Wiley-Online-Library: Presidential Studies Quarterly: Table of Contents

Presidential Personalities and Constitutional Power Grabs in Latin America, 1945–2021. By Ignacio Arana Araya, New York: Oxford University Press, 2026. 201 pp. $99.00 (hardcover). ISBN: 978‐0‐19‐783279‐0

Kurt Weyland — Tue, 26 May 2026 11:17:33 -0700

Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 56, Issue 2, June 2026.

The One Lonely Little Guy Versus Thousand Lobbyists: George H. W. Bush and the American Jews

David Tal — Tue, 26 May 2026 11:14:08 -0700

ABSTRACT

This article reconsiders the strained relationship between President George H. W. Bush and the American Jewish community during the early 1990s, focusing on the controversy surrounding Israel's request for US loan guarantees and Bush's September 1991 “lonely little guy” remark. Contrary to prevailing scholarly portrayals that emphasize presidential hostility or anger, it argues that the depth of Jewish outrage cannot be explained by policy disagreement alone. The article shows that American Jews interpreted Bush's remarks through a historically embedded sensitivity to accusations of dual loyalty. The reaction was shaped less by the president's intentions or actions than by a long-standing Jewish fear of political delegitimation, intensified by the linkage of humanitarian aid to Israeli settlement policy. By situating the episode within the broader history of American Jewish political identity, the article highlights how historical memory mediated contemporary political conflict and magnified its consequences, including the sharp erosion of Jewish support for Bush in the 1992 election.

“A Whale of a Chance”: Thomas E. Dewey, the U.S. South, and the Election of 1948

Lewis Johnson — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:35:59 -0700

ABSTRACT

This article examines the Republican Party's campaign in the South in 1948. It argues that many national and state Republicans believed that there was a real opportunity for the party's presidential candidate, Thomas E. Dewey, to win Border South states. Dewey and other influential national Republicans also expressed interest in boosting the party's fortunes in the region and made efforts—which they had not in 1944—to cultivate southern Republicanism's growth. Optimistic about the party's prospects but wary of the potential risks associated with personal excursions into the South, Dewey sent Republican National Committee chair Hugh Scott and Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio into the region on his behalf. There, as this article argues, they honed a pro-states' rights message with a non-racial veneer to capitalize on President Harry S. Truman's unpopularity and foster Democratic defections without jeopardizing Dewey's support outside of the former Confederacy. Though Dewey performed poorly in the South in 1948, this article reveals a serious and at times thoughtful Republican engagement with the region that year, thereby complicating discussions of Dwight D. Eisenhower's success in 1952. This article demonstrates that Eisenhower was not the first to pinpoint Republican opportunity in the postwar South and argues that the basic outlines of his rhetorical appeals were in fact formulated by Republicans at least 4 years earlier. This encourages a reassessment of conventional scholarly periodizations in the study of southern Republicanism, which focus on the later twentieth century, and the development of a longer-term framework for understanding the party's success in Dixie.

Assessing Presidential Greatness in a Polarized Moment: Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Survey

Brandon Rottinghaus, Justin Vaughn — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 11:38:18 -0700

ABSTRACT

This article presents the findings of the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey. which aimed to rank presidential greatness from George Washington to Joe Biden. Respondents rated each president revealing notable trends in historical rankings. Abraham Lincoln topped the list with an average rating of 95.03, followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt (90.83) and George Washington (90.32). In contrast, Donald Trump received the lowest score at 10.92. Changes in rankings from previous surveys highlight shifts in perceptions, particularly with Barack Obama rising from 16th to 7th. Partisan analysis revealed interesting dynamics, with Republicans and conservatives favoring Washington, while Democrats showed more favorable ratings for Obama. The survey also identified Donald Trump as the most polarizing president, while George Washington emerged as the least polarizing. Additionally, respondents characterized Jimmy Carter as the most underrated president and John F. Kennedy as the most overrated. These findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on presidential evaluations in a polarized political climate.

Abiding Influence: Presidents, Nationalist Beliefs, and US Policy in the Asia Pacific, 1898−1972 By Guiseppe Paparella. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2025. 255 pp.

Matthew Oyos — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:30:13 -0700

Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 56, Issue 2, June 2026.

Issue Information

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:39:04 -0700

Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 56, Issue 2, June 2026.

American Maccabee: Theodore Roosevelt and the Jews

David Sehat — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:38:20 -0700

Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 56, Issue 2, June 2026.