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PRESIDENTIAL CHARACTER.
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Analyzes views of James David Barber (active-passive, negative-positive) & others on personality & power of president.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Analyzes views of James David Barber (active-passive, negative-positive) & others on personality & power of president.
Paper Introduction:
In his book The Presidential Character, James David Barber tries to accomplish what voters have been trying to do in America for over 200 years--set forth a way of predicting how a candidate would do in the White House. While this may seem a nearimpossible task, Barber is clearly able to indicate the nature of the office being sought, the characteristics sought in a candidate, and the characters of a number of the men who have worked in the Oval Office. Barber uses these characteristics and his analyses of specific presidents as a way of determining after the fact what one might ask before the fact in deciding how a certain character trait will serve for good or ill in a man (or woman) in the White House. Barber himself refers to his work as a "strange book" that was written over a period of 25 years. Ultimately, it is a book that raises as many questions as it
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Barber is clearer about what type he thinks different Presidents havebeen than about what type is most effective in different sorts ofsituation, another reason why his analysis fails as a predictive tool. Broder, David S. What is often ignored isthat there are indeed different types of character which can be effectiveand that there needs to be a fit between the character of the candidate andthe circumstances of the time, meaning that one type of character might beeffective under one set of circumstances and another type under a differentset. Broder found that this generation hadgrown up in an age of computerization and regimentation and that they are all rebels against that kind of mass culture and huge institution. . Also, thecentralization of character as an issue has come after wrenching nationalevents that tested the limits of character, such as the war in Vietnam andthe resignation of Richard Nixon, as well as the perception of failurehanging about the Carter administration. 1).Barber cannot overcome the uncertainties involved to provide a realpredictive tool, but he does fulfill his basic intent of helping thecitizen sort out "the significant particulars involved in the nextPresidential choice" as well as "to help us hear, despite the cackle ofdaily events, the fundamental cultural themes that echo through the WhiteHouse time and time again" (Barber, 1992, p. Formal powers derive from the Constitution, andinherent powers derive from the office and the job itself: Even though all presidents have the same formal and inherent powers, different chief executives use these powers in different ways depending on their skills, their personalities, the people who serve them, and, often, circumstances that are beyond their control (Powers of the Presidency, 1989, p. Powers of the Presidency. Passive-negative is a character type that is in politicsbecause the individual thinks he ought to be: They may be well adapted to certain nonpolitical roles, but they lack the experience and flexibility to perform effectively as political leaders . He does this by assuming there are certain characteristicswhich should and do appear in those who hold the office successfully. Barber delves into the issue ofpresidential character as it has been demonstrated and tested by those inoffice, while the public often means something quite different, the beliefthat the candidate accepts the same values and does not lie to them anymore than they expect from a politician. In the 1988election, the issue of values was raised again and again on both sides.E.J. . He does not analyzespecific candidates and try to say how they would display their characterin a crisis as does Barber. This trend toward analyses of the character of candidates was part ofa larger movement based on attitudes toward values and on the idea thatconservative and liberal "values" were quite different. It was impossible to find a candidate with a more profound respect for "the rule of law" than Michael Dukakis. Barber's thesis is that character is formed in childhood, world viewin adolescence, and style in early adulthood, and he therefore would turnto an analysis of the candidate in each of these periods as a way ofdetermining these elements. It seems that we have heard much more than usual about presidentialcharacter during the last election and into the current administration, andcharacter has come to be an issue that is discussed openly as a test ofcandidates. Washington, D.C.: CongressionalQuarterly.----------------------- 1 Barber begins with a consideration of that elusive component so muchdiscussed in the last election, character, as part of a pattern by whichBarber believes we can judge how a given candidate will behave and performin office: The burden of this book is that the crucial differences can be anticipated by an understanding of a potential President's character, his world view, and his style (Barber, 1992, p. He succeeds in defining certain parameters ofpresidential character and thus points the way for an analysis of specificcandidates. At a level much more fundamental than their reason, they yearn for a world where things are smaller, simpler and freer than they have known. EnglewoodCliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. The bipartisan drive for deregulation of the economy and decentralization of government decision making is a secular force that seems almost certain to gain momentum as this generation takes power (Broder, 198 , p. It is easier to spot a long-range and large-scale trend than it is to fulfill the intention Barber has--to offer a wayof predicting Presidential character before that character has been testedin the office. Dionne has analyzed this race and states: The issues of crime, race, patriotism, and "values" went to the heart of liberal weakness . Such anexercise is interesting and may indicate both the importance of certaincharacter traits and how they might have been formed for a particularindividual, but it does not serve to create a predictive tool that can beapplied easily to any situation in the future. Theactivepositive type shows a congruence between being very active and theenjoyment of the process, indicating relatively high selfesteem andrelative success in relating to the environment. New York: Simonand Schuster. Barber seeks a way of assessingreal character, while candidates often use code words to argue over imagerather than reality. But, as the cases will demonstrate, the degree and quality of a President's emotional involvement in an issue are powerful influences on how he defines the issue itself, how much attention he pays to it, which facts and persons he sees as relevant to its resolution, and, finally, what principles and purposes he associates with the issue (Barber, 1992, p. Passive-positive is a receptive,compliant, other-directed character with a life searching for affection asa reward for being agreeable and cooperative rather than personallyassertive. Bill Clinton had a similar problem whenallegations were raised about a woman who said she had had an affair withhim, something he denied. (1992). (1989). Barber can then look back ontheir life and point out where certain traits may have developed. While he seemed to put the matter to rest anddid so `sufficiently to win the presidency, doubts have remained andcontinue to make Clinton's character an issue with critics of his actionsand his administration. Barber furtherstates that . It should be remembered that the battle for values and the argumentsover presidential character, while always inherent in the Americanpolitical process in some form, have become more central as candidates havestarted avoiding issues for fear of offending someone or of being heldaccountable later for not following up on what was said in a campaign. (198 ). 473).Broder seems to have predicted correctly, and yet his prediction has beenfor a whole generation rather than for one man. Ultimately, it is a book that raises as many questions as itanswers but that at least starts the reader considering the nature of theissues involved in selecting a President or a candidate for any other highoffice. An analysis by Congressional Quarterly of the office of thePresidency shows one reason why this could be nearly impossible to do--there are many different tasks in which a President is involved, and theyrequire different skills. . New York:Simon and Schuster. Broder has written about Presidential style and character aswell and decided in 198 that a new generation was poised to take power andto change the way politics in America would be undertaken and applied. . 1 ). 484). . I am not about to argue that once you know a President's personality you know everything. Hewas looking at the "baby boom" generation and determining how thatgeneration was shaped by its experience, not unlike the way Barber examinedthe lives of specific Presidents. . References Barber, James David. Active-negative is acontradiction between relatively intense effort and relatively lowemotional reward for that effort. Barber delineates four types of presidential character he sees asbeing exemplified in those who have been in the office since TheodoreRoosevelt (a time-line selected apparently from the view that thePresidents of this century have more in common with-each other than they dowith earlier Presidents). This trend can actually be traced back to the election in 1988when there was a clash of values as the press followed Gary Hart andreported that he was having an affair after he had claimed he was not. . They describe ways in which the Presidentapplies his character in situations calling for some action: active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, passive-negative. Changing of the guard. Why Americans hate politics. In his book The Presidential Character, James David Barber tries toaccomplish what voters have been trying to do in America for over 2 years--set forth a way of predicting how a candidate would do in the White House. Some of the powers of the president are formaland some are inherent. Yet the 196 s "values issues" had cut so deeply that George Bush could speak in North Carolina with a straight face about that "wide chasm" on "the question of values" and have voters believe him (Dionne Jr., 1991, pp. 3 The emphasis on character follows a trend in recent elections towardtrying to judge the characters of candidates. 313-314)."Values" may have been a code word to some conservatives for their ownbeliefs and for the idea that the other side was too liberal, but thevoters seemed to grasp at the idea in a way that is in keeping with whatBarber is trying to do in his book--find some objective criteria by whichto make decisions about the way a candidate would perform in office. . 3).Barber feels that a President's personality is patterned and that theindividuals character, world view, and style fit together in a dynamicpackage that can be understood in psychological terms. 4). The presidential character. (1991). Theargument over whether or not the press should have done this became anargument over the "character issue," and that has been the phrase used eversince to refer to investigations that go beyond competence or questions ofprofessional background. David S. He never succeeds in actually providing themethod for accomplishing this task with an unknown candidate, using insteada hindsight method for examining Presidents who have already been in officeand who have demonstrated their character. Dionne Jr., E.J. While this may seem a nearimpossible task, Barber is clearly able toindicate the nature of the office being sought, the characteristics soughtin a candidate, and the characters of a number of the men who have workedin the Oval Office. Itis easier to argue character and amorphous values. Barber himselfrefers to his work as a "strange book" that was written over a period of 25years. they become guardians of the right and proper way, above the sordid politicking of lesser men (Barber, 1992, p. The types are described as baselines, or guidesfor defining Presidential types. Barber uses these characteristics and his analyses ofspecific presidents as a way of determining after the fact what one mightask before the fact in deciding how a certain character trait will servefor good or ill in a man (or woman) in the White House. the best way to predict a President's character, world view, and style is to see how they were put together in the first place .
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