Every president brings to the White House a distinctive personality; the way the White House is organized and run will reflect that personality. Moreover the public tends to judge a president not only in terms of what he accomplished but also in terms of its perception of his character. Thus personality plays an important role in explaining the presidency

Ike

Sharp, precise, deliberate, military style

Delegated authority to specialists and experts

Used bumbling speaking style to deflect and keep his options open

 

JFK

Bold, articulate, charismatic and amusing

Personal rule and improvised government

Surrounded by talented amateurs and ignored chain of command

 

LBJ

A superb retailer and deal maker

Knew everybody and everything in Washington

Tried to make all decisions himself

Horrible wholesaler

 

Nixon

Deeply suspicious of media, rivals, bureaucracy

Brilliant at foreign policy

Shielded himself behind a small core of staff to avoid personal interaction

 

Ford

Give-and-take politician, discussion oriented

Liked talking to people

Disorganized circular fashion in White House

 

Carter

An outsider to Washington and proud of it

Voracious reader and intellect, micromanager to the extreme

Went from circular system of White House to heirarchy late in term to get things done

 

Reagan

Set broad goals and let others handle the details

Great Communicator

Successfully pushed military build-up, decrease taxes and domestic spending

Portrayed himself as an outsider to the public but enjoyed a warm and friendly relationship with Washington insiders

 

Bush

Hands-on-manager, but not such a great speaker

Great at foreign policy due to previous connections (VP, CIA Director, Ambassador to the UN, representative to China, member of Congress)

 

Clinton

Effective speaker and micromanager

Informal style

Focused on domestic affairs

Very effective retailer and wholesaler