1st Edition
The Biden Presidency Politics, Policy, and Polarization
This book is among the first serious looks at the first 18 months of the Biden administration and its many challenges. From a tortured transition to a raging pandemic, a fragile economy, and the threat of international insecurity, Joe Biden entered office at a time even more fraught than that he faced as a new vice president. Confronting a nation divided sharply along political, cultural, and sociodemographic lines, Biden and Kamala Harris promised to unify the country, change the tone in Washington, mend fences with allies, and “build back better” a world assailed from stem to stern. This book assesses the successes and shortfalls of the Biden administration’s first 18 months in office, putting all in perspective of the current state of democracy in America. Intended to introduce students of American government to the person (Biden) and the institution (presidency) within a particular system (separation of powers), this book will appeal broadly to citizens, media, and general interest readers in the United States and abroad.
List of Photos, Tables, Boxes, and Comparative Capsules
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I THE PRELIMINARIES
Chapter 1 The 2020 Elections and Their Consequences
Chapter 2 The Transfer of Power
PART II THE FIRST 100 DAYS
Chapter 3 Early Days in the White House
Chapter 4 Contemporary Domestic Politics and Policymaking
Chapter 5 Restructuring Foreign Policy
PART III PRESIDENTIAL-INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Chapter 6 The Biden Administration’s Legislative Style
Chapter 7 First Year Legislative Achievements, Delays, and Failures
Chapter 8 The Biden White House
Chapter 9 Biden As Chief Executive
Chapter 10 The President and the Legal System
PART IV THE PUBLIC PRESIDENCY
Chapter 11 Biden’s Bully Pulpit
Chapter 12 Public Opinion and Presidential Popularity
PART V THE EVOLVING BIDEN PRESIDENCY
Chapter 13 Successes, Failures, and Ongoing Foreign Policy Concerns
Chapter 14 A Restorative Presidency
Appendix: Most Important Problems
Biography
Stephen J. Wayne is Professor of Government Emeritus at Georgetown University. A Washington-based “insider” for more than 50 years, Wayne is frequently quoted by White House journalists and regularly appears on television and radio news shows. He has written or edited 12 books, published in 31 editions and more than 100 articles, chapters, and reviews that have appeared in professional journals, scholarly compilations, newspapers, and magazines.
"In this book, Stephen Wayne, one of the most astute scholars of the presidency, presents a historically informed analysis of President Biden’s first year in office. Wayne’s sophisticated yet readily accessible analysis guides the reader through Biden’s transition into office, the successes and failures of his legislative agenda, and his foreign policy challenges. If you want to understand how the Biden presidency works, how it has dealt with its successes and setbacks, and its place in the modern presidency, this is a book you should read."
James P. Pfiffner, George Mason University
