The book examines the development of the U.S. presidency since 1945 and describes the many ways, some of which are unknown or greatly underappreciated, in which the president's actions affect the daily lives of the American people.

Cover -- Half title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Dedication -- Preface -- Introduction. Politics and the Markets They Made -- Part I. Lawmakers and Regulators -- Chapter 1. Deregulation Before Deregulation: John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and James Saxon -- Chapter 2. Supermarket Banks:...

First I describe my background in American historical scholarship. Thereafter, I assess the efforts of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama and their senior advisors to stabilize American financial institutions during the period 2008-2009. My fundamental contention is that state actors...