
On Behalf of the President
Presidential Spouses and White House Communications Strategy Today
- 224 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
On Behalf of the President
Presidential Spouses and White House Communications Strategy Today
About this book
White House expert Lauren A. Wright identifies, explains, and measures the impact of the expanding role of presidential spouses in the White House and presidential campaign communications strategy, with a focus on the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. More than any other time in history, the First Lady now bears responsibilities tantamount to those of any high-ranking cabinet member. This fascinating book documents the growing presence of the president's wife in the communications strategies of the last three administrations, explaining why their involvement in a campaign has been critical to its survival. The book explores how the First Lady serves to persuade public opinion, make personal appeals to the public on behalf of the president, and promote initiatives that serve as uncontroversial frames for controversial policies. The author delves into political discussions about what makes presidents and presidential candidates likable, what draws public support to their agendas, and why spouses appear to be more effective in these arenas than other surrogates or even the presidents themselves. The content features dozens of interviews with former White House staff and communications strategists; in-depth analysis of almost 1, 700 public speeches made by Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama; and surveys testing the effect of public relations strategies involving spouses on political opinion.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Tables and Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1. The Puzzle Spouses Pose
- 2. What Martha Washington and Michelle Obama Have in Common
- 3. Messengers-in-Chief
- 4. First, Do No Harm: Next, Do What Comes Natural
- 5. The Rhetorical Toolkit Spouses Use to Convince Us
- 6. Does It Work?
- 7. Modernizing Our Perspectives on Presidential Spouses
- 8. Epilogue: An Operative’s Guide to Spouse Mobilization in 2016
- Appendix: Supplemental Figures and Tables
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index