James Barber's The Presidential Character: Predicting Performance In The White House

Critique of James Barber’s

The Presidential Character: Predicting Performance in the White House

Kristen Reicks

Wartburg College

February 14, 2023 When reading The Presidential Character, I saw a common theme: James Barber tried to implement various predicaments on how a president’s personality could impact his job at the White House. Patterns in personality from a person’s character, view of the world, and style were the overall themes that Barber examined in this book, although letting the readers understand these themes through scientific angles. I was hesitant to venture onward because of how he wanted to dissect past presidents’ personalities and what they achieved in Office. Nevertheless, I assembled this critique by analyzing

President Franklin Roosevelt was looked at through the active-positive affection lens in Chapter 9, President Harry Truman was an active-positive combat presidential personality type who was inspected throughout Chapter 10, and President John Kennedy was recognized by Barber as an active-positive commitment personality type in Chapter 11. Barber described the active-positive personality type as people who view the presidential role as fun, proactive to problems and issues, and understand the role as a changing body with new experiences (Barber, 2008). I agreed with Barber’s selection of President F. Roosevelt as an active-positive affection presidential personality type because that is who he was to the people: an affectionate man who enjoyed the presidential role, hence why he served almost three full terms. Also, I agree with Barber placing President Truman under the active-positive combat presidential personality type because he did come into the Office during a time of crisis; he had to utilize war strategies to get the job done. Barber had an excellent point that President Truman’s aggressiveness, had it been a more extrinsic part of his personality, would have placed him in the active-positive presidential personality type. This shows me that Barber realizes that personality can be quite complicated at times and

Bush but considered to be of the active-positive presidential personality type. In Chapter 13, he predicts what President Carter might be like, what happened during his presidential career, his character relating to the position, and the outcome of his term. Barber compiled this chapter’s beginnings before President Carter was sworn in and the endings once he left the Office (Barber, 2008). I appreciated that aspect, especially since feelings can shift as time goes on. Barber does reflect on his feelings and hopes of President Carter pre-term and details what he correctly or incorrectly predicted. On page 446, Barber stated that he had hoped “Carter ‘would turn out to be a pleasured President’” pre-presidency (2008). He then states that he was not accurate in that statement because President Carter, like many other presidents, had both up and down days. Chapter 14 looked at President H.W. Bush. Here, Barber discussed the president’s personal and political beginnings, focused on the Gulf War, and included an excerpt on what President H.W. Bush might be like as a president (Barber, 2008). What struck me was that Barber detailed in his prediction excerpt that President H.W. Bush was going to focus on war during his presidency, which is exactly what President H.W. Bush did. I must credit Barber because he did vaguely describe the presidency correctly, using his