This volume analyzes and compares the use of communication strategies of presidents and their administrations during the television age of politics. The study begins in 1961 - the start of Kennedy's administration - which represents an era of politics that has been greatly defined by mass media's participation. Communication strategies emerge for every president and can shape, to varying degrees, the relationship that the president has with the press and the public. To understand how a president communicates is to understand an important base of power for the modem presidency. This book demonstrates that various factors can play a role in whether or not a present succeeds at controlling the political agenda. Two critical factors include presidential rhetoric and the president's relationship with the news media. The concluding argument demonstrates that communication strategies have become an important and permanent part of the everyday operation of the White House. Presidents must use the press to govern, but they do not have much control over the final message, which creates many challenges for successful presidential leadership. Also, many implications exist about the role that communication strategies play in the actual act of governming, and the question remains as to whether an effective communication strategy equates to true presidential leadership and/or effective governing.
White House Communication Strategies: The Impact of Governing. The Limits of Presidential Leadership, Presidential Rhetoric and Speechwriting in Context. Presidential Public Activities: Beyond the Rhetoric. The Presidential Public Agenda: Prioritizing Policies. Understanding the Presidential/Press Relationship. Assessing White House Communication Strategies. Kennedy: The Age of Television Arrives. Kennedy and the Press. Kennedy's Public Activities. The Kennedy Policy Agenda. The First Tier: The Tax Cut Proposal of 1963. The Second Tier. Aid to Education in 1961. Johnson and Nixon: Play Ball in the Kennedy's Court. Johnson and the Press. Johnson's Public Activities. The Johnson Policy Agenda. The First Tier: Medicare - 1965. The Second Tier: The Safe Streets and Crime Control Act of 1968. Nixon and the Press. Nixon's Public Activities. The Nixon Policy Agenda. The First Tier: Welfare Reform in 1971-72. The Second Tier: Environmental Protection In 1970. Ford and Carter: the Aftermath of Watergate. Ford and the Press. Ford's Public Activities. The Ford Policy Agenda. The First Tier: The Tax Cut of 1975. The Second Tier: Energy Corporation. Carter and the Press. Carter's Public Activities. The First Tier: Energy. The Second Tier: Civil Service Reform. Reagan and Bush: Stagecraft and its Legacy, Reagan and the Press. Reagan's Public Activities. The First Tier: Social Security Reform of 1982-1983. The Second Tier: Student Aid Cuts in 1982. Bush and the Press. The Bush Policy Agenda. The First Tier: The Education Excellence Act. The Second Tier: The Clear Air Act of 1990. Clinton: Years of Scandal and Spin. Clinton and the Press. Clinton's Public Activities. The Clinton Policy Agenda. The First Tier: The Anticrime Bill of 1994. The Second Tier: The National Service Plan of 1993. is Governing From Center Stage Possible? A Comparison of Presidents. White House Communication Strategies: Useful or Futile? Bibliography. Author Index. Subject Index.
