High hopes : the Clinton presidency and the politics of ambition / Stanley A. Renshon.
1996
E885 .R464 1996 (Mapit)
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Details
Title
High hopes : the Clinton presidency and the politics of ambition / Stanley A. Renshon.
Author
Renshon, Stanley Allen.
ISBN
0814774636 (acid-free paper)
9780814774632 (acid-free paper)
9780814774632 (acid-free paper)
Imprint
New York : New York University Press, ©1996.
Language
English
Description
xiii, 402 pages ; 24 cm
Call Number
E885 .R464 1996
Dewey Decimal Classification
973.929
Summary
In this perceptive psychological portrait of Clinton and his presidency, Stanley A. Renshon investigates whether Clinton has demonstrated the requisite qualities of judgment, vision, character, and skill to meet the daunting challenges he faces domestically and internationally. Renshon incisively analyzes Clinton's sweeping ambitions, his enormous confidence in himself and his goals, and his success in convincing people that he genuinely cares about them. He reveals a Bill Clinton whose capacity for political success is often undermined by the very traits for which many praise him. His unusually high self-confidence, for instance, leads him to believe that he, as a "New Democrat," can accomplish what others have not, that he can, for instance, reconcile polar opposites such as liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans. Remarkably persistent throughout Clinton's career are certain traits that have defined him to the public - his tendency to make promises he cannot keep, his uneven political performance, his ability to win people over in person, his sudden bursts of anger. Renshon traces the development of Clinton's character from his early family experiences to his highly successful adolescence and long political career. He illustrates how each step along the way Clinton's inconsistent experiences as an adored but disregarded child; his attempt to avoid the draft and the consequences of doing so; his marriage to Hillary Rodham whose own psychology has both helped and hurt him; and his tenure as governor during which his character first became a political issue - is crucial to understanding his erratic and controversial presidency. Exploring the nature of the Clinton marriage as a political partnership and of Hillary Clinton as an "associate president," this is the first serious psychological examination of Clinton, the man and the president.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 367-390) and indexes.
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High hopes.
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Table of Contents
Public psychology : the legacy of history
Character and the presidency
Ambition
Character integrity
Relatedness
Character and presidential psychology
His mother's son
Adoration and abandonment : the Clinton family
Some consequences of hope : a tale of two women
Vietnam and the draft
A life's choice : Hillary Rodham Clinton
Judgment and leadership : the core of presidential performance
Bill Clinton's presidency
Lost opportunities : President Clinton's first term.
Character and the presidency
Ambition
Character integrity
Relatedness
Character and presidential psychology
His mother's son
Adoration and abandonment : the Clinton family
Some consequences of hope : a tale of two women
Vietnam and the draft
A life's choice : Hillary Rodham Clinton
Judgment and leadership : the core of presidential performance
Bill Clinton's presidency
Lost opportunities : President Clinton's first term.