![\"Tevi](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/credit-the-guardian.jpg\")
<\/a>Tevi Troy\u2019s new book explores how pres\u00adi\u00addents inter\u00adact with pop\u00adu\u00adlar cul\u00adture \u2026 like this mem\u00ado\u00adrable moment when the Pres\u00adi\u00addent met The King. [Cred\u00adit: The Guardian]<\/p><\/div>Tevi Troy\u2019s new book is more than just an enter\u00adtain\u00ading chron\u00adi\u00adcle of what Pres\u00adi\u00addents have read, watched and lis\u00adtened to. It offers insights into their habits of mind and how these habits have shaped \u2013 and been shaped by \u2013 pop\u00adu\u00adlar culture.\n
What Jef\u00adfer\u00adson Read, Ike Watched and Oba\u00adma Tweet\u00aded<\/em><\/a> (Reg\u00adn\u00adery) is a work whose read\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty masks what must have been a tedious task of schol\u00adar\u00adship. Troy\u2019s light style moves the read\u00ader effort\u00adless\u00adly along, accom\u00adpa\u00adny\u00ading weighty insights with deli\u00adcious anec\u00addotes. How U.S. Grant, then in the ter\u00admi\u00adnal stages of throat can\u00adcer, teamed with Mark Twain to write his mem\u00adoirs in order to pro\u00advide for his fam\u00adi\u00adly after his death. (If only Break\u00ading Bad\u2019s<\/em> Wal\u00adter White had thought of that.) How William McKin\u00adley, while being treat\u00aded for the gun\u00adshot wound that would claim his life, asked for a news\u00adpa\u00adper to learn how his recent \u2014 and last \u2014 speech had been received. Al Jolson\u2019s cam\u00adpaign song for War\u00adren G. Hard\u00ading (\u201cWe think the country\u2019s ready for anoth\u00ader man like Ted\u00addy\u201d). Ger\u00adald Ford arrang\u00ading for Queen Eliz\u00ada\u00adbeth II<\/span> to be enter\u00adtained by the Cap\u2019n and Tenille\u2019s ren\u00addi\u00adtion of \u201cMuskrat Love.\u201d (Tenille recalled that \u201ca stone-faced Hen\u00adry Kissinger sat four feet from her dur\u00ading the per\u00adfor\u00admance, arms fold\u00aded impas\u00adsive\u00adly across his chest.\u201d) Willie Nelson\u2019s adven\u00adture dur\u00ading his vis\u00adit to Pres\u00adi\u00addent Carter, where he claims to have smoked \u201ca big fat Austin tor\u00adpe\u00addo\u201d on the White House roof.<\/p>\n Like a true base\u00adball fan, Troy also has leav\u00adened his work with sta\u00adtis\u00adtics. Jef\u00adfer\u00adson col\u00adlect\u00aded 6,487 books, which formed the core of the Library of Con\u00adgress; Woodrow Wil\u00adson attend\u00aded 225 plays while in office; Jim\u00admy Carter watched 480 movies dur\u00ading his lone White House term; George W. Bush read 186 books between 2006 and 2008, includ\u00ading 95 in 2006 alone, 58 of which were non-fic\u00adtion. Har\u00adry Tru\u00adman was the last Pres\u00adi\u00addent who did not earn a bachelor\u2019s degree, George H.W. Bush the last with\u00adout a grad\u00adu\u00adate degree, Rea\u00adgan the last with\u00adout a degree from Har\u00advard or Yale.<\/p>\n Troy is an unapolo\u00adgetic devo\u00adtee of the Founders and the book sug\u00adgests that the sto\u00adry of the presidency\u2019s inter\u00adac\u00adtion with the broad\u00ader cul\u00adture is one of decline, as the title of his Intro\u00adduc\u00adtion \u2013 \u201cFrom Cicero to Snoo\u00adki\u201d \u2013 sug\u00adgests. The Founders were devot\u00aded to their books, devour\u00ading every\u00adthing from the Clas\u00adsics to his\u00adto\u00adry, phi\u00adlos\u00ado\u00adphy and the law. Their read\u00ading ren\u00addered them:<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Remark\u00adably well-pre\u00adpared for the task that his\u00adto\u00adry pre\u00adsent\u00aded them. They were immersed in the time\u00adless ques\u00adtions of what makes a just soci\u00adety and how men are best gov\u00aderned. As Leo Strauss observed, the Founders com\u00adbined the great tra\u00addi\u00adtions of Athens and Jerusalem, of rea\u00adson and revelation\u2026The Founders viewed read\u00ading not mere\u00adly as enter\u00adtain\u00adment but as a path to wis\u00addom, virtue and toward a just society.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n They con\u00adsid\u00adered read\u00ading essen\u00adtial to the republic\u2019s sur\u00advival. Troy quotes Jefferson\u2019s warn\u00ading: \u201cIf a nation expects to be igno\u00adrant and free, in a state of civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion, it expects what nev\u00ader was and nev\u00ader will be.\u201d<\/p>\n George Wash\u00ading\u00adton, though not a vora\u00adcious read\u00ader when mea\u00adsured against the likes of Jef\u00adfer\u00adson and Adams, main\u00adtained a library of 900 books, a fig\u00adure that grows more impres\u00adsive when one con\u00adsid\u00aders that a book like Adam Smith\u2019s Wealth of Nations<\/em> cost the equiv\u00ada\u00adlent of what an iPad costs today.<\/p>\n The Founders led a nation of read\u00aders. Lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adcy rates in Amer\u00adi\u00adca, Troy observes, were high\u00ader than those in Europe at the time. Thomas Paine\u2019s polit\u00adi\u00adcal tract, Com\u00admon Sense<\/em>,<\/span> sold 100,000 copies, one for every twen\u00adty-five res\u00adi\u00addents, which would trans\u00adlate to 12.5 mil\u00adlion sales in the present day.<\/p>\n Even in the Founder\u2019s time, how\u00adev\u00ader, read\u00ading wasn\u2019t the only venue of cul\u00adture. The\u00adater was also among the pop\u00adu\u00adlar pre\u00adoc\u00adcu\u00adpa\u00adtions, one that grew in impor\u00adtance dur\u00ading the nine\u00adteenth cen\u00adtu\u00adry as cul\u00adtur\u00adal and legal restric\u00adtions were relaxed. The\u00adater was chang\u00ading and with it the broad\u00ader cul\u00adture. The Jack\u00adson pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy reflect\u00aded this cul\u00adtur\u00adal change. The shift from the eru\u00addite John Quin\u00adcy Adams to the pop\u00adulist Andrew Jack\u00adson marked a shift in the par\u00ada\u00addigm of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan leaders.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>After Jack\u00adson, pres\u00adi\u00addents would not have to be well-read or well-edu\u00adcat\u00aded, but they would need to have the com\u00admon touch \u2026 In the wake of the Jack\u00adson\u00adian ascen\u00addance, strug\u00adgles between enlight\u00adened intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal lead\u00ader\u00adship and an under\u00adstand\u00ading of the com\u00admon man would firm\u00adly be decid\u00aded in favor of the com\u00admon man.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Not that read\u00ading was dead. Har\u00adri\u00adet Beech\u00ader Stowe\u2019s Uncle Tom\u2019s Cab\u00adin<\/em> not only inspired the flag\u00adging Abo\u00adli\u00adtion move\u00adment but gave Amer\u00adi\u00adca lit\u00ader\u00adary cred\u00adi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty in Europe. Lincoln\u2019s leg\u00adendary appetite for books lift\u00aded him from pover\u00adty and obscu\u00adri\u00adty to the White House. But books alone were not respon\u00adsi\u00adble for Lin\u00adcol\u00adn\u2019s suc\u00adcess. In post-Jack\u00adson\u00adian Amer\u00adi\u00adca, he had to \u201cstrad\u00addle the world of the com\u00admon man and that of the enlight\u00adened leader.\u201d<\/p>\n Lin\u00adcoln suc\u00adceed\u00aded spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly at a task that proved more than many who fol\u00adlowed him could han\u00addle. Ted\u00addy Roo\u00adsevelt, a stu\u00addent of Lin\u00adcoln, also fared well. \u201cOne of the last pres\u00adi\u00addents to obtain infor\u00adma\u00adtion pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly through read\u00ading,\u201d Troy tells us, Roo\u00adsevelt joined his love of books \u2013 or what he called his read\u00ading \u201cdis\u00adease\u201d \u2013 with a love of the out\u00addoors. The for\u00admer inspired his mete\u00adoric rise to the White House; the lat\u00adter earned him the pop\u00adu\u00adlar sup\u00adport that made that rise possible.<\/p>\n The progress of com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies like radio and the movies fueled the emer\u00adgence of celebri\u00adties and ren\u00addered the pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy \u201cmore approach\u00adable but less dig\u00adni\u00adfied.\u201d As pres\u00adi\u00addents revealed their pref\u00ader\u00adences for movies or songs, they took on the \u201crole as chief pitch\u00adman, inten\u00adtion\u00adal or not, in an increas\u00ading\u00adly com\u00admer\u00adcial culture.\u201d<\/p>\n And while Ted\u00addy Roo\u00adsevelt suc\u00adceed\u00aded in this role as well, it was his cousin Franklin who \u201cproved the orig\u00adi\u00adnal mas\u00adter of this new pop cul\u00adture, and none of his suc\u00adces\u00adsors has excelled him.\u201d Radio made FDR<\/span>, whose use of the medi\u00adum became a mod\u00adel for Ronald Rea\u00adgan. He also cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00aded celebri\u00adty endorse\u00adments, appear\u00ading at the LA<\/span> Olympic Sta\u00addi\u00adum dur\u00ading his 1932 cam\u00adpaign with Char\u00adlie Chap\u00adlin, Lau\u00adrel and Hardy, Clark Gable and Boris Karloff. More than any of his pre\u00adde\u00adces\u00adsors, FDR<\/span> was respon\u00adsi\u00adble for \u201cthe trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion of the pres\u00adi\u00addent into a media star.\u201d<\/p>\n Some were more com\u00adfort\u00adable with star\u00addom than oth\u00aders. Tru\u00adman and LBJ<\/span> were decid\u00aded\u00adly uncom\u00adfort\u00adable and Eisen\u00adhow\u00ader seemed almost com\u00adplete\u00adly unin\u00adter\u00adest\u00aded in cul\u00adti\u00advat\u00ading celebri\u00adty support.<\/p>\n Democ\u00adrats have fared far bet\u00adter than Repub\u00adli\u00adcans at woo\u00ading celebri\u00adties. Per\u00adhaps none sur\u00adpassed the awk\u00adward\u00adness of Nixon, who received Elvis Pres\u00adley at the White House, grant\u00adi\u00adng his request to become a \u201cFed\u00ader\u00adal Agent-at-Large.\u201d Elvis, accord\u00ading to Nixon aide Egil \u201cBud\u201d Krogh, arrived \u201cdressed in a pur\u00adple jump\u00adsuit and a white shirt open to the navel with a big gold chain and thick-rimmed sun\u00adglass\u00ades.\u201d He com\u00adplained to the Pres\u00adi\u00addent that \u201cthe Bea\u00adt\u00adles came over here and made a lot of mon\u00adey and said some un-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan things.\u201d A befud\u00addled Nixon asked Krogh, \u201cWhat\u2019s this about the Beatles?\u201d<\/p>\n Even Ronald Rea\u00adgan, the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan most adept at using the media to his polit\u00adi\u00adcal advan\u00adtage, had his embar\u00adrass\u00ading moments. Bruce Spring\u00adsteen rebuked him for using his \u201cBorn in the USA<\/span>\u201d as a GOP<\/span> pep-ral\u00adly anthem. The song\u2019s upbeat tem\u00adpo belies its dark\u00adly pes\u00adsimistic lyrics (\u201cthe first kick I took is when I hit the ground\u201d) that were entire\u00adly con\u00adtrary to Reagan\u2019s \u201cmorn\u00ading in Amer\u00adi\u00adca\u201d theme. George H.W. Bush fared no bet\u00adter with the vapid \u201cDon\u2019t Wor\u00adry, Be Hap\u00adpy,\u201d afford\u00ading Bob\u00adby McFer\u00adrin the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to announce his oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion to the Repub\u00adli\u00adcan standard-bearer.<\/p>\n Bill Clin\u00adton, on the oth\u00ader hand, basked in celebri\u00adty glo\u00adry. His choice of the insipid 70s hit, \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Think\u00ading About Tomor\u00adrow,\u201d as his cam\u00adpaign theme song won him the enthu\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtic embrace of Fleet\u00adwood Mac, who reunit\u00aded to per\u00adform the num\u00adber at Clinton\u2019s inau\u00adgur\u00adal ball. Troy notes that, aside from the enter\u00adtain\u00adment world\u2019s strong pref\u00ader\u00adence for Democ\u00adrats over Repub\u00adli\u00adcans, Clin\u00adton suc\u00adceed\u00aded in appro\u00adpri\u00adat\u00ading the tune because he \u2013 unlike Nixon, Rea\u00adgan and Bush \u2013 knew and gen\u00aduine\u00adly liked the music he was exploit\u00ading. Amer\u00adi\u00adcans can spot a phony.<\/p>\n Repub\u00adli\u00adcans are decid\u00aded\u00adly more com\u00adfort\u00adable with movies than pop\u00adu\u00adlar music, despite Hollywood\u2019s rejec\u00adtion of con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy (except when it comes to their own prop\u00ader\u00adty rights). Troy tells us that Ike loved West\u00aderns (as did Stal\u00adin and Khrushchev), that Nixon was an avid movie watch\u00ader whose favorite was Pat\u00adton<\/em>,<\/span> and that Ronald Rea\u00adgan, with some excep\u00adtions, pre\u00adferred films made dur\u00ading his act\u00ading career to those of the 1980s.<\/p>\n Kennedy and John\u00adson, on the oth\u00ader hand, had lit\u00adtle patience for films. Kennedy \u201cpre\u00adferred liv\u00ading like James Bond to watch\u00ading him on the screen,\u201d accord\u00ading to Troy, list\u00ading Mar\u00adi\u00adlyn Mon\u00adroe, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mar\u00adlene Diet\u00adrich, Jayne Mans\u00adfield, Gene Tier\u00adney, Kim Novak, Audrey Hep\u00adburn, Sophia Loren, and Ang\u00adie Dick\u00adin\u00adson among his con\u00adquests. The less sex\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly prodi\u00adgious John\u00adson favored movies about him\u00adself. Troy tells us that though he rarely watched movies, he saw A President\u2019s Coun\u00adtry<\/em>,<\/span> a gov\u00adern\u00adment doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adtary nar\u00adrat\u00aded by Gre\u00adgo\u00adry Peck, a dozen times.<\/p>\n Clin\u00adton pro\u00adclaimed that he loved movies \u201calmost to the point of com\u00adpul\u00adsion.\u201d Troy observes that Clinton\u2019s polit\u00adi\u00adcal suc\u00adcess \u201cstemmed from his seri\u00adous engage\u00adment with pop\u00adu\u00adlar culture.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>He under\u00adstood that movies had an escapist qual\u00adi\u00adty but that they also allowed Amer\u00adi\u00adca to present an ide\u00adal\u00adized ver\u00adsion of itself to the world. Pres\u00adi\u00addents, who must present an ide\u00adal\u00adized ver\u00adsion of them\u00adselves, have suc\u00adceed\u00aded when uti\u00adliz\u00ading movies to con\u00advey their best char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtics to the vot\u00ading public.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Clinton\u2019s obses\u00adsion with movies is matched by Obama\u2019s obses\u00adsion with tele\u00advi\u00adsion. Cit\u00ading Obama\u2019s auto\u00adbi\u00adogra\u00adphies, Troy says that the future Pres\u00adi\u00addent spent his youth in \u201cnon\u00adstop tele\u00advi\u00adsion view\u00ading,\u201d a habit that he brought to the White House. The Pres\u00adi\u00addent loves ESPN<\/span> (Troy quotes him as say\u00ading, \u201cI basi\u00adcal\u00adly floss my teeth and watch Sports\u00adCen\u00adter<\/em>\u201d) and all things sports, but also lists Home\u00adland, Mad Men, Board\u00adwalk Empire, Entourage<\/em> and The Wire<\/em> among his pas\u00adsions. Politico\u2019s Glenn Thrush has observed that Oba\u00adma \u201cseeks shal\u00adlow\u00ader waters, espe\u00adcial\u00adly in times of cri\u00adsis,\u201d using tele\u00advi\u00adsion as \u201ccom\u00adfort food.\u201d His pre\u00adferred shows, Troy writes, \u201care dark and edgy \u2013 decid\u00aded\u00adly not fam\u00adi\u00adly fare \u2013 so he usu\u00adal\u00adly watch\u00ades them alone.\u201d<\/p>\n And though Obama\u2019s lit\u00ader\u00adary con\u00adsump\u00adtion in the White House is con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adably less than that of his pre\u00adde\u00adces\u00adsor, he is well-read, his pol\u00adi\u00adtics and ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy shaped by books. Indeed, despite all the cul\u00adtur\u00adal changes since the days of the Founders, our pres\u00adi\u00addents still find time to read.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Not only are most mod\u00adern Amer\u00adi\u00adcan pres\u00adi\u00addents read\u00aders, but they tend to read a lot and to read thought\u00adful\u00adly. \u2026 Read\u00ading makes pres\u00adi\u00addents more seri\u00adous in an era where lead\u00ader\u00adship often debas\u00ades itself. If there\u2019s any\u00adthing pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial left about the pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy, we may have the pres\u00adi\u00addents\u2019 read\u00ading to thank.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Read\u00ading is essen\u00adtial to strik\u00ading the right bal\u00adance between grav\u00adi\u00adtas and acces\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, Troy argues.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Lead\u00aders must prove they are \u2018of the peo\u00adple\u2019 by dis\u00adplay\u00ading their con\u00adver\u00adsance with pop\u00adu\u00adlar cul\u00adture while main\u00adtain\u00ading an appear\u00adance of intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal achieve\u00adment. These goals can be mutu\u00adal\u00adly con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adto\u00adry, and pres\u00adi\u00addents must walk a care\u00adful line between flaunt\u00ading their intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal worth and relat\u00ading to the populace.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Like Mac\u00adchi\u00adaveli, Troy includes some max\u00adims for lead\u00aders on how best to tread that care\u00adful line: under\u00adstand the top shows, best\u00adsellers and block\u00adbusters, but don\u2019t com\u00adment on them; sub\u00adtly com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adcate what you read and watch; if you crit\u00adi\u00adcize artists or celebri\u00adties, you empow\u00ader them to crit\u00adi\u00adcize you; politi\u00adcians who live by the rules of celebri\u00adty die by the rules of celebri\u00adty; a Pres\u00adi\u00addent can be cool for only so long; come\u00addi\u00adans are more dan\u00adger\u00adous than pro\u00adduc\u00aders or reporters.<\/p>\n And the max\u00adim that per\u00adhaps best cap\u00adtures the theme of Troy\u2019s work: \u201cPop\u00adu\u00adlar cul\u00adture can help you get elect\u00aded. But read\u00ading is still king.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tevi Troy\u2019s new book is more than just an enter\u00adtain\u00ading chron\u00adi\u00adcle of what Pres\u00adi\u00addents have read, watched and lis\u00adtened to. It offers insights into their habits of mind and how these habits have shaped \u2013 and been shaped by \u2013 \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading