WELCOME! Political Science 408: The American Presidency Professor David T. Canon T-TH, 2:30-3:45 T+TH, 22 Ingraham

INTRODUCTION Nuts and Bolts Nuts and Bolts – classlists. – My office hours: T+TH, 1-2 pm (right before class) and by appointment. 413 North Hall. – Adam’s office hours: T 9:45-10:45; 12:15-1:15 TH, and by appt. T 9:45-10:45; 12:15-1:15 TH, and by appt. – Sections meet this week: read the article on presidential lying, (Carl Cannon, “Untruth and Consequences”). “For presidents, consequences matter more than the truth.”

Newspapers Discount subscriptions available: New York Times - sign up sheets distributed. Also may sign up at Memorial Union or Union South. Washington Post - use their home page www. Washingtonpost.com

Note the guidelines on pp. 1-2 of the syllabus Note the guidelines on pp. 1-2 of the syllabus Books and readings Books and readings Discussion section Discussion section Clear your calendars for the exams Clear your calendars for the exams – Midterm: Tuesday, October 23 rd – Final: Friday, December 21 st, 7:25-9:25 p.m., location TBA. No make-up exams (except for truly extraordinary circumstances). No make-up exams (except for truly extraordinary circumstances). Course Policies

Adding or Changing Sections Come up after class if you need to change sections because of a schedule conflict. Come up after class if you need to change sections because of a schedule conflict. Do Not try to change sections through web registration. Do Not try to change sections through web registration. If you would like to add the class, you need to be on the waiting list class. If you would like to add the class, you need to be on the waiting list class.

My Web Page Address: Address: Outlines of the lectures for each week will be available by Tuesday morning. The page also has a copy of the syllabus and will have exam grades, the paper assignment, etc. Bookmark the page, and feel free to check out the different links. Let me know about broken links.

Survey Major Career choice Previous American politics courses Party affiliation Ideology (7-point scale, 1 very liberal, 7 very conservative) Which presidential candidate you will vote for in First political memory

Purposes of the Course General versus specific knowledge General versus specific knowledge Evaluate government Evaluate government To help make you better citizens To help make you better citizens

Making better citizens (continued) Thomas Jefferson on the importance of an educated citizenry Thomas Jefferson on the importance of an educated citizenry – “I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.”

Studying the Presidency: Values and Bias Bias in research: What you think about a given president will influence your work. George Edwards versus Stephen Wayne. Bias in research: What you think about a given president will influence your work. George Edwards versus Stephen Wayne. Bias in studying the presidency – President versus the presidency – Impact on research on the presidency

Approaches to studying the presidency Much work on the presidency attempts to describe and then evaluate presidents. We start by looking at evaluations of presidents. These approaches attempt to explain presidential behavior and outcomes by looking at different aspects of the presidency: – Historical – Constitutional – Psychological – Power – Institutional/rational choice

Methods Traditional, insider, qualitative. Too close to power. Quantitative. N=1 problem, but look at presidential behavior within a presidency. Examples? Comparative study of the presidency (Rockman): Systems, situations, leaders. Political Science and the presidency (Ragsdale): generalizations about presidential imagery and as an institution. Need “presidency advisors.” Prevent them from making mistakes.

Evaluating Presidents Nelson’s categories: Savior, Satan, Sampson. Bias in assessing the presidency based on evaluation of presidents? Criteria for rating presidents. How to distinguish between great, near-great, above average, average, below average, and failed presidents?

Evaluating presidents. Cont. Bryce–why great men aren’t chosen president. Top talent not drawn into politics. Congress doesn’t breed greatness. Eminent men make more enemies than obscure. Gap between good candidate and president. Regional background, military background, no Catholics or non-Christians. Method of selection. Still true today? Women, African-Americans, Latinos, and Mormons.

Evaluating Presidents, cont. textbook presidency expectations – the impossible presidency? academics – high expectations. public (Nelson)– we want strength but there are also contradictions; want conflict- ing things. Also, conflicting policy positions and general approval. Current polls. press – cynical.