{"title":"The Rhetorical Post-presidency: Former Presidents as Elite Cue Givers","authors":"Gregory H. Winger, Alex Oliver","doi":"10.1093/psquar/qqae013","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"\n Former presidents are not resigned to quiet anonymity but instead can remain prominent political actors long after exiting the White House. From Jimmy Carter's personal diplomacy to Donald Trump's caustic social media posts, ex-presidents continue to exercise considerable political power despite lacking any official role or governing authority. We argue that this continued post-presidential influence is an outgrowth of the informal powers of the presidency. A president's rhetorical prowess and ability to command national attention do not dissipate upon exiting office but instead form the basis for post-presidential influence. To test this theory, we conducted two survey experiments of former presidents as elite cue givers. We found that although effects are not uniform, statements attributed to former presidents can substantively alter the policy preferences of recipients. However, these effects appear to be highly individualistic and largely tied to copartisan recipients.","PeriodicalId":51491,"journal":{"name":"Political Science Quarterly","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Political Science Quarterly","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/psquar/qqae013","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"POLITICAL SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Former presidents are not resigned to quiet anonymity but instead can remain prominent political actors long after exiting the White House. From Jimmy Carter's personal diplomacy to Donald Trump's caustic social media posts, ex-presidents continue to exercise considerable political power despite lacking any official role or governing authority. We argue that this continued post-presidential influence is an outgrowth of the informal powers of the presidency. A president's rhetorical prowess and ability to command national attention do not dissipate upon exiting office but instead form the basis for post-presidential influence. To test this theory, we conducted two survey experiments of former presidents as elite cue givers. We found that although effects are not uniform, statements attributed to former presidents can substantively alter the policy preferences of recipients. However, these effects appear to be highly individualistic and largely tied to copartisan recipients.
期刊介绍:
Published continuously since 1886, Political Science Quarterly or PSQ is the most widely read and accessible scholarly journal covering government, politics and policy. A nonpartisan journal, PSQ is edited for both political scientists and general readers with a keen interest in public and foreign affairs. Each article is based on objective evidence and is fully refereed.