Presidential Evaluation: Some Questions I. Do great crises encourage great presidential performance? Do great times make for great leadership or great leaders make great times? Madison, Pierce, Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Hoover vs. Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman Skowronek’s “Political Time” Presidency: “Has Obama called for united America too soon to make politics of reconstruction?”

Presidential Evaluation: Some Questions II. A bias in favor of assertive and energetic presidents? John Quincy Adams, Coolidge, Taft suffer in this context How is an energetic president different from an imperial presidency?  LBJ, Nixon, and George W. Bush (?)

Presidential Evaluation: Some Questions III. Performance in office vs. Achievements over a life-time? Grant: a great general but a weak president Madison: a superb constitutional architect yet an average president Hoover: successful cabinet member but far less successful as a president Carter: a Nobel Prize winner, yet low marks for his presidency

Presidential Evaluation: Some Questions IV. Can we objectively compare presidents from different eras? Leadership is truly contextual. Seldom are different presidents facing with the same situations. (Ex) Jefferson and Polk praised for adding vast areas to the territory of the United States, yet recent presidents cannot duplicate those feats.

Presidential Election The “chief factors” influencing how people vote in presidential elections Party Orientation (Party ID) Policy Preferences Retrospective judgments on the performance of the incumbent or their political party The way people perceive the integrity, character, and judgment of the candidates