Crockett, David A. The Opposition Presidency: Leadership & the Constraints of History

International Social Science Review, Fall-Winter, 2003 by Orville D. Menard

College Station, TX: Texas A & M Press, 2002. 286 pp. Cloth, $39.95.

Crockett's central question "concerns the nature of presidential leadership ..." (p. 7). His search for answers takes him into the divided nature of the American institutional structure of power, the evolution of the party system, and what he refers to as "context"--i.e., the political environment within which these interact. The personalities and character of his subjects also become important factors of his profiles. His concept of the opposition president provides the analytical framework for this thoughtful and original study.

The author points out that his opposition president is not a president who faces a rival-political-party majority in Congress (although that is part of the "context" in several cases). Rather, it is "a president from a political party that is in opposition to the reigning governing philosophy" (p. 5). The party whose ideas reflect the "grain of history" provides the governing philosophy, defines the terms of debate, and controls the political agenda. "When a president's true purposes run counter to the reigning governing philosophy," Crockett asserts, "we may think of him as an opposition president" (p. 3).

The problem for the opposition president is how to lead and govern from his disadvantaged position. Crockett's opposition presidents are William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Bill Clinton. He analyzes their styles and strategies to assess the nature of presidential leadership as it is exercised under such conditions. In tightly written and well-argued chapters, the author provides a political history of the administrations under examination, considers the aspirations of each, discusses the stages and positions of political parties and the political environment, and examines the personal strengths and weaknesses of the presidents concerned.

All too often an author introduces a conceptual framework and then proceeds to ignore it in the pages that follow. That is not the case here. The framework is faithfully applied, affording a coherent basis for examining the various presidents under consideration. The "constraints of history" in the sub-title are lodged in the fact that although a president may have a personal agenda, he is not a free agent to see it accomplished. As an opposition president, he must recognize that the party embodying the "grain of history" will define policy and restrict his capacity to advance his initiatives. Presidents who possess a sense of what can and what cannot be accomplished, adapt to the situation, moderate their stands, and demonstrate flexibility are the most likely to leave office with a sense of accomplishment. Frontal assaults are most often self-defeating, representing blatant challenges that are ill-fitting and unacceptable in an era's context. The latter are men who are not only out of touch with the dominant governing philosophy, but who also have personal characteristics that freeze them into stubborn, inflexible positions. Johnson and, in their second terms, Cleveland and Wilson represent presidents whose failures were self-inflicted by lack of understanding of their context. Nixon's personality led him to the misuse of power, and Clinton is an interesting example of flexibility, shifting from frontal assault to moderation and compromise over his two terms.

This study looks only at the opposition presidents the author posits, which is to be expected. Beyond the scope of the study is the question of how different they are from the strategies for governing of their "non-opposition" colleagues. Moderation, flexibility, and adaptation are prudent approaches for any president, unless circumstances allow for more forceful leadership during a crisis. Crockett's contribution to presidential studies is significant in suggesting to students of that powerful office, inhabited by so many men over so many eras, that there are ways to assess comparatively their effectiveness and place in American political history other then limiting ourselves to reflecting on exceptional times calling for exceptional men. The ranking of presidents has generally been a subjective and unidimensional process. Here Crockett invites the reader to make judgments in a more holistic manner as they are reminded of the importance of the contextual considerations of a president's incumbency.

Anyone desiring a succinct and readable presentation of the nature of the American political system and its parties and politics will benefit from reading The Opposition Presidency. Political historians and political scientists focusing on American politics should read and have a copy on their bookshelves. It is based on a wide reading of secondary sources, listed in an extensive bibliography and copious notes.

Orville D. Menard, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus of Political Science

University of Nebraska at Omaha