03 29 2012 02 16 2012 Rankings not lifetime perf but achievent in WH G Wash Lincoln FDR NG jeff jack T roos wils trum polk HA eisen john a jfk clev lbj Monroe mck A mad jqa harr clin van b taft hayes bush rea arth carter ford BA taylor cool film tyler Fail pierce grant hoov nix a Johnson Buchanan hard Cspan Public Persuasion Crisis Leadership Economic Management Moral Authority International Relations Administrative Skills Relations with Congress Vision Setting An Agenda Pursued Equal Justice for All and Performance Within the Context of His Times abe GW TR FDR jeff reag trum eisen Monroe mad JA JFK wils jack JQA HW polk mck lbj nix clev cool ford taft Buchanan Person of President Enormous power in one person office stress fatigue and depression White House Whom to avoid How they operate in a complex and uncertain environment which leads to Do characteristics of individual president s matter Whom do we want in the You want decisiveness intelligence capacity for growth and integrity Greenstein would argument we need to look at their public communication organizational capacity political skill vision cognitive style and most importantly emotional intelligence The Log Cabin Myth born to wealth We want a president who emerges from the common typical person not Framers people including future presidents are inherently selfish Hope that the Constitution checked the President In their slow paced world a wicked and mad president could only do limited harm before checked electoral defeat or impeachment Does their logic and hopes still apply Destructive powers of modern presidents are swift and ultimate Impeachment process is uncertain and slow the electoral college does not provide for peer review and the rise of national media as a tool do a demagogue and the ever looming threat of nuclear weapons Personal basis of Presidential power Neustadt says He must be good at persuading and bargaining The power to persuade rests on Professional reputation Public prestige James David Barber says Personality performance Important personality components Character How does this person orient himself towards life Vital factor Self esteem Political style How does this person perform at political roles Rhetoric public speaking personal political relations homework handle information and details and work hard Worldview View of human nature social causality ect Two broad dimensions of personality Activity passivity How much energy does the president invest in the job Positivity negativity affect Does the president enjoy the job 4 personality types Active positives work hard enjoy the job High self esteem relates well flexible with big goals Active negatives work hard hates the job Can become compulsive presidency a struggle Passive positives Passive negatives Criticism of Barber Not one of the most credible criticism for success of the presidency among political scientists Too much subjectivity involved More than 2 dimensions too limited on considerations External events and conditions more important than personality FDR Truman JFK Carter H W Bush Taft Harding Reagan Wilson Hoover L B Johnson Nixon the ones to be most Coolidge Eisenhower most successful type worried about according to according to Greenstein Greenstein 02 21 2012 Read further reading for chapter 1 pg 292 to 297 in the Greenstein book For homework assignment Which personality type is most desirable dangerous Active positives are desirable Active negatives are dangerous Inability to admit failure weakness May fixate on failing line of policy Johnson and Vietnam Nixon and Watergate External events and conditions are more important than personality Clinton active or passive positive or negative Stanley Renshon High Hopes writing in 19913 and 1994 pre Monica Active positive Lewinski scandal Says he likes the job and as soon as he is told someone is unhappy with the job he has done he gets very defensive and rants on high temper May suffer from self idealization too high of a sense of self esteem High risk taking behavior in personal life Monica Lewinski scandal Had no model of limits on behavior set upon him by his parents o From Hope AK a conservative Baptist town but grew up in hot springs AK a gambling partying town 02 23 2012 Reshon s summary of character style Obama Politics of redemption through an organizing lens of fairness Grenstein s qualities that relate to presidential performance Integrity ideas and values Ambition Relatedness Public communication Organizing capacity Political skill Vision Cognitive style Emotional intelligence leadership 02 28 2012 For Greenstein emotional intelligence is key to a presidents ability to manage his or her emotions and turn them to constructive purposes rather than being dominated by them and allowing them to diminish his or her Public approval in real time ranking Gallup do you approve or disapprove of the way the president is handling his job Role of time in public approval Honeymoon period followed by decay coalition of minorities Role of the economy Republicans are more responsive to inflation Democrats are more responsive to unemployment Role of international events Unpopular prolonged war vs rally events like killing of Bin Laden start of a war or US troops being sent into combat Role of Scandal Cronin s paradoxical expectations Kernell s going public Leadership strategy involves public appeals generalized force pressure on other politicians coercive strategy costs penalties A bully in the pulpit of the presidency Differs from Neustadt s public prestige which enhances the president s ability to persuade bargain other in DC Why How Advances in technology and transportation Outsider presidents with weak ties to the party and DC and inexperienced at bargaining persuasion experienced at appealing to the public More difficult to bargain in modern DC power dispersed divided government is the norm Senate Carter one term governor of GA Never worked for the House or Reagan governor of CA but never served in House as Senator Clinton governor of AK Bush governor of Texas however some ties Obama limited ties in DC Explosive growth in Minor addresses local audiences Public appearances Presidential travel A lot of domestic travel Institutions available to shape the POTUS s image Office of communications part of the White House Office beginning with Nixon Pro active efforts agenda setting Long term public relations strategies Also houses Office of the Press Secretary and speechwriting staff 03 01 12 Reagans