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?
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.
Introduction A Disciplinary Dilemma Character and Its Derivatives Organization of the Book Character Development Race and Roots Ambition and Politics Adaption and Approval Ego Checks and Guilt Basic Beliefs Commonality as a Value Church and Community Government and Society Progressive Pragmatism Operating Style Cognition Decision Making Organization Communication Conciliation Character-Based Tensions Idealism and Pragmatism Direction and Delegation Vision and Compromise Rationality and Empathy Boldness and Caution Political Impediments Transitioning from Campaigning to Governing The Limits of Presidential Power Public Attitudes Toward Government Democratic Leadership Dilemmas Obama's Theory of Democratic Leadership The Bully Pulpit and Its Limits Obama's Practice of Democratic Leadership The Interaction of Personality and Politics: Three Case Studies Stimulating the Economy Reforming Health Care Upping the Ante in Afghanistan
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 This fine book goes a long way toward capturing the essence of the complex, elusive, and politically important Barack Obama. -- Fred I. Greenstein Stephen 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
