Take Up Your Pen

Unilateral Presidential Directives in American Politics

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Affairs & Administration
Cover of the book Take Up Your Pen by Graham G. Dodds, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Graham G. Dodds ISBN: 9780812208153
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: April 22, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: Graham G. Dodds
ISBN: 9780812208153
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: April 22, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

Executive orders and proclamations afford presidents an independent means of controlling a wide range of activities in the federal government—yet they are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. In fact, the controversial edicts known as universal presidential directives seem to violate the separation of powers by enabling the commander-in-chief to bypass Congress and enact his own policy preferences. As Clinton White House counsel Paul Begala remarked on the numerous executive orders signed by the president during his second term: "Stroke of the pen. Law of the land. Kinda cool."

Although public awareness of unilateral presidential directives has been growing over the last decade—sparked in part by Barack Obama's use of executive orders and presidential memoranda to reverse many of his predecessor's policies as well as by the number of unilateral directives George W. Bush promulgated for the "War on Terror"—Graham G. Dodds reminds us that not only has every single president issued executive orders, such orders have figured in many of the most significant episodes in American political history. In Take Up Your Pen, Dodds offers one of the first historical treatments of this executive prerogative and explores the source of this authority; how executive orders were legitimized, accepted, and routinized; and what impact presidential directives have had on our understanding of the presidency, American politics, and political development. By tracing the rise of a more activist central government—first advanced in the Progressive Era by Theodore Roosevelt—Dodds illustrates the growing use of these directives throughout a succession of presidencies. More important, Take Up Your Pen questions how unilateral presidential directives fit the conception of democracy and the needs of American citizens.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Executive orders and proclamations afford presidents an independent means of controlling a wide range of activities in the federal government—yet they are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. In fact, the controversial edicts known as universal presidential directives seem to violate the separation of powers by enabling the commander-in-chief to bypass Congress and enact his own policy preferences. As Clinton White House counsel Paul Begala remarked on the numerous executive orders signed by the president during his second term: "Stroke of the pen. Law of the land. Kinda cool."

Although public awareness of unilateral presidential directives has been growing over the last decade—sparked in part by Barack Obama's use of executive orders and presidential memoranda to reverse many of his predecessor's policies as well as by the number of unilateral directives George W. Bush promulgated for the "War on Terror"—Graham G. Dodds reminds us that not only has every single president issued executive orders, such orders have figured in many of the most significant episodes in American political history. In Take Up Your Pen, Dodds offers one of the first historical treatments of this executive prerogative and explores the source of this authority; how executive orders were legitimized, accepted, and routinized; and what impact presidential directives have had on our understanding of the presidency, American politics, and political development. By tracing the rise of a more activist central government—first advanced in the Progressive Era by Theodore Roosevelt—Dodds illustrates the growing use of these directives throughout a succession of presidencies. More important, Take Up Your Pen questions how unilateral presidential directives fit the conception of democracy and the needs of American citizens.

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book Jeremiah's Scribes by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Cutting Along the Color Line by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Western Welfare in Decline by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book The Royal Hunt in Eurasian History by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Inventing the Egghead by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book What Caused the Financial Crisis by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Bombshell by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Liberty on the Waterfront by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book City of Saints by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Marriage, Sex, and Civic Culture in Late Medieval London by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book In Light of Another's Word by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book The "Alexandreis" of Walter of Chatilon by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Peoples of the River Valleys by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book American Justice 2015 by Graham G. Dodds
Cover of the book Parades and the Politics of the Street by Graham G. Dodds
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy