Overview
- Introduces and pioneers a new concept—the use of backfires to manage scandal—unique to the existing scholarship on politics and scandal
- Provides a distinctive approach to the study of presidential power in the modern era through the unique conceptual lens of scandal
- Inclusion of historical and contemporary case-studies makes the material accessible for students while providing rigorous analysis for academics
- Focus on the current and recent presidents makes the project of interest to a wider network of academics, students, and general interest readers
Part of the book series: The Evolving American Presidency (EAP)
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
- Scandal
- Political Scandal
- Presidential scandal
- Presidential Power
- Public presidency
- Misdirection
- Media and Presidency
- US Political system
- Presidential Scandal Management
- Political Corruption
- American politics
- American presidency
- American Democracy
- The Watergate Scandal
- the Lewinsky Affair
- Iran-Contra
- Nixon
- Reagan
- Clinton
- Trump
About this book
This book explores presidential power through an analysis of the ways that U.S. presidents attempt to manage scandals. While presidents routinely stonewall to block or limit investigations into their alleged transgressions or, in some cases, cooperate with investigators, this book proposes the existence of a third way of responding to scandals—a “backfire” or the creation of a counter-scandal to try to extinguish the original scandal. The existence of possible backfires is surveyed through case studies of the major scandals that impacted the Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and Trump administrations. The development of this form of scandal response has meaningful implications concerning the growth of presidential power and its impacts on the functioning of the U.S. political system and the quality of American democracy. Changes in partisanship, the media environment, and the public’s view of the presidency and government are topics covered in the book’s explanation of the trends in scandal responses.
Reviews
—Samuel B. Hoff, George Washington Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Delaware State University, USA
“Richard Barberio has written a fast-paced and fascinating study of modern presidential scandals. Stonewalling, pseudo-cooperation, and now misdirection, he demonstrates, are the main instruments in the tool-kit of scandal management by the White House. Case studies on Presidents Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and Trump explore the varieties of presidential scandals and their outcomes. The Trump case is the highlight of the book, as a wily and dishonest president employs misdirection—shifting blame to others—to survive two dangerous scandals in a row. In an era of fierce partisan polarization, in which scandals have come all too often to shadow presidents of both parties, Barberio has provided a valuable guide to these explosive events.”
—Bruce Miroff, Professor, University of Albany, State University of New York, USA
“If you believe that presidential scandals are too distinctive to bend to systematic analysis, this remarkable book will change your mind. Richard Barberio has furthered our understanding, not just of scandals, but of the modern presidency, including how presidents through ‘backfire’ and other strategies manage to contain the damage resulting from their misconduct. Presidents and Political Scandal belongs on the reading list of leaders, scholars, and citizens alike.”
—Thomas E. Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government & the Press, Harvard University, USA
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Presidents and Political Scandal
Book Subtitle: Managing Scandal in the Modern Era
Authors: Richard P. Barberio
Series Title: The Evolving American Presidency
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45504-0
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-45503-3Published: 19 July 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-45506-4Published: 20 July 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-45504-0Published: 18 July 2020
Series ISSN: 2945-6150
Series E-ISSN: 2945-6169
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 173
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: US Politics, Legislative and Executive Politics, Political Leadership