The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act came into existence at a time when the president s ability to lead the public was in question, political polarization had intensified, and the media environment appeared ever more fragmented, fast-moving, and resistant to control. Under such circumstances, how can contemporary American presidents such as Barack Obama build and maintain support for themselves and their policies particularly as controversies arise?

Using case studies of major contests over how key elements of the Affordable Care Act would be framed and analysis of how...

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act came into existence at a time when the president's ability to lead the public was in question, political polarization had intensified, and the media environment appeared ever more fragmented, fast-moving, and resistant to control. Under such circumstances, how can contemporary American presidents such as Barack Obama build and maintain support for themselves and their policies, particularly as controversies arise?

Using case studies of major contests over how key elements of the Affordable Care Act would be framed, and analysis of how...