American Polity by Serow

American Polity by Serow and Leadership: Ethics and Decision Making by Brattebo

Readings for Mar 05

Serow #34 by Thomas Cronin and Michael Genovese; The Paradoxes of the American Presidency (p228)

Living with and embracing contradictions is a sign of political and personal maturity

Test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas at the same time
Essence of paradox: Stengel (NY Yankees): “Good pitching will always stop good hitting, and vice versa”
Our expectations often demand two-faced behavior

Constitution purposely left the presidency imprecisely defined
Democracy needs a sensitive interaction with presidential leadership and an understanding public
Paradoxes of the Presidency

Americans demand a powerful leader who solves problems but are suspicious of centralized leadership and power abuse so we put limits on the president

Praise successful military initiatives and insist Pres must work more with Congress when they fail
Recognize need for secrecy but hate being left in the dark

Want a “common person” and also the uncommon, charismatic, heroic, visionary person

Want Pres like us but better than us
Truman was a “fellow commoner” who became a gifted decision maker
Carter presented himself as the peanut farmer turned governor (and introduced himself as peanut farmer and nuclear physicist)
Reagan – all-American, rich, star
Clinton – Rhodes scholar but ordinary sax player from a HS band who jogged and ate burgers

Want a compassionate president but admire the cunning and sometimes ruthless and manipulative pres

FDR – compassionate for society but vain, devious, etc too (noted as standard weaknesses)
Eisenhower – appears reserved and calming but was cunning in private
Characteristics condemned in one pres are sought after in another

Admire “above politics” (non or bipartisan) approach but pres is one of the most political offices

Above politics presidents only consider one view of national interest
Diversity needed because no one is always right

Want a pres to unify us but the job requires the pres to take controversial and unpopular stands at times
Expect pres to lead and follow

Want pres to be architects of the future but also stay in touch with the people
Kennedy – avoided political risks when possible; thought great innovations should not be forced on the public by a leader with a slender mandate

Want a powerful, self-confident leader but are suspicious of arrogant and infallible leaders

Like dynamic, gutsy pres who push and manipulate Congress
Presidents who dominated other branches of gov are best remembered (Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Roosevelts)

What it takes to become President is not necessarily what is needed to govern the nation

To win an election money, luck, and good public relations are needed
To govern one needs to form a governing coalition and have the ability to compromise and bargain
One must have lots of ambition and determination and be bold and energetic

Can cause one to be cold and lose their sense of proportion
One must be well-rounded, have a sense of humor, be able to take jokes, and have other hobbies outside of politics

Pres is sometimes too strong and sometimes too weak

Too strong when we think of the ability to wage nuclear war is in his hands
Too weak when we consider nuclear proliferation, national debt, budget deficit, discrimination, poverty, etc

Serow #37 by David Sergen; Eyewitness to Power (p253)

Great crisis usually brings forth great leaders
Expectations of what a president can accomplish have gone up, but his capacity for doing it has gone down

Seven Keys to Responsible and Effective Leadership in White House

1. Leadership Starts from Within

- The character of a president determines the integrity of his public life

- Integrity most important

- Draw the line when private life interferes with public life

- Courage

2. A Central, Compelling Purpose

- must have a clear purpose

- central purpose can be rooted in the nation’s core values from the Declaration of Independence

3. A Capacity to Persuade

- persuade mass audience through television

4. An Ability to Work within the System

- president must work well with his team and other elements of the democratic system

- public, press, foreign powers, domestic interest groups, domestic elites

5. A Sure, Quick Start

- first months in office are widest window of opportunity

- need smooth successful start

6. Strong, Prudent Advisers

- best presidents surrounded themselves with the best advisors

- president needs a friend whom he can confide private thoughts

7. Inspiring Others to Carry On the Mission

- most effective presidents create living legacy long after they are gone (FDR)

- voters want a leader who can set a clear, steady path into the future; this will be the next living legacy

Brattebo #10; Truman by David McCollough

President Truman was overseeing the difficult situation in Korea. The operation, although UN sponsored, was in the hands of Truman. General MacArthur was in command in Korea and reported the war’s progress back to the president and the United States. Below MacArthur, General Walker was in command of the Eighth Army until he was killed when his jeep hit a ROK Army truck. Up to that point, the North Koreans had been pushing the U.S. further and further south. At MacArthur’s request, Truman approved Matthew Ridgway as Walker’s replacement. Ridgway began transforming the Eighth Army into a fighting force with high morale immediately. He slowed, stopped, and turned the tide of war. During this time, MacArthur reported to the President and the U.S. public that the morale of the soldiers was low and that limited conflict would not be successful against the Korean force. He encouraged the U.S. to attack China with nuclear weapons or lay down a belt of nuclear waste at the China-Korea border. The government and the Joint Chiefs of Staff never took these proposals seriously. Nonetheless, MacArthur continued to make outrageous suggestions. When Truman discovered that the morale of the troops was high and future prospects were promising (even though MacArthur was continuing to criticize this limited engagement) he began to lose faith in the general. In fact, he would have preferred to go directly to Ridgway. Yet, Truman wrote a telegram to MacArthur praising his military strategy and great leadership and reminding him to be prudent in all matters dealing with China. Because of Ridgway’s great success and increasing popularity, MacArthur constantly tried to upstage him. MacArthur believed Truman’s nerves were getting to him and that Truman couldn’t deal with the pressure. Quite the opposite was true. When Truman showed MacArthur the meat of the cease-fire agreement and of his plans to meet with China just before he presented them, MacArthur became enraged, and issued an ultimatum to China that mocked its lacking industrial and military power and it inability to defeat an army limited in what it could do. Truman read MacArthur’s statement over and over again, realizing that he would have to fire the general. He let his chiefs of staff know and then announced it to the public. This brought a storm of criticism on him. He did not go out in public for weeks, and when he finally did, he was booed. Congress, specifically Republicans, was quick to suggest impeachment and proclaim their support for General MacArthur. Truman’s supporters were few and far between, but they knew exactly where he was coming from and understood the situation. As time went on, the situation died down. But when MacArthur finally returned to the U.S. he was honored with ticker tape parades and had the chance to speak in front of Congress. In this speech, watched by million on TV, he suggested outlandish military strategies and operations against China. He was applauded and touched every American with his comments, but he was acting. Both Truman and MacArthur refused to comment on the real issue, and when MacArthur was finally brought before the Truman Committee in May of 1951, he would not admit to making any mistakes and seemed slightly out of it. After he testified, the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified and voiced their support of the president, explaining that they had never supported MacArthur in his wild plans. What had begun as MacArthur’s prosecution of the President turned into his defense of his actions. Over time, people grew sick of MacArthur’s heroic status and reality began to set in. Truman was able to regain his respect, because people realized that MacArthur had put Truman in the position to fire him. Truman had no other option.