Education

University of Texas at Austin, B.A. Government, December 1981

University of Texas at Austin, Ph.D. Government, August 1988
      Dissertation: “Elections as Institutions” (Benjamin Page, Chair)

Employment

Associate Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University, Fall 2005-present


Assistant Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University, Fall 1999-Spring 2005


Webmaster, University of Kansas Athletic Department, February 1997-August 1999.


Assistant Professor, University of Kansas, Fall 1989-Spring 1997


Lecturer, University of Texas, Spring 1989


Instructor, Austin Community College, Fall 1988


Assistant Instructor, University of Texas, Summer 1987-Spring 1988


Teaching/Research Assistant, University of Texas, Summer 1982-Spring 1987

Courses Taught

Books

Lone Star Politics: Tradition and Transformation in Texas, Third edition, with Steve Galatas and Julie Harrelson-Stephens, Sage/Congressional Quarterly Press, February 2013.

Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs. University of Pittsburgh Press, June 1997.

Lone Star Politics: Tradition and Transformation in Texas, with Steve Galatas and Julie Harrelson-Stephens, Congressional Quarterly Press, March 2008.

Lone Star Politics: Tradition and Transformation in Texas, Second Edition, with Steve Galatas and Julie Harrelson-Stephens, Congressional Quarterly Press, January 2011.

Books (in progress)

Whose Line Is It? Rhetoric and Representation in the White House, under review.

Articles and Book Chapters

“Content analysis as rhetorical EEGs of the Presidency,” Communication and Language Analysis in the Public Sphere Roderick P. Hart, editor. IGI Global, 2014, 182-198. “Between the Bushes: The Evolution of Legislative Affairs,” White House Studies, Volume 7: Number 2 (2007).

“Winning Friends and Influencing the People: The President vs. Interest Groups,” with Michael J. Towle, White House Studies, Volume 2: Number 2 (2002).

“Controlando los controles y desequilibrando los equilibrios” in Bárbara A. Driscoll, Silvia Núñez García, and Julián Castro Rea, eds., Los Procesos Electorales en América del Norte en 1994. Mexico City: Centro de Investigaciones Sobre América del Norte, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2000.

“Reconceptualizing Going Public,” with Jeff Cohen, Presidential Policy Making: An End-of-Century Assessment, Steven A. Shull, editor, 1999.

“Behind the Bully Pulpit,” Presidential Studies Quarterly Volume 25 (Summer 1996)

“New Evidence Undercutting the Linkage of Approval with Presidential Support and Influence,” with Terry Sullivan. Journal of Politics 57: 197-209 (February 1995).

“Eisenhower and Congress: The Autopilot Presidency,” Presidential Studies Quarterly 24: 309-326 (Spring 1994).

“A Comparison of Incumbent Security in the House and Senate,” with Michael Munger. Public Choice 78: 145-154 (1994).

“The 1990 Gubernatorial Elections: The Mythical Revolt,” Social Science Quarterly 73: 188-193 (1992).

“The Rationally Uninformed Electorate: Some Experimental Evidence,” with Peter C. Ordeshook and Kenneth C. Williams. Public Choice 60: 3-29 (1989).

“Retrospective Voting: An Experimental Study,” with Richard D. McKelvey, Peter C. Ordeshook and Kenneth C. Williams. Public Choice 53: 101-130 (1987).

Book Reviews

Review of George Edwards The Strategic President, Congress and the Presidency, forthcoming

Review of W. J. Rorabaugh's The Real Making of the President, American Review of Politics, 30: (Fall 2009).

Review of Robert M. Eisinger’s The Evolution of Presidential Polling, Perspectives on Politics, 2:1 (March 2004): 139-140.

Review of Samuel Popkin's The Reasoning Voter in American Studies 33: 140-141 (Spring 1992).


Review of Mary Stuckey's The President as Interpreter-in-Chief, Midsouth Political Science Journal 13: 396-397 (Autumn 1993).

Professional Papers Presented

“Rhetoric and Representation: Exploring the Institutionalization of Presidential Speechwriting,” accepted for presentation at Southern Political Science Association Meetings, January 9-11, 2014, New Orleans, Louisiana. [Paper in .pdf format] Also accepted for presentation at Southwest Social Science Association Meetings, April 16-19, 2014, San Antonio, Texas.

“Eisenhower and the Birth of the Modern White House,” presented at Southwest Social Science Association Meetings, March 27-30, 2013, New Orleans, Louisiana. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Reassessing and Reviving Eisenhower's Leadership Style,” invited presentation, "Ike Reconsidered: The Eisenhower Legacy in the 21rst Century," Hunter College, New York City, March 1-9, 2012. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Content analysis as rhetorical EEGs of the White House,” DICTION Conference, February 14-16, 2013, Austin, TX. [paper in .pdf format]

“Rhetorical seismology: Using shifting speech drafts to trace institutional conflict in the White House,” presented at Southern Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, January 12-14, 2012. [Paper in .pdf fomat]

"Prospective versus Retrospective Rhetoric: Communications Strategies in the Clinton and Reagan Administrations," with Michael Towle, prepared for presentation at the Western Political Science Association Meetings, San Antonio, April, 2011 [Paper in .pdf format].

"Prospective and Retrospective Presidential Rhetoric," with Michael Towle, presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Washington, DC, September 2-5, 2010. [Paper in .pdf format]

"Presidents and Retrospective Rhetoric," with Michael Towle, paper for presentation at Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, Houston, Texas, April 1-3, 2010. [Paper in .pdf format]

"The New Media meets the New President," with Carl Cannon, paper for presentation at Rhetoric, Politics, and the Obama Phenomenon, Texas A&M University, March 4-7, 2010. [Paper in .pdf format]

"Touching the Granite: Presidential Speechwriting and the First Draft of History," presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, Las Vegas, NV, March 2008. [Paper in .pdf format]

"Between the Bushes: The Evolution of Legislative Affairs," presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, Albuquerque, NM, March 2007. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Battle Lines: Who Controls Presidential Rhetoric,” presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Philadelphia, PA, September 2006. [Paper in .pdf format]

“War of Words: Tracking Changes in Presidential Speech Drafts,” presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, IL, March 2006. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Writing for the Great Communicators: Writing rhetoric with Roosevelt and Reagan,” presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, San Antonio, Texas, March 2006. [Paper with appendices in .pdf format (5 MB), Paper without appendices (700 k)]

“The Incumbency Advantage is Gubernatorial and Senatorial Elections,”with James Endersby, presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, San Antonio, Texas, March 2006.

“Congressional Liaison in the Second Term: Winning in the Second Half with the Second Team,” roundtable presentation the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, San Antonio, Texas, March 2006.

“Looking for Character in Presidential Prose: Exploring Links between Barber's Presidential Character and Presidential Rhetoric,” presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2005. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Rhetosclerosis: The Impact of Institutionalization on Presidential Rhetoric,” presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, IL, September 2004. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Ghosts in the Machine: Rhetoric and Representation in the White House Speechwriting Process,” presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, IL, April 2004. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Whose Line is it? Studying the origins of Presidential Rhetoric,” presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, Corpus Christ, Texas, March 2004. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Authoring Kennedy's Rhetoric: An Analysis of the origins of JFK's speeches,” with Morgan Morton, presented at the Southwest Political Science Association Meetings, Corpus Christ, Texas, March 2004. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Presidential Staff and Presidential Speech: The Impact of the Institutionalization of the Presidential Speechwriting Process,” presented at the Southern Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2004.

“Linking Learning Communities to Social Capital,” presented at the Southern Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2004.

“Lighting the National Christmas Tree: The Case for Studying 'Rose Garden Rubbish'” presented at the Southwest Political Science Association, San Antonio, Texas, April 2003. [Paper in .pdf format]

“Homo-electus: Evidence for unifying the study of American election” presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Chicago. Illinois, April, 2003.

“The Full Court Press: The Executive Branch and the Legislative Process,” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2002.

“Terms and Time: Reevaluating Gubernatorial Incumbents,” presented at the Southern Political Science Association Meetings , Atlanta, Georgia, November 2001. Paper in .pdf format

“Electing America's Governors: Institutional Features and Outcomes of Gubernatorial Elections,” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Fort Worth, Texas, March 2001.

“The Limits of Going Public: Richard Nixon and Congress.” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Galveston, Texas, March 2000.


“Mandate, Message or Messenger? Competing Perspectives on the Presidential Influence in Congress.” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1997.


“Reconceptualizing Going Public.” with Jeff Cohen, American Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, Illinois, September 1995.


“The President, the Public and the Congress,” presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, Illinois, April 1995.

“The President, Interest Groups and the Congress: How the White House Loses to its Alumni, ” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Dallas, Texas, March 1995.

“Unchecking the Checks and Unbalancing the Balances,” Los Procesos Electorales En Mexico, presented at the Estados Unidos Y Canada, 1994: Evaluacin Y Perspectivas,Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico January 25-27.

“Who Gets What from the Networks: Candidate Coverage in the 1992 Presidential Primaries,” with Stuart Esrock, presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1993.

“New Evidence on Presidential Support, Influence and Prestige,” with Terry Sullivan, presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, April 1992.
     Also presented at presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Austin, March 1992,
     and presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, September 1992.

“Ronald Reagan and Andrew Jackson: The President as Outsider,” with Mike Bath, presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Austin, March 1992.

“Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” with Tony Nownes, presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, San Antonio, Texas, March 1991.

“Collective vs. Individual Accountability in Elections,” presented at the Midwest Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, April 1991.

“Eisenhower and Congress,” presented at the Ike's America Conference, Lawrence, Kansas, October 1990.

“Voter Behavior in Low Information Elections,” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Fort Worth, Texas, March 1990.

“Safe in the Senate,” presented at the presentation at the Southern Political Science Association Meetings, Memphis, Tennessee, November 1989.

“Presidential Influence from Eisenhower through Nixon,” with Terry Sullivan. presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Washington D.C., September 1988.

“Historical Trends in Gubernatorial Elections,” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Houston, Texas, March 1988.

“Information and Rationality: An Experimental Investigation,” with Richard D. McKelvey, Peter C. Ordeshook and Kenneth C. Williams. presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Chicago, Illinois, September 1987.

“Lyndon Johnson and Passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” presented at the Southwestern Historical Association Meetings, Dallas, Texas, March 1987.

“Elections as Institutions,” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Dallas, Texas, March 1987.

“Prospective vs. Retrospective Voting: Some Experimental Studies,” with Richard D. McKelvey, Peter C. Ordeshook and Kenneth C. Williams. presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, Washington, D.C., August 1986.

“Presidential Influence and Public Opinion,” with Terry Sullivan. presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, San Antonio Texas, March 1986.

“Presidential Support vs. Influence: An Exploration,” with Terry Sullivan. presented at the Western Social Science Association Meetings, Fort Worth, May 1985.
     Also presented at the presented at the American Political Science Association Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 1985.

“The Incumbency Advantage in State Legislative and Executive Elections,” with James Endersby. presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Houston Texas, March 1985.
“Competition in Congressional Elections in the Twentieth Century,” presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association Meetings, Fort Worth, Texas, March 1984.

Teaching Awards

College of Liberal Arts, Teaching Excellence Award, Spring 2006

Honors Students Association, Spring 2008

Grants

George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, O'Donnell Grant, Summer 2007

Faculty Research Grant, Stephen F. Austin State University, 2004-2005.

White House Historical Assocation, Research Grant, 2004

John F. Kennedy Library, Ted Sorensen Research Fellowship, 2004

Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, Moody Research Grant, 2004

John F. Kennedy Research Grant, 2003

Gerald R. Ford Foundation Grant, 2003

Mini-grant, Stephen F. Austin State University, Summer 2003

Mini-grant, Stephen F. Austin State University, Summer 2002

General Research Fund Grant, University of Kansas, 1994-95

Gerald R. Ford Foundation Grant, 1993.

General Research Fund Grant, University of Kansas, 1992-93.

Everett Dirksen Center Congressional Research Grant, 1991.

New Faculty Grant, University of Kansas, 1990-91.

Professional Membership

American Political Science Association

Center for the Study of the Presidency

American Association for Public Opinion Research

Southern Political Science Association

Midwest Political Science Association

Southwest Political Science Association