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by TygrBright & ThShifties
The Presidency is the pinnacle of leadership in our culture. But leadership comes in different shapes and colors. A politician’s style of leadership is set early in his or her career. And the way Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain have behaved in the past remains the best barometer for predicting how each would handle the responsibilities of the presidency.
The current campaign offers voters a choice between three very different, rather flippantly-appellated styles of leadership: Obama is what we call the ‘Figurehead’; Hillary Clinton, by contrast, is a classic ‘Pooperscooper’; and John McCain meets our criteria for that high risk/ high reward leadership style, known as the ‘Troublemaker’.
Each type represent a cluster of traits and inclinations that suggest how the candidate might respond to the challenges inherent in the Presidency. Though it sometimes seems as if the campaign process itself is designed to obscure rather than illuminate the candidate’s real nature, here’s our take on all three:
The Troublemaker (John McCain)
Troublemakers specialize in shaking things up. In the business and corporate world, they usually show up as entrepreneurs or ‘turnaround’ specialists. Their actions are always guided by a strong personal agenda. They’re energetic, decisive, full of confidence, and unafraid of conflict – they may even revel in it (think of FDR taking on Wall Street during the Great Depression). Troublemakers can be refreshingly blunt, humorous, and charming, and above all are formidable campaigners, for their own glory, or for a favored program.
Obstacles rarely slow the Troublemaker for long. They find a path around, under, or over the top of impediments. A Troublemaker expects to bend or even break some rules. They demand loyalty, and can be unforgiving when they don’t get it. Risk doesn’t scare them. They’re adept at putting failures behind them.
The Troublemaker’s weaknesses are the reverse of the strengths. That drive and decisiveness makes them intolerant of opposition, impatient with delay, and prone to the belief that any change (however ill-planned) is better than none. Preferring tactics to strategy, they can be short-sighted and even disorganized. For all the apparent charm, the Troublemaker may lack both empathy and awareness of how their decisions affect others.
If FDR was a positive example of the breed, Richard Nixon was a negative one. Dramatic, self-aggrandizing, at odds with the other branches of government, we watched Nixon self-destruct, until he found himself alone at the end, suspicious of everyone.
George W. Bush is a Troublemaker. Most comfortable during periods of conflict (i.e., immediately post-9/11), he struggles to engage with the more mundane aspects of government, and wound up starting a war that nobody needed to fight. But note that his self-confidence has never wavered – a Troublemaker trait.
The Figurehead (Barack Obama)
Figureheads see themselves as stewards of the nation, responsible for mobilizing the power of others. They emphasize unity, reconciliation, collaboration, and compromise. They are ‘big picture’ thinkers who are comfortable representing ideals – think Nelson Mandela or Lech Walesa. The Figurehead cares about building morale, and is conscious of the importance of public perception.
People are at the core of the Figurehead’s leadership strategy, and their goal is to find the best and brightest, and then empower them. Figureheads listen to divergent viewpoints and cherry-pick the good ideas. They are invariably gracious about sharing credit.
It isn’t surprising, then, that the Figurehead’s weaknesses are also linked to people. Their trust in, and dependence on, others is not always rewarded. Figureheads can lose track of details and be blindsided by sudden shifts in direction. They’re not natural risk-takers, and can sometimes take too long to make important decisions.
The Figurehead is a communicator. They draw people in with words that touch something deep inside, appealing to the angels or the secret selfishness in all of us. Examples include both JFK and Ronald Reagan. In the midst of crisis and controversy, both managed to maintain their essential likeability. That’s a Figurehead trait.
The Pooperscooper (Hillary Clinton)
The name says it: when there’s a mess to be cleaned up, this candidate shines. The Pooperscooper is sure to know the ins and outs of any system, and have a plan for improving it. Rarely charismatic, they can become downright unpopular (though they usually can’t understand why people get upset with them). Think of Harry Truman in the wake of World War II, or Lyndon Johnson shoving reams of much-needed social legislation down Congress’ throat.
Pooperscoopers are supremely pragmatic. They pride themselves on their ability to adapt, to nose out a promising opportunity and make the most of it. They’re not afraid to get their hands dirty doing the actual work—in fact, they like it.
Conversely, their focus on systems and processes can cause them to lose sight of the bigger picture. Their disinterest in public perception can interfere with their effectiveness. They can be impatient, and short-tempered, arrogant, and self-righteous.
George H.W. Bush dealt skillfully with the first Gulf War, but he was tone deaf to the expectations of his own base. And that cost him a second term.
The Three Candidates Redux
Of course, we’re generalizing to an awful extent. Most leaders, including this year’s Big Three, have developed some characteristics of the other types in order to progress through the ranks. Even so, their natural inclinations are apparent to anyone who’s willing to look.
John McCain
If McCain is elected, it will be (amazingly) with the open opposition of much of his own party. That contrarian streak is a key to predicting what a McCain presidency would be like. He conceals that short fuse on the campaign trail, but it’s only temporary. And recall that remark about not really minding if we were in Iraq for a hundred years? You thought he was joking?
Barack Obama
Forget the change rhetoric— Barack Obama is not a fire-breathing revolutionary. He’s all about unity and cooperation, which is a breath of fresh air amid the toxic fumes of partisan politics. Though none of the three candidates has had direct operational responsibility for a government, Obama’s gentle touch would be a welcome relief after the acrimony of the Bush and Clinton years. Every Figurehead is to some extent a healer, and that’s one thing America could use.
Hillary Clinton
George W. Bush leaves no shortage of messes in Washington, and a Clinton presidency would go a long way towards cleaning them up. She knows big government better than either of her rivals. But like the first President Bush, she has a bit of a tin ear for her own base. Her scorched earth campaign strategy isn’t helping.
By the way, we might have predicted the sort of president that Bush Two would become simply by looking at the sheer number of executions that he authorized while Governor of Texas. By his own report, he had not a scintilla of doubt about any of them.
That’s a Troublemaker at work. A Figurehead would be far too concerned about the effect on public morale, and a Pooper-scooper would just consider it unforgivably messy.
But the Troublemaker thinks: if you can’t take some risks, what’s the point of being President?
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