"The Contemporary Presidency": Postpresidential Influence in the Postmodern Era

How influential are former American presidents? Though entitled to salary, staff, and security, on leaving office ex-presidents lose all formal governing powers. The power of ex-presidents therefore resides in their capacity to exercise indirect and informal influence in a political system over which they no longer have direct, formal control. The authors argue that the opportunities to exercise postpresidential power are greater than ever and may be expanding. Case studies of the postpresidential activities of former presidents Richard Nixon through Bill Clinton lead the authors to conclude that a new era of postpresidential influence is under way.