American Royalty The Bush and Clinton Families and the Danger to the American Presidency

The Bush-Clinton families_ hold on the American presidency is a danger to the presidency itself and American democracy. This two-family domination has 1) endangered the American presidency as a representative institution 2) has allowed family personal issues to dominate policymaking at a crucial time in American history 3) has fed an out of control American political system that thrives too much on name recognition and fundraising capability 4) sends a signal to the world community that the American political system is not truly democratic. The current struggles of the second Bush presidency should give pause to those Americans who are contemplating a second Clinton presidency. This book will highlight the problems and the consequences of combining the most powerful political office in the world with family legacies.

Matthew Corrigan Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Florida.  His research interests include Southern politics and the American Presidency.  His book, Race, Religion and Economic Change was published last year. Other recent publications include “Democratic Campaigns of Survival in the Republican South” in the edited book, Campaigns and Elections: Issues, Concepts and Cases and “Northeast Florida and Jacksonville: Black Democrats and White Republicans” in the edited book, Florida Politics: Ten Media Markets, One Powerful State.  During the aftermath of the 2000 presidential election, he was a consultant to Duval County, Florida and assisted county leaders in reforming the county’s voting system.  He is currently President of the Florida Political Science Association.  He lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife Mary and son John.