, particularly at their political nadirs. Presidents could
no longer count on their party to provide them with a base in the electorate or in Congress. The weakening
of parties and the decentralization of power on Capitol Hill left presidents with few allies able to deliver
support. Due to the reform of the nomination process, an “outsider” like Jimmy Carter was able to reach
the presidency without gaining the support of traditional party leaders; presidents increasingly “went
public” to appeal to voters directly. The executive branch was increasingly dominated by bureaucrats and
issue activists detached from party politics. See Greenstein 1978; Rose 1991; Nathan 1983; Ranney 1975;
Polsby 1983; King 1978; Kernell 1997).
2
For example, the Gallup Poll found that the audience for Bush’s address on June 27, 2005, in which he
defended his Iraq policy, was 50 percent Republican, 27 percent Independent and 23 percent Democratic –
a much more Republican group than the nation as a whole. Not surprisingly, three-quarters of viewers
approved of the speech. A similar partisan pattern has prevailed for many Bush addresses. See Dionne
2005 and Bazinet 2005. At the time, the most recent Gallup Poll showed only 45% of Americans approved
of Bush’s performance as president, with only 42% approving of his handling of Iraq.
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