Office Of The Presidency By Thomas Cronin And Michael Genovese

Thomas Cronin and Michael Genovese use the Office of the Presidency as a lens to look at American society. America is both simple and sophisticated, aggressive and kind, as well as boisterous and humble. The authors argue convincingly that there are nine paradoxes of the US presidency, which capture the essence of our contradictive society. These paradoxes are real, but it goes beyond the presidency or even US society. Life is diverse and dynamic. A “one size fits all” approach does not work; so dealing successfully with a paradox is an important skill to deal with life.

The first paradox is that America wants a powerful president, but that we are also suspicious and worried about abuse of this power. This shows itself when Presidents act boldly.

Many Americans were proud of Barack Obama’s intellect and sophistication, but those characteristics also alienated some Americans. It also made it hard to understand certain presidents. Jimmy Carter was a naval commander and nuclear physicist, but many remember him as a simple peanut farmer.

The third paradox is personal. We want a down-to-earth and caring president, but also one that is ruthless or cunning when it is required. This paradox captures the situational leadership we expect, with a leader who can flex his or her style and skill when the situation changes.

We admire presidents who are above politics, but it is a paradox that being president means that the person in the office is highly political. It is clear that the president is concerned about maintaining his office and helping his party, but we hope he puts the country ahead of politics. Richard Nixon showed us that this is not always the case when he supported criminal acts to try to weaken his opponents during the Watergate

The authors capture this by stating that we want the president to “lead us, but also listen to us” (Cronin Genovese 243). A president can act by reading public opinion surveys, but that may prevent tackling long-term issues like technology or climate change.

The seventh paradox is the fact that Americans want a president who is confident and self-assured, but not arrogant or above criticism. A president needs to be open for reasonable input on policies, especially in complex situations, but not so flexible that he loses the real issue. On the other side, arrogance is just as dangerous.

The most interesting paradox is number eight, which states that the skills used to become president, are not the same skills one needs to be president. This makes sense, as campaigning and fund-raising can get a politician elected, but skilled decision-making and thoroughness are required to be a good president. In my opinion, President Trump displays some of this paradox. He clearly enjoyed the campaign victory and the excitement of the race, but seems to be unhappy as president, and has reacted negatively to different opinions on issues since he took