Robert Dallek's Guide To Assessing The Presidency

The book, my Bible for assessing Presidential effectiveness, is "Hail to the Chief: The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents." It's an extremely beneficial tool when analyzing the various administrations of U.S. History. It's one of those few select books that I became giddy while reading. It was if I unlocked a different world.

The nice part is that you do not have to be a historian to grasp its complexities. It's an extremely simple concept, and therein lies its genius.

In short, the book analyzes an effective President under five broad categories: V.P.C.C.T.

Vision, Pragmatism, Consensus, Charisma, and Trust.

No trait is greater than the other, as there are Presidents who embody all, some, few, or none.

Vision- This is a broad, general direction of where the country is going. Vision usually involves multiple aspects of American society. In Presidential terms, John Quincy Adams and John F. Kennedy embody this trait. If you want to hit a little closer to home, think Martin Luther King, Jr.

Pragmatism- This is a "chameleon in plaid." This is someone who understands the need to change tactics, and is quick to adapt to various changes. Presidentially, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower are perfect examples.

Consensus- This is the ability to gather support from various parties throughout the country. These are the folks who usually bring people together. Think George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt.

Charisma- These are the folks who influence with words and body language. These are masters of rhetoric, and people love them. Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan are two ends of the same spectrum.

Trust- Perhaps the most difficult aspect for a President to embody, an honest President sometimes clashes with the necessity for pragmatism. More often than not, honest Presidents usually have low approval ratings. Examples: Jimmy Carter and Harry Truman.


There are some odd cases. Richard Nixon was a great visionary leader, but a scoundrel who lacked vision. Andrew Jackson was trustworthy, but he sacked the National Bank.

Honestly, you can't fully access the effectiveness of a President until their term has long expired. Only now can we truly start to access George H.W. Bush's Presidency. As much as I love to yell at Bush, Jr., we're still in it.


So, the candidates.

Obama, Clinton, and McCain. Using the 5 points to what we already know... let's break them down.

Vision- Barack Obama has the best of the bunch. He knocks this trait out of the ballpark, and that's exactly why voters are flocking to him in drobes. Clinton and McCain have vision, but they both seem to limit themselves.

Pragmatism- Clinton wins by a longshot. She gets the job done, and she has the experience to know when change in strategy is necessary. McCain has been thought of as anti-pragmatic, but his stance on many things has changed recently to cater to conservatives.

Consensus- Barack Obama is again, the best of the bunch. He is crossing party lines often, and it's working. McCain does that too, but he is still despised by many conservatives. And we all know Clinton's history with Republicans, Democrats, Independents, etc.

Charisma- They are all fairly charismatic, but Obama's speaking ability throws him above the other two. The key: watch the crowd as Obama speaks. McCain and Clinton have their own charisma, but it comes and goes.

Trust- McCain has shown himself to be the most trustworthy, though he has shown fragments of pragmatism as of late. We simply do not know enough about Obama to properly judge. But that's a good thing (not a lot of voting records to hold against him). Clinton is perhaps the classic case of the pragmatic vs. trust issue. Not many people trust Hillary Clinton, but she'll fight for what she believes in.


Right now, vision stands head and shoulders above the rest. Obama is surging in the polls. If he's the candidate, he's going to be extremely difficult to defeat. He's breaking historical trend in his popularity, and I love every minute of it.

Personally, I'm willing to forego my own stingy liberal beliefs for great vision. My lack of faith in governing bodies in general has utterly waned. I see both parties as negligent and utterly apathetic to the cause of the needy, and the dreams of me and my fellow citizens. So, I think it's time for some J.Q.A. vision.

Since Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards dropped, hopefully the third time is indeed the charm.


I'm voting for Barack Obama... and I hope he doesn't let me and the millions of people rooting for him down.