Personality and Politics: Obama For and Against Himself

by Stephen J. Wayne

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 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?

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read - the author is a political psychologist who gives an overview of Obama's core personality traits and then explains how everything that's happened in the last three years (including frustrations from both liberals and conservatives) makes perfect sense in light of the way Obama operates.

The bottom line message is that personality doesn't make much difference in terms of WHETHER a candidate wins a presidential election, but it makes a BIG difference in terms of how effective a president is once elected.