ABSTRACT
People of ideas are here to stay in American politics. In this work, I have endeavored to show that such persons make up a unique cast of political actors and that they have become increasingly indispensable in the implementation as well as the design of the domestic programs that have helped to define the three presidencies of achievement since the 1930s. I have also argued that the will and the capacity of presidents to resist the offers of help tendered by people of ideas has undergone a complementary decline. Before assessing further the implications of this line of reasoning, a brief recapitulation of findings is in order.
