Parmet gives us an overview of the actions of each President who sat neatly (or perhaps not so neatly) between the bookends of Hoover and the first Bush. Parmet begins with Roosevelt because he was the first president who truly dominated the politics of his era during peace-time. Other presidents including Lincoln and Wilson had assumed extraordinary powers, but had done so during times of violence.

Of course Roosevelt faced a national emergency in the form of the Great Depression. He worked to get the country back on track by imposing an alphabet soup of agencies, reforms and regulations upon the nation. Modern economists still argue over whether those reforms prolonged the depression or ameliorated its affects. Whatever the case, what cannot be denied, is that Roosevelt changed the way people view the presidency. As Parmet points out, this was not completely due to the man himself, but partially due to the new medium of communication of the age, radio.

Roosevelt was a master of communication, and he came over smooth and confident to the ears of the nation. People who were panicked and much in need of a strong, intelligent voice purporting to bear solutions, even if experimental solutions. Parmet reports the long lasting effects of Roosevelt's presidency and how it produced a back-lash within the nation and even spawned a constitutional amendment that would limit the president to two terms in office.

The Roosevelt presidency and the new means of personal communication via the Radio gave birth to a new way of looking at the president. The presidency itself became more of a place where people turned for a solution to their personal problems. The president was no longer a detached and hazy distant power who only indirectly affected the lives of individuals. He was now a powerful and pervasive voice that could enter every parlor in the country on any given day. This trend became even more accelerated with the advent of Television, where people could not only hear the president speak, but see him as well. The bully-pulpit made famous by the first Roosevelt would become a significant power for those who could wield it with effect.

Mr. Parmet addresses these factors and more as he adroitly analyzes each presidency, even giving us insight to much ignored presidencies such as those of Ford and Carter. He has a facility for picking out the significant moments in the career of each president. He lingers on the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Reagan was known as the "Great Communicator" and the "Teflon President". With good reason. He could get his message across to the public and drag congress along (kicking and screaming) to successfully implement his policies in spite of tough and heated opposition.

In the final analysis, as we look at the modern presidency, we can see that there has been an accretion of power to that office. It has undoubtedly been largely due to the evolution of communication. Skillfully used, the bully-pulpit allows the president to sway the nation in a way that no other governmental body can. There are too many faces in Congress all jockeying for a few minutes in front of the camera. The supreme court is by its nature not a telegenic body. The presidency is the only place where one man can voice clear ideas to the nation.

"Presidential Power from the New Deal to the New Right", by Herbert S. Parmet is a good overview of the modern presidency and even explains some of what has happened in the post-Reagan presidencies. It is an interesting study and part of "The Anvil Series". In its appendices it includes many documents substantiating the conclusions of the author. It is interesting to read these pieces in the context of the work. This is a good primmer for those wishing to continue their study of politics and the presidency. **

This book can be purchased at Amazon.com.