Four Classification Of President Stephen Skowronek

     Through out the course of history, America has seen great Presidents. These men all exhibited characteristics which helped them to be successful in their endeavor to become the nations leader. Among those characteristics are traits such as being a good spokesperson or leader and being fair towards all which makes for a good President.

When presenting the question of who deserves the title of best President of the United States, one would not be surprised to find Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, and FDR as the frontrunners. While each of these presidents was undisputedly successful and groundbreaking in their own right, all fall short to America’s first modern president- Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, assuming office at the turn of the century, redefined and reimagined the role of the president and the executive officialdom. By expanding the powers of the presidency, Roosevelt was able to move the country forward in both the international arena and on the home front. Roosevelt’s vast success can greatly be attributed to his charisma, character, and persuasion skills. He understood that the art of governing was truly the power to persuade, and he mastered the trade. Roosevelt not only improved life domestically as he fought against inequality and corrupt business practices, but he also achieved his goal of gaining influence abroad, thus earning the United States a powerful platform on the global stage. Roosevelt’s natural leadership, charm, bravery, and compassion combined with his thorough understanding of the country’s needs, both for the individual and for the long-term well being of the country, made him the most successful president in United States history.

This book is a bold work by George C. Edwards in which he shares his views of the political system in the US and how it has evolved over time. He has touched almost every president since the 1930s and brought to light some interesting details about how presidents have followed patterns and used their own style of actions to meet their unique objectives. The book describes in detail the attitudes of presidents and reflects his views on presidency. For instance, he has expressed three premises about presidential leadership: public support is used as a social resource by president, presidents must take interest in the problems of the people in order to actually garner support rather than just delivering speeches, and the public can be mobilized successfully by permanent campaigns.

What makes a great president? Being the President of the United States is one of the most difficult positions to be in. And throughout history there has been presidents who faced crisis and made society a better place, and then there were some who did not live up to their greatest opportunities. Gerald R. Ford was the 38th President of the United States of America and was considered below average in all aspects of his presidency including relations with foreign affairs, the economy and social/political cases in our country. In fact, according to scores based on Fields of History, Law and Politics, he was ranked as below average. This proves that he was not worthy compared to the levels of presidents before his time.

Society turns to powerful leaders for guidance in times of uncertainty. Especially after the American Revolution, the people needed a leader to mollify the concerns entailing their newfound independence. They needed a president who could guide them like a king without creating a power vacuum, who could lead with respect without becoming corrupt, and who could put the future of the country beyond his own desires; America’s future was reliant on a leader who had these qualities. Luckily, the first president, George Washington, acted as the “good king” America heavily needed.

The United States since its adoption of the Constitution in 1787 has accumulated total amount forty-five presidents over two-hundred and thirty years. These forty-five presidents as history and the United States continues, will be the subject of analysts throughout history, who will try to rank them from the best to the worst. The book written by James Taranto and Leonard Leo, ‘Presidential Leadership: Rating the Best and the Worst in the White House’ is one of these analytical books shoving the presidents into a ranking by using a survey of professors of history, law and political science to rate them. This book by Leo and Taranto focus on a handful of prime objectives for the readers to overserve while reading the book. The first is to

Many would agree that being the President of the United States of America is not only one of the toughest positions one can hold; it is also the most nerve-wracking position one can have. Simultaneously, the president has many responsibilities, and often receive the blame for anything that occurs during their term. History always offer insights into a president’s second term. If there is one thing we know, we know that second presidential terms habitually do not turn out pleasant. The reason being is that most second-term presidents suffer from a lethal infection known as the “second-term curse” which is the result of scandals, financial declines, ostracized wars, and many other supplementary hitches. Presidents Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush are examples of some presidents who faced that curse.

“Being a President is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep on riding or he is swallowed.” (Truman) Not only is being a President of the United States important it is also very challenging. The President must be a very thoughtful and intelligent person and at the same time be a symbol of national leadership upholding their role as the Head of state; in making sure to lead the executive branch of government, The Chief Executive; giving him the responsibility to enforce acts of congress in signing treaties, and the judgments of federal courts, etc. Not only is it hard being the president it’s a whole nother level just to be qualified to run

“Presidents may be active or passive in terms of the effort invested in their jobs; they also may be positive or negative about their positions (Maltese, 164). In regards with President Bill Clinton and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Barber identifies them as an “Active-positive”. Active-positives display personal growth and stability, which they take pleasure in their job and the challenges they face with power productivity to pursue their objectives. Also, they pragmatic political figures that possess flexibility in their pursuit of achieving their goals and are willing to alter or abolishing their goals rather than experience severe consequences (Maltese, 164).

James Barber presents an intriguing method into uncovering and analyzing the presidency. As Barber explains, “To understand what actual presidents do and what potential presidents might do, the first need is to see the man whole—not as some abstract embodiment of civic virtue, some scorecard of issue stands, or some reflection of a faction, but as a human being like the rest of us, a person trying to cope with a difficult environment.” The President’s personality amplifies in world affairs. Ultimately, James Barber’s breakdown of the presidential character is semi-credible/reliable, offering a unique perspective into Barack Obama’s presidential character that can be described as generally active-positive and passive-positive,

Being the leader of the free world is an accomplishment that citizens of the United States see as job with a vast amount of responsibility. Along with the responsibility comes great scrutiny. Presidents have come and gone, leaving a legacy that either creates a lasting memory of great leadership, or leaves a bad taste in the mouth of American voters. Leading the way in the land of the free is judged by three points: how the president chose to conduct themselves during controversial times, critical situations, and most importantly how they plan to help the citizens of the United States.

The modern presidency has in a sense become a double-edged sword in that presidents have become beneficiaries of anything positive that can be attributed to government, but also can be blamed for anything bad occurring in society. Quite simply, the modern president has become the center of our political system (The Modern Presidency, 2004). The men who have dealt with this double-edged sword known as the modern presidency have often walked a very fine line between effectiveness and ineffectiveness, but all have attempted to use their power in one way or another.

Because of their positions in the government and their resulting influential abilities, presidents are either praised for advancing the nation, criticized for not doing anything to help the country, or even making the country’s situation worse. Their success as president is dependent on the success of the country. People don’t take into consideration the attempts presidents make, but only those things that help or hurt the country. This leaves room for there to be a good president who may not accomplish much and a bad president who may accomplish a lot.

There is an innumerable amount of ways someone can measure Obama’s first two years in office to try to define whether his presidency has been a success or failure. Issues relating the economy, domestic policy, and national security and foreign policy are the major topics in which many of those controversial issues lie. The easiest ways to determine whether or not Obama has been successful, is to look at his accomplishments as President, look at the principle promises he made regarding those issues prior to and during his time in office, and lastly the public’s overall rating of his presidency. After looking at all of those factors, I have determined that Obama has failed as President after the first two years being in office.

Everyone has their own ideal image for the President of the United States of America. The current US president, Barack Obama, was first elected in 2008 and reelected in 2012 for two consecutive terms. There were citizens who favored him, and there were some citizens who did not. The article, “I miss Barack Obama,” give the reader an author’s opinion of President Obama. After witnessing the current presidential candidate debates, David Brooks, the author, said he is going to miss President Obama a lot. He thinks President Obama possesses all the “good traits of character and leadership” a president should have such as “integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance”, which we take for granted (Brooks). I agree with Brooks’ opinion toward President