Governing from Center Stage

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 governing, and the question remains as to whether an effective communication strategy equates to true presidential leadership and/or effective governing.