executive branch 
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4/10/2022
The Problem of Presidential Isolation
by Michael A. Genovese
Today, who can speak truth to the president’s power? And to whom can a president unburden himself in those moments of stress and self-doubt? From whom can the president expect direct and candid advice?
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2/13/2022
George Washington and the Legacy of the Flexible Cabinet
by Lindsay M. Chervinsky
The Presidential Cabinet, and its flexible relationship to the chief executive and the work of the executive branch, is the most important legacy of the Washington presidency. It has served some administrations well and been the ruin of others.
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10/24/2021
Four Myths of Presidential Power
by Daniel Farber
History looms large in arguments about the Constitution these days. But there are widespread misunderstandings of what history tells us about presidential powers, from making war to being impeached.
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SOURCE: Wall Street Journal
3/26/2021
Lindsay Chervinsky's Five Best Books on Presidential Cabinets
The author of an acclaimed book about George Washington's creation of the cabinet recommends five books about presidential cabinets, including those of Lincoln, Eisenhower and JFK, the unofficial team of African American advisors to FDR, and the consequential relationship between George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
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3/28/2021
Is History Ready to Judge the Trump Presidency?
by Samuel (Shenger) Zhou
Understandings of presidential success and failure might have to be revised for Donald Trump; while Trump failed to win reelection, his media tactics will allow him, unlike the previous Republican president George W. Bush, to retain control of his party and remain a national force even out of office. Is this the future of the presidency?
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10/4/2020
Loyalty and Duty in the Federal Bureaucracy, From Nixon to Trump
by Michael Koncewicz
Independent civil servants checked Richard Nixon's worst impulses to use the executive branch to punish enemies. The independence of the bureaucracy has since eroded, to Donald Trump's advantage.
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SOURCE: The New Republic
9/24/2020
Weaken the Presidency—Even If Biden Wins
The conduct of the Trump administration shows a long trend of increased presidential power must be stopped.
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SOURCE: New York Times
9/1/2020
How Do We Fix the American Presidency?
Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer, along with political scientists William Howell and Terry M. Moe, offer context for growing concerns about the power of the Presidency.
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8/16/2020
The Paradox of Executive Underreach
by Michael A. Genovese
While the Constitution says more about limiting the overreach of the executive branch, functioning government must beware of an underreaching executive that abdicates responsibility.
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SOURCE: USA Today
8/11/2020
Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Pick Launches Biden Towards A Cabinet That Looks Like America
by Lindsay M. Chervinsky
Joe Biden's selection of former rival Kamala Harris suggests he will follow other successful presidencies and appoint a cabinet that brings different views to policy discussions.
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SOURCE: Special to HNN
4-29-13
Jim Cullen: Review of Michael J. Gerhardt's "The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy" (Oxford, 2013)
Jim Cullen, who teaches at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, is a book review editor at HNN. His latest book, Sensing the Past: Hollywood Stars and Historical Visions, was recently published by Oxford University Press. Cullen blogs at American History Now.
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