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Basic Books
October 2006
On Sale: September 30, 2006
272 pages
ISBN: 0465008321
EAN: 9780465008322
Hardcover
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Historical | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction Political
A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian accounts for the
growing isolation of America's presidents--from JFK to
George W. Bush--and proposes solutions to reconnect them
with the citizens they serve A disastrous war in Iraq,
prisoner abuse, secret wiretaps--the presidency of George
W. Bush represents a crisis in American democracy. How did
this happen? In Running Alone the revered political
scientist and commentator James MacGregor Burns sets the
imperial presidency of George W. Bush in the context of
half a century of presidential politics. In his 1960
campaign, John F. Kennedy turned his back on the Democratic
Party. He relied instead on his personal charisma and his
family's vast wealth to win office. Once elected, he
governed much as he had run: alone. He ignored the
Democratic platform and instead sought counsel from a small
group of hand-picked advisors, including his own brother.
Kennedy fundamentally reshaped the role of
President, and each of his successors has built on this
model. American presidents have become increasingly
isolated from the parties that brought them to power.
Democratic presidents--Johnson, Carter, and Clinton--did
tremendous damage to the Democratic Party by abandoning its
core principles. Republican presidents have managed to lead
more effectively in isolation, but have imperiled the
nation in the process. Drawing on his own personal
letters, interviews, and recollections of America's
presidents, Burns charts the decline of genuine leadership
in the Oval Office and offers a stirring vision of what the
presidency can and should be. America deserves better
leaders, and with unsurpassed knowledge of American history
and politics, Burns shows us the way forward.
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