Is every presidency doomed to fail?

President Franklin D Roosevelt in the Oval Office in 1937 Image via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain

The Founders of the United States envisioned the presidency as an office that would be minimal in reach.  They didn’t want the USA to be a monarchy. 

But incrementally, the executive branch has expanded.  And now, scholars like Dr. Jeremi Suri argue that the modern presidency is crushed by its own power and unable to be fully wielded by the President, leading to decades of broken promises and deep disillusionment amongst citizens.

On this episode, UnTextbooked producer Lap Nguyen interviews Professor Suri about the shifting nature of the presidency and why FDR is such a hard act to follow. 

Book: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office

Guest: Dr. Jeremi Suri, Professor of Public Affairs and History at University of Texas, Austin

Producer: Lap Nguyen

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman