New Faculty Publication: Pitiful Giants: Presidents in their Final Terms
Congratulations to Dr. Daniel P. Franklin on the publication of his new book Pitiful Giants: Presidents in their Final Terms (Palgrave Macmillan).
Since ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, five American presidents—Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama—have been elected to serve a second term. Presumably, by virtue of their term-limited status, these presidents are free from electoral pressure to pursue policies in the public interest, but this is a questionable assumption. Second term presidents face a host of structural obstacles that make it difficult for them to carry out their tasks. How then do presidents lead through these politically-complex circumstances? How can presidents make the most of their second-tem “mandates” while battling against waning political power? This book seeks to answer the complex—and often paradoxical—challenges presidents encounter in their lame duck years.
Dr. Franklin is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University. His areas of specialization are American chief executives, budgeting and the legislative process. He is currently Director of the Georgia Legislative Internship Program and a former Distinguished Honors Professor. He is the author of three additional books: Extraordinary Measures: The Exercise of Prerogative Powers in the United States (1991), Making Ends Meet: Congressional Budgeting in the Age of Deficits (1993), and Film and Politics: The Political Culture of Film in the United States (2006).