Mark Halperin questions the current political theology: that the candidate who does best in the race is the best person for president.
Halperin takes our most recent presidents (Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) and uses them as examples for why being the best candidate might not make one the best president.
For instance, being all things to all people worked wonderfully well for Bill Clinton the candidate, but when his presidency ran into trouble, this trait was disastrous, particularly in the bumpy early years of his presidency and in the events leading up to his impeachment. The fun-loving campaigner with big appetites and an undisciplined manner squandered a good deal of the majesty and power of the presidency, and undermined his effectiveness as a leader. What much of the country found endearing in a candidate was troubling in a president.
I think Halperin is right about Clinton's government-by-polls approach to governing. While it sounded nice originally (who doesn't want a president that is responsive to the people?), eventually, it became very problematic when President Clinton wound up backtracking late in his presidency over issues he seemed to embrace earlier (I personally gave up on Clinton the day he said the 1993 tax hikes--which many of us had defended to family and friends--might have been too big). In short, most people aren't consistent in their opinions from day to day. Governing by those opinions is bound to lead to trouble.
This was also one of the reasons many people flocked to George W. Bush as a candidate who "said what he meant and meant what he said." It was refreshing to have someone who wasn't going to equivocate over the meaning of the word "is" or bring a trail of sordid scandals through the White House. But Halperin discusses the downside of Bush's style.
As with Mr. Clinton, though, the very campaign strengths that got Mr. Bush elected led to his worst moments in office. Assuredness became stubbornness. His lack of lifelong ambition for the presidency translated into a failure to apply himself to the parts of the job that held less interest for him, often to disastrous effects. The once-appealing life outside of government and public affairs became a far-less appealing lack of experience. And Mr. Bush’s close-knit team has served as a barrier to fresh advice.
Unfortunately, whenever we get into these "the system is broke" arguments, there never seems to be a better option than the one we already exercise. Sure, it would be nice if we could rely on the primary system to actually pick the best president, but that doesn't seem to work that well. But what is the alternative?
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