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Article: Spiritual changes: Clinton's bully pulpit. (Editorial)
- Article from:
- The Christian Century
- Article date:
- January 5, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 The Christian Century Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE TERM "bully pulpit" was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt when he was describing his position to his publisher, George H. Putnam. According to William Safire's politicial dictionary, Franklin D. Roosevelt picked up his cousins phrase when he spoke of the presidency as "pre-eminently a place of moral leadership." Writing about John Kennedys use of the "bully pulpit," Douglas Cater notes that among the roles a president must fill, the most challenging is that of blending "poet and preacher."
That role has seemed increasingly difficult for a president to fill. With the erosion of confidence in public institutions since Vietnam and Watergate, presidential ...