Renowned presidential scholar Stephen Wayne takes a close look at the interplay of personal character, partisan politics, and public opinion on presidential decision-making. In this systematic character study, Wayne considers how President Obama’s policy beliefs and operating style fueled his meteoric success as a candidate, but have had a decidedly mixed impact on his governance as president. Arguing that character matters, Wayne shows that Obama’s personal dimensions both contribute and detract from his policy achievements and political goals.
Taking into account the environment in which he took office up through the “shellacking” of the Democrats in November 2010, the book looks at how Obama has dealt with the troubled economy and a polarized political climate. Wayne sets his study within the larger literature on presidential character and explores the broader questions surrounding presidential leadership in a democratic society: Do presidents lead or follow public opinion? To what extent do leadership skills make a difference? What kind of policy and political impact can presidents have in the twenty-first century?
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Table of Contents
Introduction
A Disciplinary Dilemma
Character and Its Derivatives
Organization of the Book
1. Character Development
Race and Roots
Ambition and Politics
Adaption and Approval
Ego Checks and Guilt
2. Basic Beliefs
Commonality as a Value
Church and Community
Government and Society
Progressive Pragmatism
3. Operating Style
Cognition
Decision Making
Organization
Communication
Conciliation
4. Character-Based Tensions
Idealism and Pragmatism
Direction and Delegation
Vision and Compromise
Rationality and Empathy
Boldness and Caution
5. Political Impediments
Transitioning from Campaigning to Governing
The Limits of Presidential Power
Public Attitudes Toward Government
6. Democratic Leadership Dilemmas
Obama's Theory of Democratic Leadership
The Bully Pulpit and Its Limits
Obama's Practice of Democratic Leadership
7. The Interaction of Personality and Politics: Three Case Studies
Stimulating the Economy
Reforming Health Care
Upping the Ante in Afghanistan
Testimonials
The impact of presidential personality on governing in the White House is one of the great puzzles of presidential politics. There is no one better than Steve Wayne at helping us solve this puzzle and achieve a better understanding of the Obama presidency.
- George C. Edwards III, Texas A & M UniversityThis fine book goes a long way toward capturing the essence of the complex, elusive, and politically important Barack Obama.
- Fred I. Greenstein, Princeton UniversityStephen Wayne combines the rigor of a political scientist with the insights of a psychologist to explain how President Obama’s character intersects with politics to produce the policies of his administration. Wayne explores the tensions between Obama’s ideals and the reality of American politics as well as the fissures between his transformational vision and his transactional style. If you want to know what makes Obama tick, this book is a good place to start.
- James P. Pfiffner, George Mason University
Bio(s)
Stephen J. Wayne, Georgetown University
Stephen J. Wayne is a well-known author and lecturer on the American presidency and electoral politics. A professor of government at Georgetown University since 1988 and a Washington-based “insider” for more than 40 years, Wayne has written or edited 12 books and authored over 100 articles, chapters, and reviews that have appeared in professional journals, scholarly compilations, newspapers, and magazines. At Georgetown, Wayne teaches courses on the presidency, elections, and psychology and politics. Wayne is frequently quoted by White House journalists and regularly appears on television and radio news shows. He lectures widely at home and abroad to international visitors, college students, federal executives, and business leaders. He has testified before Congress on the subject of presidential elections and governance and before Democratic and Republican party advisory committees on the presidential nomination processes. He participated in transition projects for the National Academy of Public Administration and the Presidency Research Group.
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