Civics, The Executive Branch - General & Miscellaneous, U.S. Politics & Government - 1945 - 1989, U.S. Politics & Government - 1945 to Present, 20th Century American History - Politics & Government - General & Miscellaneous, Presidents of the United State

Presidential Lightning Rods

Name: Presidential Lightning Rods
Author: Richard J. Ellis
ISBN: 9780700606368

by Richard J. Ellis

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Overview

"A subtle and rich account. Fascinating and eminently readable."—Fred I. Greenstein, author of The Hidden Hand Presidency

"Ellis explores an important-but often misunderstood-tool in a president's kit-bag of political and strategic management. 'When to take the blame?' and 'Who is to take the blame?' are crucial questions all recent presidents have faced and will continue to face. Ellis provides an interesting and timely analysis of the 'lightning rod' phenomenon."—John P. Burke, author of The Institutional Presidency

"Ellis reconciles seemingly contradictory cases about when presidents may and may not successfully pass the buck. Clarity replaces confusion on this score."—Erwin C. Hargrove, author of Jimmy Carter As President

Author Biography: Richard J. Ellis is the Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics and chair of the politics department at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He is also the author of The Dark Side of the Left: Illiberal Egalitarianism in America, also published by Kansas, and American Political Cultures.

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Editorials

Library Journal

A cabinet member, vice president, White House chief of staff, or other official who deflects criticisms from a president is called a lightning rod. Cultivating lightning rods is a nonempirical, unpredictable art that can easily backfire, making the president appear arrogant or uninformed. Ellis's expanded dissertation owes much to Fred Greenstein's important The Hidden-Hand President (LJ 10/15/82), one of the first positive revisionist accounts of the Eisenhower administration. Ellis attributes Eisenhower's success to his projecting an apolitical image while staying vigorously involved in all the important issues of the 1950s, notably the Cold War, civil rights, and farm price supports. He remained popular by skillfully using Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Benson, Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr., and, to a lesser extent, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles to take the heat for his policies. Case studies of how Truman, Johnson, Ford, Reagan, and Bush used their advisers caution against presidential attempts to dominate the government. This deliberative, challenging study is recommended for academic collections specializing in the presidency.-Karl Hellicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, Pa.

Booknews

Ellis (political science, Willamette U.) explores the widely discussed but poorly understood phenomenon of presidential lightning rods--administration officials who either through intent or circumstance divert criticism and deflect blame away from the president. Ellis analyzes case studies and comparisons drawn from the administrations of Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Ford, and Reagan, and identifies leadership styles that allow presidents to deflect blame onto subordinates. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)