The Presidential Character Summary

There are citizens all around the country who have no idea about what the President actually does or what they stand for. They just view him as ‘the one in charge.’ But the president is much more than that. He is a symbol of unity for our nation. And in order to have a good sense of this unity throughout the country, the way the president is perceived has a big part to do with it. In the book, The Presidential Character by James David Barber, he describes why the character of the president is an important factor to consider when deciding a President. In his book, Barber describes four main types of presidential character; active-positive, active-negative, passive-positive, and passive-negative. In the active-positive character type, there …show more content…
The president is still a person, just like the rest of the population. They have needs, wants, and beliefs that drive their entire existence. Understanding how a candidate thinks and what they believe is important can help a voter predict how their term would potentially go and decide if it would be beneficial for the nation. Just like everyone else in the world, a presidential candidate has grown up and developed their own views on how the world works. These ideas they have built inside of their minds contribute to how they will try and improve the country during their time in office. In this book by James Barber, he defines presidential character as, “a basic stance a man takes toward his presidential experience.” This basic stance Barber describes has a more emotional sense than one would think. Our President is the person that the citizens look to when our country is in trouble and they are also the ones we look to when our country is flourishing. The president should be compassionate and caring towards the people of the United States and