What makes for a great President?

Great Debates
21

Well, a track record helps. Governors tend to make good presidential candidates because you’ve seen them in action making executive decisions. They have to make tough calls, balancing the needs of various constituencies against each other.

I think you can spot the quality in people when they’re truly great. When I think of the best Presidents of the last half century (Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton), they were all strong personalities. Long before any one of them became President people knew they were something special. Obama’s got that as well, at least so far. Another person I think has it, should he get in the race, is Fred Thompson.

The presidents that turned out to be not so hot (Carter, GW Bush, Johnson) never had that obvious strength. They became president because they were well connected and in the right place at the right time.

I agree. You have to have the right principles, but then you have to be coldly logical about how they are applied. A president oozing with compassion will just wind up… well, like Carter. I remember those years. The guy was just a huge downer. He’d come on TV in his goofy sweater and cluck at everyone and feel their pain and cry, and Jesus it was annoying. Damned right there was ‘malaise’ - it was Carter putting everyone to sleep.

22

A spectacularly good President is the sort of person who, via a combo of wisdom, listening skills, and charisma, could get people (be they Senators, voters, or potentates of other sovereign states) to voluntarily and obligingly follow and participate enthusiastically even when there is no discernable negative fallout for not doing so.

A really good one inspires people and they follow quite fervently, and don’t abandon ship after awhile as a consequence of not liking where it sailed to, but rather get outcomes that keep them in a state of partisan satisfaction. In other words, a good leader not only inspires but also figures out how to deliver core goodies to all the constituents, calibrating how to do so in such a way as to leave very few contingents dissatisfied.

23

It might be easier to take the opposite approach. Identify the factors that make a bad President and filter those out.

For example, the ability to pass a college-level test on the American government. Would we lose out on a great President if that were a criterion of running for office?

A great President is intelligent and knowledgeable.