What makes a good/ great President? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

MS Fowler · #1 11-19-2010, 06:14 AM

This is an attempt to discuss the general issue of the Presidency w/o promoting or criticizing anyone in particular.

So what is the essence of the Presidency?
Is he/she a knight on a charger, saving the country from all ills?
The President is the head of the executive branch of the government, but exactly what does that mean?
Is the submitting of new laws the chief contribution, or is the philosophical approach they bring more important?
How important is the use of the "bully pulpit" to speak directly to the people and convince them of the direction we should go ?
Should the President have to endure the democratic process, or is getting things done more important?
Do we expect too much, or too little?
Is business experience important? How about executive experience?
Should they be the "best and brightest", or effective?
Are they "of the people", or are we better served by a ruling, political class?

What are your thoughts?

KarTek · #2 11-19-2010, 06:35 AM

I don't think about politics too much but I have thought about your exact question.

I think first and foremost, a President needs to be a master of resources. By resources, I mean his staff. No one human can keep their finger on all of the vast variety of input that a President must deal with so they must surround themselves with trustworthy people who are also masters of their own resources.

Second, a President needs to be a good actor. If he doesn't know exactly what's happening, he needs to act like it. The President should exude confidence and compassion in the face of all challenges.

Third, I think a President should be a master of human relations - a historian, very familiar with the cultures and practices of the peoples of the US and of the countries we deal with.

There, that's my "school assignment" answer.

#3 11-19-2010, 06:53 AM

Leadership!

It is important that the President be a good leader. This means EXECUTIVE experience. It is important that the President has been the governor of a state or has run a reasonable size business before. Being a Senator, no matter how successful is NOT the proper experience background for being President.

I would not hire someone for ANY job that did not have experience in a similar job. Choosing a President is no different.

alamostation · #4 11-19-2010, 08:53 AM

Putting on my flame suit, I will venture my opinion as to what makes a great president.

A great president comes into office facing what seems to be overwhelming problems and leaves office with most of those problems solved.

My list of great presidents:

George Washington - nobody knew what a president should be. Washington assumed power when needed, as during the Whiskey Rebellion, and shunned it when people wanted him to be a king.

Thomas Jefferson - the first other party president took advantage of France and bought about a third of the country for almost nothing

Abraham Lincoln - faced a divided nation upon election. The Union was established when he died.

Theodore Roosevelt - McKinnley was shot and the country was ruled by industrial trusts. When he left office the trusts were busted and national parks created.

Franklin Roosevelt - the country was in the depths of Depression when he took office. When he died in 1945, the country was on the road to wealth and a victor in WW2.

Dwight Eisenhower - came into office with the country at war in Korea and a red scare in full force. Left office with no active wars and a warning against the military-industrial complex.

Ronald Regean - came into off with 17% interest rates and economic problems and left with much lower interest rates and a better economy.

Bill Clinton - though initially opposed to what he later signed off on, he presided over the biggest reduction of national debt of any president.

Please tell me where I am wrong.

#5 11-19-2010, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alamostation

Putting on my flame suit, I will venture my opinion as to what makes a great president.

A great president comes into office facing what seems to be overwhelming problems and leaves office with most of those problems solved.

My list of great presidents:

George Washington - nobody knew what a president should be. Washington assumed power when needed, as during the Whiskey Rebellion, and shunned it when people wanted him to be a king.

Thomas Jefferson - the first other party president took advantage of France and bought about a third of the country for almost nothing

Abraham Lincoln - faced a divided nation upon election. The Union was established when he died.

Theodore Roosevelt - McKinnley was shot and the country was ruled by industrial trusts. When he left office the trusts were busted and national parks created.

Franklin Roosevelt - the country was in the depths of Depression when he took office. When he died in 1945, the country was on the road to wealth and a victor in WW2.

Dwight Eisenhower - came into office with the country at war in Korea and a red scare in full force. Left office with no active wars and a warning against the military-industrial complex.

Ronald Regean - came into off with 17% interest rates and economic problems and left with much lower interest rates and a better economy.

Bill Clinton - though initially opposed to what he later signed off on, he presided over the biggest reduction of national debt of any president.

Please tell me where I am wrong.

Your list is pretty good and backs up my statement regarding leadership.

Your statement regarding Bill Clinton is true, thanks to a Republican congress for his last 6 years. Without his sex addiction I would leave him on your list. Problem is, morality counts for me.

I DO agree that Slick Willy DID have good leadership qualities. He had the experience of being a governor, dealing with floods, tornadoes and who knows what all for quite some time before stepping into the White House, unlike our current POTUS.

I'm a fan of Teddy in spite of the fact that he was a progressive. I just liked his style, and he was certainly a leader. There was a wave of corruption in his day for which he had complete intolerance. We need him today since the corruption level is back to where it was before his administration or probably higher.

pj67coll · #6 11-19-2010, 10:10 AM

No1 quality with a pres, as with a general, Luck.

- Peter.

#7 11-19-2010, 10:29 AM

I personally don't believe in luck. A person makes their own luck.

That said, if you are considering events while in office as being luck, then I agree in that context.

pj67coll · #8 11-19-2010, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryBible

I personally don't believe in luck. A person makes their own luck.

That said, if you are considering events while in office as being luck, then I agree in that context.

That is what I mean. Slick Willie was in my opinion the luckiest president in post war US history. Shift the tech bubble bust and 9/11 forward a year or two and his presidency would look utterly different as indeed would his successors.

It depends entirely on what's happening in the world at the time you are president to provide you with the ability to either dodge the bullet - or not.

- Peter.

#9 11-19-2010, 10:37 AM

Being dead for over 100 years is a big help; history will remember you kindly. Most of the folks listed above had serious detractors in their time, and a few would be impeached today. Read about public opinion during George Washington's second term if you have a chance, he was routinely called King George IV by his critics.

pj67coll · #10 11-19-2010, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

Being dead for over 100 years is a big help; history will remember you kindly. Most of the folks listed above had serious detractors in their time, and a few would be impeached today. Read about public opinion during George Washington's second term if you have a chance, he was routinely called King George IV by his critics.

That's true, but everybody will have serious detractors at the time. It's simply a question of politics. The relevant thing in categorizing "great" will be looking back thru the lens of history at the defining events of the presidency. So I think the list that was provided was pretty good for the most part.

- Peter.

#11 11-19-2010, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

That's true, but everybody will have serious detractors at the time. It's simply a question of politics. The relevant thing in categorizing "great" will be looking back thru the lens of history at the defining events of the presidency. So I think the list that was provided was pretty good for the most part.

- Peter.

I also agree with most of the list. I'm personally a fan of Jefferson, but he was never really able to implement most of his political philosophy. Obviously, Washington and Lincoln were great leaders, although neither used tactics that would be very effective in todays world (Lincoln would be impeached). I really don't know if a modern president could be "great" in the current environment, the election process tends to weed out everyone except "average" politicians.

pj67coll · #12 11-19-2010, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I really don't know if a modern president could be "great" in the current environment, the election process tends to weed out everyone except "average" politicians.

That seems unfortunately to be true. I think Reagan was the last "traditoinally great" president and I think it's been a downhill slide since then. With no apparent upswing in sight.

- Peter.

#13 11-19-2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

That seems unfortunately to be true. I think Reagan was the last "traditoinally great" president and I think it's been a downhill slide since then. With no apparent upswing in sight.

- Peter.

I'm really not that impressed with reagan, he did manage to reduce government in some respects but he offset that by spending a ridiculous amount of money on unnecessary defense projects (his version of a stimulus package). I do give him credit for trying to implement what he believed was the correct direction, although I don't always agree with what he was trying to do. Mostly he was just lucky that the economy was strong when he was in office, and that he got out before the bubble burst.

The Clk Man · #14 11-19-2010, 11:23 AM

I think I would make a good president. REALLY.

#15 11-19-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I'm really not that impressed with reagan, he did manage to reduce government in some respects but he offset that by spending a ridiculous amount of money on unnecessary defense projects (his version of a stimulus package). I do give him credit for trying to implement what he believed was the correct direction, although I don't always agree with what he was trying to do. Mostly he was just lucky that the economy was strong when he was in office, and that he got out before the bubble burst.

UNNECESSARY defense spending? Did you sleep through the cold war?