Consider: How would you grade Obama’s presidency? Homework: Assignment 12/13 for Thurs; prep for discussion tomorrow

 Good president? Bad president?  Good for America? Bad for America?  What is/are the gauge(s), or criteria?

Chapter 8: AP Gov Unit 4b: Presidency AP Government and Politics

Video: Thinking Like a Political Scientist SHARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg4_ Presidency_v2.html 7.5

 Approval ratings What do they signify? Are they important? Is the president able to “do more” as a result of high public approval?

“these increased approval ratings [after a crises or similar situation] generally do not last long, as the cumulative effects of governing once again catch up with the president.” – O’Connor

 Historians, journalists, pundits and the public disagree about what makes a president a great leader, or simply “great”.  We all might choose different characteristics, beliefs, or accomplishments, view them through our own biased lens, and then draw our own conclusions.  Which would you choose?  Is the president “all that”? Or do we place too much emphasis on the man and/or the office?

 Personality  Not everything, but does determine interest in issues, principles and purposes  “Every story of presidential decision-making is…two stories: an outer one in which a rational man calculates and an inner one in which an emotional man feels.”  Style  Made up of rhetoric, personal relations, and homework  All presidents have to deal with some level of each of these; how they tackle them determines their presidential style ▪ The balance between the three will vary depending on the president  His “way of acting”  World-view  Primary, politically relevant beliefs, primarily his conceptions of social causality, human nature, and the central moral conflicts of his time  His “way of seeing”  Character  The way a president orients himself toward life; not momentary, but enduringly

 The previous factors are purely psychology. Political Situation is environmental. It is the particulars of the political environment the president faces.  Does he or she face a friendly or hostile Congress? What about the Supreme Court? Does he or she have the support or opposition of the majority of the public? What is the situation internationally? Is it a time of relative peace and prosperity, or a time of conflict and hardships?  Lincoln and FDR faced a world of strife, but had a lot of support in Congress. Madison and Wilson faced a world of strife, but also opposition in the political system. Eisenhower was blessed with peace and prosperity, public popularity, and a relatively friendly Congress. Clinton likewise served during a time of prosperity, but faced a hostile political system.  Summed up by the phrase, “the man and the moment have met.”

 Climate of Expectations describes what is expected of a president. As we have discussed, a lot is expected of all presidents, and those expectations have been increasing over time. However, some presidents certainly face more or less expectations when they entered office.  There were incredible expectations for President Obama, for example. He was expected to save the economy, fix our health care system, and successfully resolve two foreign wars.  By contrast, presidents like Coolidge and George H.W. Bush faced much lower expectations upon taking office. Primarily they were expected to just uphold the status quo of the previous administration.

 Together these five factors are what Barber uses to create his typology:  Active-Positives are positively motivated individuals who enjoy their job and seek results.  Active-Negatives are motivated primarily by the goals of getting and keeping power, but receive little emotional benefit from their job.  Passive-Positives seek power as a way to obtain the love and admiration of the others. They are less interested in absolute power or policy ends, but enjoy the job as long as they are popular.  Passive-Negatives seek the office out of civic duty, but are relatively unhappy in doing the job.  Active/Passive – how much you do  Positive/Negative – how much you like what you do

Categorizing Presidents Active-Positives Thomas Jefferson Active-Negatives John Adams James Madison Passive-Positives George Washington Passive-Negatives Presidential Character Barber argues that the first four presidents fit nicely into the four categories of the typology…

Categorizing Presidents Active-Positives Thomas Jefferson Franklin D. Roosevelt Teddy Roosevelt JFK Active-Negatives John Adams LBJ Woodrow Wilson Richard Nixon James Madison Ronald Reagan William H. Taft Passive-Positives George Washington Calvin Coolidge Dwight D. Eisenhower Ulysses S. Grant Passive-Negatives Presidential Character Other presidents have fit nicely into these categories as well. Can you categorize other presidents? Do you find that some presidents do not fit into this schema very well?

 65 historians and presidential scholars took part  Rated presidents in 10 categories of leadership, with score from 1 (ineffective) to 10 (effective) used.  Categories Used  Public Persuasion  Moral Authority  Relations with Congress  Performance Within Context of Times  Crisis Leadership  International Relations  Vision/Setting An Agenda  Economic Management  Administrative Skills  Pursued Equal Justice For All

President's Name 2009 Final Score Overall Ranking Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln George Washington George Washington Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan

2009 Overall Score 2009 Rank2000 Rank Millard Fillmore Warren G. Harding32738 William Henry Harrison Franklin D. Pierce Andrew Johnson James Buchanan

 Rated Intelligence – Although we did not have intelligence test scores, we did ask our raters how intelligent, inventive, insightful, complex, and wise they perceived the various presidents to be.  Assertiveness, - is the single most important trait to presidential success. Presidents are an assertive group, and on the average score higher than eight of ten typical Americans.  Positive Emotions – Optimism and enthusiasm are important for performance on the job, but also for getting elected.  Activity Level – Highly energetic chief executives like TR, LBJ, and Carter tend to be rated higher on this scale by historians than more placid characters like Grant, Taft, and Coolidge.  Achievement striving - (having high goals and working towards them in a systematic and focused manner) is an obvious asset and is related to success in most all walks of life apart from the arts.  Low Straightforwardness – Historians tell us that a president's credibility is essential to the ability to lead. Yet, the tendency and ability to deceive is correlated with historians' ratings of presidential success.  Tender-Mindedness - predicts both presidential success and ethical behavior on the job.  Competence – Seek appropriate information when faced with a decision, have good judgment, and are broadly capable.  Low Vulnerability – Presidents who feel unnerved by stress and unable to cope with problems on their own (score high on Vulnerability) are likely to be given low marks by historians.

 Are they great?  Is it all a matter of ideology or party affiliation? Is there really an objective way to evaluate a president’s leadership and success? What are they really responsible for? Who do you add to Mt. Rushmore?

 Prepare for a discussion tomorrow…

Consider: Get ready for the discussion. Homework: Assignment 12/13 for Thurs.

 On the board to the side, write one thing that you feel contributed greatly to your decision.  Put a check, dot or slash under the grade you would give GWB on the SmartBoard.