Ideologues and Presidents

Ideologues and Presidents argues that ideologues have been gaining influence since the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson's White House sought the help of liberals in formulating policy changes, yet when it came time to implement their plans, ultimately proved to have scant interest in ideological purity."Thomas Langston argues that . . . the important role played by ideologues was the culmination of a significant trend that began with Franklin Roosevelt and continued through a...
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Ideologues and Presidents argues that ideologues have been gaining influence since the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson's White House sought the help of liberals in formulating policy changes, yet when it came time to implement their plans, ultimately proved to have scant interest in ideological purity."Thomas Langston argues that . . . the important role played by ideologues was the culmination of a significant trend that began with Franklin Roosevelt and continued through a transitional stage during the administration of Lyndon Baines Johnson. . . . Much recent scholarship has focused on the need of presidents to fill the gap between inflated expectations and reality. . . . . Langston adds to a growing body of literature dealing with these larger topics of concern for a democratic polity."--Joseph A. Pika,American Political Science Review