History
Brian Balogh, Ph.D., is the Compton
Professor at the Miller Center and the
Corcoran Department of History at the
University of Virginia. He founded the Miller
Center National Fellowship and currently
chairs that program. His most recent book is
“A Government out of Sight: The Mystery of
National Authority in Nineteenth-Century America”
(Cambridge University Press, 2009). His previous books and
articles explore U.S. political history, environmental history and
the history of technology.
Balogh is the co-host of “Backstory with the American History
Guys,” a nationally syndicated radio show that appears on
public broadcasting stations across the country. Balogh received
the Z Society Distinguished Faculty Award for 2010–2011 and is
the recipient of numerous other teaching and mentoring
awards. Balogh received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D.
in history from Johns Hopkins. Before starting graduate school,
he served in Massachusetts and New York City government for
eight years where he was a budget analyst, advisor to New York
City Council President Carol Bellamy and associate director of
income maintenance programs for the New York City
Department of Social Services.
Shopper in Chief: Presidential Leadership in America’s “Consumer’s Republic”
Generously Sponsored by Mark and Mary Reisler
During the past quarter century, historians have chronicled a
shift in the American economy, and even in its citizens’ identity,
from an emphasis on production to a fascination with
consumption. Few such scholarly shifts have gained as much
attention and garnered as much approval. Our attention to
consumption no doubt paved the way for the current
resurgence in the history of capitalism. A leading scholar even
dubbed America in the second half of the 20th century “a
consumer’s republic.” Although the scholarly shopping binge
has peaked, it would be a shame to turn out the lights before
fully assessing the ways in which a political economy
increasingly driven by consumer spending, residential patterns
built around a suburban ideal and political messaging targeted
towards clusters of voters identified by marketers based upon
preferences for goods and services has reshaped the presidency.
The president’s role as commander and shopper-in-chief even
merged in the wake of one of America’s most devastating
tragedies when President George W. Bush offered this advice
along with tough talk just two weeks after the attacks of 9/11:
“Get down to Disney World in Florida,” so that life can be
enjoyed.
This lecture questions how post-World War II presidents,
starting with Harry S. Truman, have empowered institutions
such as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to subsidize
mortgages or encouraged the expansion of consumer credit that
sustain what is now a global consumption-driven economy.
I will focus on the rise of consumer debt and explore the
relationship of that phenomenon to the debate over the national
debt. I will take a closer look at the president’s role in
reinforcing and financing a suburban ideal through policies like
the Interstate Highway System. Finally, I will chronicle the ways
in which presidential candidates have revised their perceptions
of voters, from ideologically empowered enclaves of racial,
ethnic and regional supporters to fickle consumers who can be
reached by some of the same techniques that
cutting edge retailers use to identify
demand. I will conclude by enumerating the
strengths and weaknesses the turn towards
shopper-in-chief has entailed and offer the
next president a shopping list to be used for
outfitting the Oval Office during his or her
first term in office.
A book-signing event and light reception
will follow the lecture.
Register Early! There is a $5 charge for registering on the day of a one-time lecture or event.
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| Course # W1T3 — One Time Event
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| Place: | Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus |
| Dates: | Tuesday, February 16 2016 |
| Time: | 9 - 10:30 AM |
| Fee: | $25 / member; $35 / non-member |
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