Affairs of State: Rise and Rejection of the Presidential Couple Book

The media attention and political influence garnered by first ladies is a distinctive quality of the modern presidency. It follows, therefore, that scholars of the American presidency increasingly direct attention to the role the first family plays in contemporary politics. One point made emphatically clear by Gil Troy's book Affairs of State is that the heightened role of the first lady is not a creation of the Clinton presidency. Troy traces the history of first families from Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to Bill and Hillary, with the Nixon presidency shaping up as an important juncture in the creation of the modern image of the White House family. He depicts the immense influence the press corps has over public opinion about the first family--a role they gained through politicians' attempts to leverage their families for favorable media coverage. Having sketched the rules of the image game as played by the press and the presidency, Troy gives sage advice: follow the conventions and don't risk offending the impossible expectations placed on the first family. To do otherwise is to risk negative press coverage and the disapproval of middle America.Read More