The President's Other Half: Power, Politics, and America's First Ladies (thesis)

Abstract

While traditional scholarly literature has neglected the office, the First Lady has tremendous power and plays a pivotal role during her husband's administration. In the public/private and masculine/feminine dualities, First Ladies compliment their husbands. First Ladies navigate the private sphere to help their husbands achieve political ends. As the national hostess, the First Lady crafts and directs presidential imagery. How and who the First ady entertains matters as it is a reflection of national values. Finally, First Ladies are key surrogates of the President. Since First Ladies are women, they are able to occupy different emotional space than men and speak with a different kind of authority about issues dealing with women and children. Rather than being a single person job, to fully exercise the power of the presidency, the President needs a First Lady. [From Introduction]