Our chief magistrate and his powers: a reconsideration of William Howard Taft's "Whig" theory of presidential leadership.

Presidential Studies Quarterly, June, 2003 by Korzi, Michael J.

This article discusses William Howard Taft's theory of presidential leadership. Often seen as embodying a passive or weak conception of the presidency and dismissed as anachronistic, the author argues that Taft's theory merits a second look. First, through analysis of Taft's presidential actions and academic writings, the author shows that his theory is far more nuanced and substantial than traditional accounts allow.

Taft's theory is best characterized as a "party agency" Whig theory of the presidency because of its simultaneous concern with popular democracy (via political ...