Robert P. Watson

Treatment of First Ladies in American Government and Presidency Textbooks: Overlooked, yet Influential, Voices

first lady was well aware of her husbands performance during the press conference and was well versed in the intricacies of public speaking and the importance of public image. More than that, she was obviously ready to give advice and criticism. The transcript illustrates powerfully the truth of the argument that first ladies are the most important advisers to presidents (Anthony 1990, 1991; Caroli 1987; Mayo 1993; Watson 1997, 1999). While each first lady has interpreted and carried out her duties differently, there is ample evidence that modern first ladies

Ranking the presidential spouses

Abstract Numerous polls have offered rankings of the presidents but little effort has been made to rate the performance of the presidents spouse. Not only has there been far less academic attention devoted to the first ladies, but there are difficulties inherent in assessing this “office” that presidential scholars need not worry about when ranking the commanders-in-chief. Yet, the first lady has emerged as a political “institution” worthy of scholarly attention, including an attempt at ranking them. This article provides the results of a poll ranking the first ladies, along with an analysis of the rankings between activist and traditionalist first ladies, first ladies of different historical periods, and between the presidents and their spouses.

Wittgenstein on language: toward a theory (and the study) of language in organizations

What has emerged in large organizations is the use of hybrid language of abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and complex syntax known as bureacratease. Often this misuse of language is done with the purpose of deceiving and misinforming. Whether or not this was the intent, however, the result of bureaucratees is often just that along with the breakdown of communication between the organization and the clientele it serves. Moreover, there is insufficient research devoted to this phenomenon. Borrowing from Wittgenstein, this article offers a model for understanding bureaucratese and attempts to move the field of public administration toward a theory of this misuse of language in organization.

Counting votes : lessons from the 2000 presidential election in Florida

Foreword: Let Every Voice Be Heard, Let Every Vote Be Counted, by Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, League of Women Voters 1. The State of Elections: People, Politics, and Problems, by Robert P. Walson Part 1. The Florida Election Controversy 2. The Election, Miami, and the Recount, by Thomas R. Spencer 3. Some Things Are Not Meant to Be: The Florida Controversy and the Vote Recount by Mitchell Ceasor 4. Public Information: Dealing with the Media in an Election Crists, by Gisela Salas Part 2. Running an Election 5. Running an Election and the Work of the Elections Office 6. A Look at Voting Machines and Voting Systems 7. The Role of Grassroots Organizing and the Political Party in Elections, by Mark Hoch 8. Candidates, Parties, and Local Election Politics, by Cathy Dubin Part 3. Voting Systems and Problems 9. Voting Technology and Voting Access in Twenty-first-Century America, by C. Green, Rhonda S. Kinney, and Jason Mitchell 10. Balancing Competing Interests: Voting Equipment in Presidential Elections, by Marthn E. Kropf and Stephen Knack 11. Unrecorded Votes and Political Representation, by David C. Kimball, Chris Owens, and Katherine McAndrew Keeney Part 4. The Electoral College Reconsidered 12. The 2000 Presidential Election: Is There a Better Way of Determining the Election Outcome? by Jim Corey 13. The Electoral College: Political Advantage, the Small States, and Implications for Reform, by Glenn W. Rainey Jr. 14. Electoral College Reform at the State Level: Choices and Trade-Offs, by Paul D. Schumaker and Bruce L Oppenhelmer Part 5. Election Reform 15. The Elusive Promise of Democratic Elections? by Victoria A. Farrar-Myers 16. The Fiasco in Florida: Ferille Ground for Election Reform, by Blair Bobier 17. Is Election Reform Necessary? Yes

A review essay: Hillary’s legacy? Recent literature on the First Lady

Hillary Rodham Clinton was perhaps the most polarizing first lady in the history of the office. The negativity that greeted Hillary’s emergence on the national stage began during her husband’s 1992 campaign for the presidency and much of what was written on Hillary at the outset of the Clinton presidency was negative, even tabloid-like in nature. So too did the Republican party seize every opportunity to demonize Mrs. Clinton in print and she rapidly emerged as a political rallying point unifying the president’s opponents in their mutual dislike of the First Lady. Books soon followed, capitalizing on the public’s interest in their new first lady and the media’s preoccupation with what they billed as a “new type” of presidential spouse: a full partner in the presidency. Even the more balanced accounts of the new First Lady, such as Judith Warner’s Hillary Clinton: The Inside Story(Warner, 1993) and Norman King’sHillary: Her True Story(King, 1993) portrayed a controversial, headline-grabbing woman and hinted at more to come. Two things all the literature had in common were their suggestion that Hillary was a brand new type of first lady and the implication that she was a threat to traditional values. The reality of the matter is that all first ladies have been subject to severe criticism from the public, press, and political opponents of the president. Yet, despite the often hostile and personal nature of such attacks and the animosity generated by such controversial first ladies as Mary Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Nancy Reagan, the criticism directed at Hillary appears to have transcended anything the office has ever experienced. Indeed, as scholars contemplate her legacy, an inevitable component of her first ladyship is sure to be the extensive criticism she generated. If the flurry of books written on Hillary at the close of her tenure as first lady are any indication, this will not only be a part of her legacy, but a definitive component of it.

Human rights considerations and U.S. foreign policy: The Latin American experience

Abstract The question of the nature of the relationship between U.S. foreign policy and international human rights remains unanswered. While research exists, there is little consensus on the matter. Moreover, most of the research is limited in scope and methodology to case studies, analyses of a single year, or focusses solely on economic aid allocations as a proxy for U.S. foreign policy. This study comprehensively conceptualizes U.S. foreign policy by analyzing U.S. trade, investment, military arms sales, and various categories of foreign aid with the human rights practices of recipient nations in Latin America over a three year period. It was found that human rights tended not to be a consideration in allocating foreign aid and that it was linked to foreign investments and arms sales during only one of the three years studied. However, a strong relationship existed between human rights and bilateral trade with Latin America, in that the United States traded with nations having the best human rights records.

Introduction to the special issue on first ladies

First ladies have overseen historic renovations to the Executive Mansion, stumped long and hard on the campaign trail, edited presidential speeches, advised on cabinet appointments, and championed ...