Professor Margaret Susan Thompson

Fall 2009

Professor Margaret Susan Thompson Office: 313C Maxwell Hall, x. 5882 [Mailbox—HST Dept., 145 Eggers Hall] email: [email protected] Office hours—TuTh 2-3:15, Th 11-12:15, & by appt.

TAs: Mindy Lu Gaffney, [email protected], 132 Eggers, x. 5861 Office Hours: Tues. 9-10:50, and by appointment Molly Jessup, [email protected], 132 Eggers, x. 5861 Office Hours: Wed. 1-3, and by appointment

HST341/PSC329: The Modern American Presidency

Required Books (available at Follett’s Orange Bookstore): HST341/PSC329 READER (photocopy packet) Michael Nelson, ed., The Presidency & the Political System, 8th edition Fred I Greenstein, The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to George W. Bush, 2nd ed. Jonathan Schell, The Time of Illusion George Reedy, The Twilight of the Presidency, 2nd edition (bound photocopy) Joe Klein, Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized by People Who Think You’re Stupid There are additional required readings located on the internet; see syllabus and the course website for URLs. Also, there will be occasional handouts.

READINGS, ATTENDANCE, AND PARTICIPATION. Students are expected to attend class regularly, and are responsible for all material covered and for all handouts and any announcements that are made. It should be noted that lectures will cover much material not contained in the readings, so if you must miss a class you should borrow notes from a classmate. While emergencies are unavoidable, normally students are expected to be present and seated when class begins at 12:30, and to remain for the entire class. If, for extraordinary reasons, you know that you must leave class early, please inform one of the TAs or the professor in advance, and sit near the door and on the aisle. If you carry a cell and/or beeper, please make sure they are off before class begins. [If you are expecting an emergency call, set equipment to vibrate, or leave the cell or beeper in the PSC or HST office, and notify the people on duty where you will be sitting in the auditorium.] You may use a laptop to take notes. If you are discovered during class to be using the laptop for any inappropriate purposes (which include everything other than taking notes), you will lose your laptop for the semester, and your computer will be confiscated for the rest of that class. Students are encouraged to participate in discussions (both scheduled and unscheduled), and should feel free to ask questions at any time (within reason) during class. You should also be aware that all class meetings will assume prior familiarity with pertinent readings; therefore, you should try to complete the readings before the date for which they are assigned.

IMPORTANT: Readings in this course are unequally distributed. Don't get discouraged--but do try to plan ahead. Besides, the readings for this course are interesting! We will devote a substantial amount of time to discussion. The focus will be on current political developments, in addition to any questions students may have about the assigned readings and the day’s formal focus. To make this both lively and useful, students are urged to come prepared—with questions, insights, etc. [Please note: Discussions may be initiated by students, as well as the professor or TAs—so be assertive. However, the professor reserves the right to cut discussion off, postpone it, or redirect it when that seems appropriate.] One more point: Since this course is very much about history-in-progress, unanticipated or as-yet-unscheduled events naturally may claim our attention. Believe it or not, flexibility to account for this has been built into the daily schedule. But, if necessary, the schedule will be reworked during the semester if things change dramatically—as they almost certainly will. 2 OFFICE HOURS/CONFERENCES. We will be available during regular office hours to meet with you about specific questions you might have or about matters of more general relevance. If you cannot meet during those hours, we will be happy to schedule appointments at other, mutually convenient, times. IMPORTANT: Drop-ins are welcome. But if you have arranged a specific appointment and find that you cannot make it, please call or email to cancel. And, of course, you are always free to contact us via e-mail; all of us check our e-mail frequently.

PAPERS. There will be two short papers in this course. Each is to be 5-7 double-spaced, typewritten pages in length. The due dates are September 29 and November 12. Topics, as well as general guidelines for writing papers, will be distributed and discussed well in advance of due dates. Topics will provide plenty of room for originality!

TESTS. There will be two exams in this course. The midterm (Thursday, October 15) will be an in-class, closed-book test. The final will be take-home, and due on Wednesday, December 16 (at 11 a.m.), with questions distributed on the last day of class. The final will stress material covered after the midterm, but at least one section will be cumulative. All questions will be in essay form, and the emphasis will be on your ability to integrate and analyze general themes and ideas (not on regurgitation of facts!). In virtually all cases, you will have a choice among questions to answer, and review sessions will be provided if students desire them.

"MODPREZ". To facilitate discussion both of the current campaign and of the course, an internet discussion group has been created for this course. All students are strongly encouraged to sign up for and participate in MODPREZ, which is the name of this group. We will collect your e-mail addresses during the first week of class; once you receive a message that you're "on," you're welcome to participate by sending messages to: [email protected]

WEBSITE. A special website has been created for this class. In addition to course-related materials and announcements, check this site for useful links to other political, governmental, and media sites. Suggestions for sites (or other information) to add here will be received gratefully at any time. The URL is http:/classes.maxwell.syr.edu/hst341/

DEADLINES AND EXTENSIONS. To forestall problems and misunderstandings later on, here is the policy: Since you are receiving due dates and so on at the beginning of the term, it is assumed that you will plan accordingly, and will consider potential conflicts with other courses and extracurricular commitments. Therefore, extensions will be granted only in extraordinary or emergency circumstances, and (except in dire emergencies), only if specific circumstances are explained in advance to the professor or TA. Grades on papers that are turned in after the beginning of class on the due date (without prior permission) will automatically be lowered at least one letter in grade (more, if tardiness is extended). NO unexcused late papers will be accepted more than one week after the original due date. Similarly, if you absolutely can't take the midterm or final on the scheduled date, please make arrangements with the professor well before its date. If you have an accident, or are suddenly ill, etc., and cannot make advance provision, you must present written explanation, signed by either physician or dean, as soon as you can. It is my hope that this covers all contingencies, and that it helps to have things in writing....

A NOTE ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY. Please remember that academic honesty is one of the most important values we have at Syracuse University. Plagiarism and other offenses will not be tolerated in this course; penalties for violations will be severe, up to and including failure in the course. For more details, please consult the SU Academic Integrity website, at http://supolicies.syr.edu/ethics/acad_integrity.htm If you have any questions about this, see MST.

GRADES. The relative weight of each component of this course is as follows. In addition, improvement over time, and/or extraordinary performance (good or bad!) in one or more areas, will be considered--especially in borderline cases. Paper I------20% Paper II------20% Midterm Test------20% Final Exam------30% Attendance/Participation/Improvement------10% 3 DAILY SCHEDULE

[NOTE: In addition to what is listed below, students are expected to keep themselves informed! It is suggested that, at a minimum, you read a daily newspaper and at least one weekly magazine of commentary, and watch television news (nightly and analysis programs) on a regular basis. [A wide variety of newpapers and magazines are available in Bird Library; more is accessible via the internet, and selected links are provided on our class website.] Relevant television programs and/or periodical articles that appear during the semester will be announced in class.

TU 9/1 Introduction to the Course Handouts, signup for “MODPREZ,” straw vote, discussion of expectations, etc.

TH 9/3 What is “Presidential Greatness”? Readings—Polls of Presidential Greatness Eakin, “Looking for X in the Algebra of Leadership” Robert S. McElvaine, “HNN Poll of Historians” 2009 C-SPAN Survey of Presidential Historians Sean Wilentz, “Competing Visions of the Presidency” How Good Are Experienced Presidents? Nelson: Essay #1 (Nelson)

TU 9/8 Concepts of the Presidency, I Readings—Three Presidential Views of Presidential Power Dan Balz , “ The Absent Professor: Why Politicians Don't Listen to Political Scientists” READER: pp. 343-366.

TH 9/10 Concepts of the Presidency, II Readings—Nelson: Essays #4, 6, 17 (Skowronek, Nelson, Dickinson)

TU 9/15 “Two Presidencies”: (At Least) Two Perspectives Readings—Nelson: Essay #3 (Tulis) READER: pp. 1-9

TH 9/17 FDR and the Charismatic Cure: Toward the Cult of Personality Readings—Nelson: Essay #13 (Milkis) Greenstein: Chaps. 1-2 FDR, “First Inaugural Address”

TU 9/22 “In the Shadow of FDR”: Defining the “Modern” Presidency Readings—Nelson: Essays #5 & 14 (Quirk, Burke) Greenstein: chaps. 3-4 Nixon, “Checkers’ Speech” Eisenhower, “Farewell Address”

TH 9/24 JFK and the Politics of “Vigah” Readings—READER: pp. 14-42 Greenstein: chap. 5 JFK, “Inaugural Address” JFK, “A Force that Has Changed the Political Scene” Reedy: chaps. 1-3

TU 9/29 FIRST PAPER DUE Butter and Guns: The Presidencies of Lyndon Johnson Readings—READER: pp. 43-52 Greenstein: chap. 6 Reedy: chaps. 4-6 LBJ, “Inaugural Address” LBJ, Speech at the Newhouse School, SU Tonkin Gulf Resolution 4 TH 10/1 The Concept of an “Imperial” Presidency—or, It Didn’t Start With Watergate Readings—READER: 53-75 Reedy: chaps. 7-9 Schell: Prologue, chaps. 1-2

TU 10/6 “Bring Us Together”: A “New Nixon”—or a “Long National Nightmare”? Readings—READER: 84-94 Reedy: finish [Suggestion: Preview “Bush in the Bubble”] Greenstein: chap. 7 Schell, chaps. 3-4 Nixon, “First Inaugural Address“

TH 10/8 The Meaning(s) of “Watergate”: Toward a Post-Modern Presidency Readings—READER: pp. 76-83, 95-99 Schell, finish Nixon, “2nd Inaugural Address” Nixon, Statement of 5 August 1974

TU 10/13 “A Time To Heal”: Gerald Ford As Unelected (and “Instructive”) President Readings—READER: pp. 100-130 Greenstein: chap. 8

TH 10/15 MIDTERM TEST

TU 10/20 “Why Not the Best?”: Jimmy Carter and the Politics of Moralism Readings—READER: pp. 131-134 Carter, “Inaugural Address” Fallows, “The Passionless Presidency,” Part I Greenstein: chap. 9

TH 10/22 “A Government As Good As the People(?)”: The Downfall of Jimmy Carter Readings—READER: pp. 135-144 (review pp. 131-134) Klein: Prologue, chap. 1. Nelson: Essay #15 (Lewis)

TU 10/27 Reagan’s “New Beginning”: The Triumph of Politics Readings—Reagan, “1st Inaugural Address” Greider, “The Education of David Stockman” Greenstein: chap. 10 Klein: chap. 2. READER: p. 145

TH 10/29 From Euphoria to Iran-Contra: Was There a “Reagan Revolution”? Readings—READER: pp. 146-171 Reagan, “2nd Inaugural Address” Lou Cannon: “Framework for the Iran-Contra Affair”

TU 11/3 The “No-Hands” President: or, What Did Reagan Know, & When Did He Know It? Readings—READER: pp. 172-201 Nelson: Essay #12 (Tichenor)

TH 11/5 “Read My Lips”: George Bush and the Politics of a “New World Order” Readings—READER: 202-230. Klein: chap. 3. Greenstein: chap. 11 Nelson: Essay #10 (Miroff) GHW Bush, “Inaugural Address” 5 TU 11/10 “A Place Called Hope(?)”: Bill Clinton’s Rocky (Freshman-Year) Road Readings—READER: pp. 231-251 Nelson: Essay #7 (Pious) Greenstein: chap. 12 Clinton, “First Inaugural Address”

TH 11/12 SECOND PAPER DUE Sophomore Slump & the Comeback Kid: “Newt Frontier” & Clinton’s Recovery Readings—READER: pp. 268-279 Klein: chap. 4. Nelson: Essay #19 (Quirk & Nesmith)

TU 11/17 From Vindication to Zippergate: What Did It All MEAN? Readings—READER: pp. 252-267, 280-329. Nelson: Essays #9, 11 (Hetherington & Globetti, Jacobs) Clinton, “2nd Inaugural Address”

TH 11/19 “43”: Dubya’s Inauspicious Beginning…. Readings—READER: pp. 330-334, 367-374. GWBush, “First Inaugural Address” Klein: chaps. 5-6.

TU 11/24 After 9/11: New Assumptions, New Agenda—New Presidency? Readings—READER: pp. 335-342. Greenstein: chap. 13 Klein: chap 7 Read as much as possible of Ten Days in September (series by Balz and Woodward of the Washington Post) GWBush: Three Sets of Remarks on September 11 GWBush, Address to the Nation and Joint Session of Congress, 20 Sept. 2001 GWBush, 2002 State of the Union Address

TU 12/1 Reelection—But to What End? What Happened? Readings—Greenstein: chap. 14 Klein, chap. 8 Evan Thomas and Richard Wolffe, “Bush in the Bubble” Evan Thomas and Daniel Klaidman, “Full Speed Ahead” Cullen Murphy and Todd Purdum, Oral History of the Bush White House

TH 12/3 Toward 2008—and A(nother) New Generation of Americans Readings—Obama, 2004 Convention Speech Obama, 2007 Candidacy Announcement Obama, 2008 Speech on Race Obama, 2008 Convention Acceptance Address McCain, 2007 Candidacy Announcement McCain, 2008 Convention Acceptance Address Ron Brownstein, “The First 21 st- Century Campaign” Tim Dickinson, “The Machinery of Hope” David F. Carr, “The BarackObama.com Difference”

TU 12/8 The Obama Administration…. A First Look Readings—TO BE ANNOUNCED (all will be online)

TH 12/10 To the Future…. Discussion Review for the Final Exam (and distribution of questions)

THE FINAL EXAM [Due on Wednesday, December 16, at 11 a.m.]