The Obama legacy / edited by Bert A. Rockman and Andrew Rudalevige.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rockman, Bert A., editor.

Rudalevige, Andrew, 1968- editor.

Series:

Presidential Appraisals and Legacies Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Politics and government--2009-2017.

United States.

Obama, Barack--Influence.

Obama, Barack.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (321 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2019]

Summary:

"Hope" and "change" were the keywords of President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, and in his farewell address on January 10, 2017, he cited the evidence that he'd delivered--from reversing the Great Recession, rebooting the auto industry, and unleashing the longest stretch of job creation in the nation's history to winning marriage equality and securing the right to health insurance for another 20 million citizens. At the same time, and with a view to the country's divisive polarization, he made a plea for "the decency of our people" and "the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now." In hindsight, it is increasingly possible to understand whether and how Obama's legacy matched his rhetoric as well as to evaluate from various angles what his presidency accomplished and what this has meant for US politics, public policy, and civic life going forward. In The Obama Legacy some of the leading observers and scholars of US politics take up this challenge. In twelve essays these writers examine Obama's choices, operating style, and opportunities taken and missed as well as the institutional and political constraints on the president's policy agenda. What were Obama's personal characteristics as a leader? What were the policy aspirations, output, and strategy of his presidency? What was his role as a political and public leader to the various constituencies needed to generate presidential power? And how did his presidency interact with other political forces? Addressing these questions and others, the authors analyze Obama's preferences, tactics, successes, and shortcomings with an eye toward balancing the personal and institutional factors that underlie each--all the while considering how resilient or fragile Obama's legacy will be in the face of the Trump administration's eager efforts to dismantle it."-- Provided by publisher.

"This edited volume brings together some of the leading students of American politics to assess the presidency and legacy of Barack Obama. Twelve chapters range from the political and partisan contexts of the Obama administration to how the president dealt with the other branches of government to the domestic and foreign policies he pursued. Additional essays assess the first African-American president's legacy on racial issues and his leadership style. Throughout, the authors analyze Obama's preferences, tactics, successes, and shortcomings with an eye toward balancing the personal and institutional factors that underlay each--and while noting how resilient or fragile Obama's legacy will be in the face of the Trump Administration's eager efforts to dismantle it"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments

1. Obama's "Long Sweep" and the Fragility of Legacy

2. Hope, Change, or Neither? Reassessing Obama's Leadership of Public Opinion

3. Party Foul: How Obama Made Partisan, Not Party, Politics in a Polarized Environment

4. Obama's Legacy for Race Relations

5. Obama's Latino Legacy: From Unknown to Never Forgotten

6. Obama and Congress

7. The President and the Executive Branch

8. Obama and the Courts: Judicial Policy-Making as a Last Resort

9. Obama's Second-Term Domestic Agenda: Lessons and Legacies

10. Obama and the Unilateral Presidency: Imperial or Imperiled?

11. "Don't Do Stupid Shit": Obama's Foreign and National Security Policy

12. The Leadership Style and Legacy of Obama: Comparisons and Complexities

About the Contributors

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-7006-2791-X

OCLC:

1378937545