High Hopes: The Clinton Presidency and the Politics of Ambition

ISBN-13: 9780415921473 / Angielski / Miękka / 1998 / 428 str.

Professor Stanley A. Renshon

Opis

This psychological portrait of Clinton and his presidency investigates whether Clinton has demonstrated the necessary qualities of judgement, vision, character and skill to face domestic and international challenges. Stanley A. Renshon reveals a Bill Clinton whose capacity for political success is often undermined by the very traits for which many praise him. The text follows the development of Clinton's character from his early family experiences to his highly successful adolescence and long political career. Renshon illustrates how each step along the way - his childhood, the issues surrounding his draft-dodging, his marriage to Hillary Rodham, and his tenure as governor - is crucial to understanding his erratic and controversial presidency. He also explores the nature of the Clinton marriage as a political partnership and looks at Hillary Clinton as an associate president.

Recenzje

"Mr. Renshoon, a psycholanalysta s well as a political scientist, has written a biography which earnestly and -- intelligently -- seeks to explain why Bill Clinton is the way he is." -- Washington Times
"Renshon presents a picture of the incumbent president that seems to capture the essence of the man... High Hopes has the potential to become one of those rare books that defines an era or a person. With this work, Renshon joins the late Christopher Lasch and Kenneth J. Gergin as a preeminent interpreter of culture and, in regard to Clinton, of a president who future historians may justly conclude exemplifies many of our culture's core values." -- Insight
"This is an excellent book in which politics and psychology are artfully joined. The author's primary purpose is to solve a puzzle about why Bill Clinton's talent has misfired so often... this is a superb example of how psychology may illuminate politics." -- Political Science Quarterly
"Bill Clinton is a man whose inconsistencies have profoundly puzzled reporters, pundits, and this reviewer. The author sets out to make sense of these contradictions. He looks at President Clinton's character from the perspective of ambition, integrity, and his relationship with others. It is in Renshon's examination of these characteristics that make High Hopes so intriguing and educational." -- The American Reporter Book Review
"...libraries serving political junkies will want to add it to their shelves." -- Booklist

Spis treści

Introduction; Part I Presidents, Psychology, and the Public; Chapter 1 Public Psychology: The Legacy of History; Part II The Character of Bill Clinton; Chapter 2 Character and the Presidency; Chapter 3 Ambition; Chapter 4 Character Integrity; Chapter 5 Relatedness; Chapter 6 Character and presidential psychology; Part III Growing Up, Coming of Age; Chapter 7 His Mother’s Son; Chapter 8 Adoration and Abandonment: The Clinton Family; Chapter 9 Some Consequences of Hope: A Tale of Two Women; Chapter 10 Vietnam and the Draft; Chapter 11 A Life’s Choice: Hillary Rodham Clinton; Part IV The Political Consequences of Character; Chapter 12 Judgment and Leadership: The Core of Presidential Performance; Chapter 13 Clinton’s Presidency; Part V Conclusion; Chapter 14 Lost Opportunities: President Clinton’s First Term;

O autorze

Stanley A. Renshon is Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York and developer and coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Program in the Psychology of Political Behavior at the CUNY Graduate School. He is a certified psychoanalyst and author of several volumes, including The Psychological Assessment of Presidential Candidates (Routledge, 1998).