The Presidency

Jeffrey Cohen, Fordham University - Bronx
David Nice, Washington State University - Pullman

The Person in Office

End of Chapter Questions


1		What factors affect the impact of the individual president on the presidency? Give some examples of an individual president having an impact on the office. Are there other ways to explain why the office changed or developed as it did other than by focusing on the individual in office?



2		What are the social backgrounds of presidents? What impact does social background have on presidential performance? What does the social background of presidents tell us about what the public wants in its presidents?



3		How does a president’s personality affect his behavior in office? Use Barber’s types to categorize the personalities of recent and current presidents. What evidence would you need to categorize a president by his personality? How useful is the presidential personality in understanding the behavior of presidents?



4		What do the greatness rankings presidents tell us about the actual performance of presidents? What do they tell us about the standards used to assess presidential administrations? Will Bill Clinton and George W. Bush be thought of as great presidents or not? Why?



5		What impact does the presidency have on the person in office? Should we reform the office to reduce its ill effects on the president? What reforms can you suggest? How effective would they be?

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