President and the Parties: The Transformation of the American Party System Since the New Deal

The President and the Parties is the first book to examine closely the association between the chief executive and the two-party system. It traces the evolution of the president-party relationship and its implication for American Democracy since the New Deal - from FDR's 1938 "Purge" of the Democratic Party to Lyndon Johnson's Great Society to the celebration of executive centralization during the Reagan "Revolution." Milkis argues that reforms intended to liberate the chief executive from the shackles of partisan politics only weakened an already fragile relationship, isolating presidents from what was once popular and institutional support from their parties. By providing a unique perspective on the history and development of American government, Milkis offers new insights into the decline of the party system and the process that fashioned a stronger, more active national state, but one lacking in representative institutions capable of common deliberation and choice. Placing the issue in contemporary perspective, he warns of the challenges ahead for a nation struggling to repair its frayed connection between government and people.