Transcript No Slide Title

Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lasher
Models of
Presidential
Behavior
Three Models of Presidential Behavior
1) Sorenson’s theory of limitations x
2) Neustadt’s theory of presidential power
3) Barber’s theory of presidential character
Theodore Sorenson
• Advisor and speechwriter for JFK
• Taught at Princeton and Harvard
• Viewed presidency from both “inside”
and “outside”
Sorenson’s limitations
• Presidents do not feel particular powerful
• They are limited or constrained by various
factors
• More successful presidents overcome
these limitations, less successful
presidents do not
Sorenson’s limitations
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Limitations of permissibility
Limitations of previous commitments
Limitations of time
Limitations of information
Limitations of resources
Institutional limitations
Limitations of Permissibility
• Certain policies are unacceptable for
advanced democratic capitalist system
• Some degree of “morality” in
international behavior
• Some notion of “good society” at home
• Use nuclear weapons, dominate other
countries, ignore critical social problems,
steal elections
• Torture, domestic spying, drones
Limitations of Previous Commitments
• Presidents inherit the policies and
programs of their predecessors
(not just recent ones)
• Presidents do not start with “clean
slate”
• American troops in Europe, Japan,
South Korea
• Obama inherits Iraq and
Afghanistan from Bush
Limitations of Time
• Presidents are human not 24-hour
machines
• Non-essential duties
• Presidents must choose 3-4 issues to focus
on in first term
• Presidents cannot “police” the bureaucracy
• Crises must be dealt with and can change
plans
• Re-election and lame-duck pressures
Limitations of Information
• Bureaucracy to provide president with
advice on host of issues
• CEA, OMB, GAO, White House staff,
academics, think tanks
• CIA, DIA, NSA, NSC, many others
Limitations of Information
• Presidents always have “imperfect” information
• Presidents must take risks with inadequate
information
• Risks can lead to success or failure
• Desire for more information leads to “paralysis”
Limitations of Resources
• Federal budget is not unlimited (more
of a problem for Democrats)
• Military manpower, political capital,
presidential appeals to Congress,
televised addresses
Institutional Limitations
Institutional Limitations
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Three branches with checks and balances
Federal system designed to move slowly
Often have “divided government”
Federalism in which states have powers
Presidents consider public opinion and
re-election
Three Models of Presidential Behavior
1) Sorenson’s theory of limitations
2) Neustadt’s theory of presidential power x
3) Barber’s theory of presidential character
Richard Neustadt
• Political Scientist at Columbia and
Harvard (presidency)
• Advisor to several presidents
• Presidential Power and the Modern
Presidents
Neustadt’s Presidential Power
• Power to command (give orders, deploy
troops, launch air strikes, issue pardons,
etc.) is relatively rare
• Power to persuade is more important
--- persuade Congress to pass his laws
--- persuade bureaucracy to follow his
changes/reforms
--- persuade American people to support
his policies
--- persuade other countries to agree with
US policies
Neustadt’s Presidential Powers
Power to
Command
Presidential
Reputation
Power to
Persuade
Presidential
Popularity
Presidential
Personality
Domestic
Economic
Success/Failure
Foreign Policy
Success/Failure
Neustadt’s Presidential Powers
Power to
Persuade
Presidential
Popularity
Domestic
Economic
Success/Failure
Three Models of Presidential Behavior
1) Sorenson’s theory of limitations
2) Neustadt’s theory of presidential power
3) Barber’s theory of presidential character x
James David Barber
• Political Scientist at Duke University
(presidency)
• The Presidential Character
• Predicted “downfall” of President Nixon
in 1969; launched his model
James David Barber
• Presidents bring a series of personality
traits with them to the White House
• We want presidents with more “good
traits” than “bad traits”
• Examined their personal and political
history
• Four-party typology of presidential
character/personality
• Lots of problems with model, but still
“appealing”
Active or Passive
ACTIVE
• Problem-solving, energetic, thrive on challenge of office
• Center of White House
• Democratic Party bias?
PASSIVE
• Few policy initiatives, care-taker administration
• Ceremonial duties
• Aloof managerial style
Positive or Negative
POSITIVE
• Enjoy being President
• Accept criticism, sense of humor, interact with press
• Flexible, learn from mistakes
NEGATIVE
• Presidency as burden, office weighs heavily on them
• Thin-skinned, hate press
• Inflexible, cannot change course
Barber’s Typology
ACTIVE
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE
FDR
Truman
JFK
Carter
Ford
Bush 41
Clinton
Wilson
LBJ
Nixon
[Bush 43]


PASSIVE
Harding
Reagan

Taft
Coolidge
Eisenhower
