Leading From the Center: Press Release

Publication Date: June 16, 2008

Contact: Cassie Nelson, Perseus Books -- 212-340-8132 / cassie.nelson@perseusbooks.com

LEADING FROM THE CENTER

Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents

By Gil Troy

“Gil Troy’s latest book, emphasizing the twentieth century presidency, argues cogently that our most successful chief executives have managed to position themselves substantively or stylistically near the political center of their eras. Such is, he asserts, the key to political success in a liberal democratic society that by its very nature must value tolerance, diversity of opinion, and civility. He leaves us wondering, however, whether the center can hold in our own polarized era of political excess.” —Alonzo L. Hamby, Distinguished Professor of History, Ohio University, and author of Man of the People: A Life of Harry S. Truman

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After eight long years of partisan politics and endless discussions of a red state/blue state divide in this country, many Americans are anxiously awaiting an end to a presidency defined by fringe politics, one that persistently and systematically moved away from the will of the center. According to historian Gil Troy, in the distinctly great American presidencies—such as those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan—a president’s ability to move away from partisan extremes and move boldly to the center has been the single unifying quality guaranteeing his success.

In LEADING FROM THE CENTER: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents (Basic Books; Hardcover; June 2008), Troy examines actual American presidencies on this very basis – did the president move to the center and if so, was this move made boldly or weakly? And the results are clear; presidents who exhibit what Troy has termed “muscular moderation”—a bold and decisive leadership from a centrist standpoint—have been rewarded with support from Congress and support from the American people, as seen by high approval ratings.

Troy buttresses his argument with countless examples that give clarity to the discussion:

• George Washington’s enlightened moderation as he mediates between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton;
• Abraham Lincoln’s golden path during the Civil War, via principled pragmatism;
• Both Roosevelts’ powerful, affirmative, nationalist vision positioning the president as the touchstone for citizens and politicians;
• John F. Kennedy’s bold but politically moderate leadership with Civil Rights;
• Ronald Reagan’s public swagger concealing a moderate presidency, where bi-partisan relationships are evident in his handling of Gorbachev and ending the Cold War.

And while there have been a number of presidents who have been successful in their use of “muscular moderate” politics, Troy uses the examples of Nixon and Carter to make the point that being a centrist does not guarantee success. Troy also devotes further attention to the shortcomings our two most recent presidents. He argues that Clinton’s use of triangulation and lack of principles exhibited a spineless, weak centrism, and that George W. Bush was undone by his movement away from the center toward a polarized polity.

LEADING FROM THE CENTER makes the clearest case possible for the need for centrism in the executive branch, showing time and again why our country is best served by leaders who exhibit a real “muscular moderation,” a powerful affirmation of the values that unite us and a commitment to politics that build from the center.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native of Queens, New York, GIL TROY is currently Professor of History at McGill University and a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He is the author of several books, including Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s and Hillary Rodham Clinton: Polarizing First Lady. He comments frequently about the American presidency on television and radio, and has published articles in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and USA Weekend. Troy is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

LEADING FROM THE CENTER
Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents
By Gil Troy
Basic Books
Publication Date: June 16, 2008
Hardcover/ $27.50/ 341 pages / 978-0-465-00293-1
www.basicbooks.com