San Antonio College Library

Fourteen essays by 13 writers portray three phases in the life of the uncomplicated man who played a leading part in a complex time.

Determined to do what he could to stop the rising tide of bigotry perpetuated by the right wing and frustrated by not being able to acknowledge his sexual preference, Marvin Liebman - a major strategist and fund-raiser for the conservative movement - decided in 1990 to reveal his homosexuality. With the demise of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union - the "enemy" that has long held the conservative movement together - Liebman fears that the...

Since Donald Trump became president in January 2017, opponents have criticized him as unpredictable, offensive, and autocratic, a threat to both democratic ideals at home and stability abroad. But supporters have praised him as refreshing, bold, and unafraid to make waves or upset the status quo. Some Americans urge resistance to working with Trump to avoid "normalizing" his presidency, but others warn that this will only deepen political divisions...

This book includes biographical facts as well as political contributions.

How much power should the chief executive have? Though the powers of the presidency have expanded with the growth of the nation, the process has been anything but smooth. The prerogatives of the presidency are uncertain and their assertion is invariably contested. This program offers a close-up look at four presidencies that became the benchmarks in the development of executive power. It is a journey through the emergence in practice of our modern...

"The American public, from time to time, wishes to see the trustee who looks neither right nor left, but only up to the heavens and down to the work before him," says presidential scholar Richard Neustadt. But is an independent cast of mind the best approach to the U.S. presidency? In this program, we explore the presidencies of four men who pursued a course that took little account of political affiliation. They were men who were presidents, in essence,...

From the beginning, the presidential office has beckoned to national heroes renowned for their selfless service to their country. This affinity is especially strong for men of military fame, for the president is formally commander-in-chief as well as symbolically the steward of the national interest. The U.S. president-as-national hero exemplifies the value we all place on authenticity in governance. This program explores four personifications of...

"Ask most Americans what they think of politics and you'll likely get an earful. With suspicion and distrust of public servants running high, many citizens seem dispirited by the very process that has made the United States a showcase for democracy." "Now ask Tom Volgy. This former mayor of a major western city, who is also a political scientist, contends that most elected officials are the very opposite of what the public thinks: honest, hardworking...