Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership

by Samuel Kernell

Presidents are uniquely positioned to promote themselves and their polices directly to the public. Using sympathetic crowds as a backdrop, a president can rally public opinion to his side, along the way delivering a subtle yet unmistakable message to his intended audience in Congress. Samuel Kernell shows how "going public" remains a potent weapon in the president’s arsenal, both for advancing his own agenda and blocking initiatives from his political adversaries in Congress.

In his highly anticipated fourth edition, Kernell delivers thorough analysis and detailed background on how this strategy continues to evolve given the intense polarization of Congress and the electorate as well as changes in communications technology. He considers the implications of both factors―especially in combination―on the future of presidential leadership and weighs the lessons of 9/11 on "going public" in foreign affairs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Political Science

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Jacob Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what the book is discussing, Kernell does a good, if not thorough job. But, I would not imagine a circumstance where I would read this outside of a classroom. While the interactions of a president and congress can be fascinating, the more dry topic of the president using public opinion made reading more laborious than I would have liked. Despite the book being shorter than what I usually read, it felt so much longer from the repetition of the explanation of the obvious (the bargaining president makes deals and favors with congressional factions x20 pages).

I most enjoyed the section on different administrations interacting with the news. Was also nice to learn about how the white house press conference came into being. The graphs were also a nice addition to drive details in, such as Reagan's PO during budget deliberations, but some were not needed.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Poly Sci course on The Presidency

Review to come