Notwithstanding Richard Neustadt's assertion that presidential power is the power to persuade, Arthur demonstrates empirically that presidents are not very effective when they attempt to persuade key economic actors. Relying on content analysis of speeches, Arthur examines presidential rhetoric and its effect on the economy. While presidents have increasingly tried to use persuasion to build support for their policies, the author finds that rhetoric has little impact on the Federal Reserve's actions, Congress, or the public's perceptions of the economy. Indeed, the author suggests that congressional committees may have more influence over the Fed than the president. Arthur also finds, paradoxically, that presidents are often less likely to talk about the economy when times are bad (Barack Obama being a notable exception). Arthur concludes that 'presidential rhetoric on the economy is, at best, a tool presidents use to appear concerned about the economy to everyone and toeing the party-line to their base.' This work provides empirical evidence to support what many have long suspected: that presidential talks about the economy are just talk. Summing Up:Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections.

Choice Reviews

[T]his book contributes meaningfully to our growing, if bifurcated, understanding of why and how presidents communicate with their public and what the consequences of these efforts may be. Scholars who have invested time in this debate would do well to read Arthur’s words carefully, and those seeking to learn more in general about presidential rhetoric and presidential economic leadership will find Economic Actors,Economic Behaviors, and Presidential Leadership to be as enjoyable of an introduction to the topic as it is an insightful one.

Rhetoric & Public Affairs

Using the president’s rhetoric on the national economy as an analytic wedge, this nicely written study adds to our understanding of the role presidential rhetoric plays—and fails to play—in influencing policy making and policy makers. C. Damien Arthur’s book will be of particular interest to students and scholars with an interest in economic policy, presidential rhetoric, and the ways in which they intersect.

Mary E. Stuckey, Georgia State University

C. Damien Arthur’s Economic Actors, Economic Behaviors, and Presidential Leadership takes a skeptical and data-driven look at a major question for scholars of the presidency: does presidential rhetoric matter, and if so, how? The book is sure to be of interest to students of presidential rhetoric.

Thomas W. Benson, Pennsylvania State University