The Presidency
Study Questions
The Top Presidents – Great Accomplishments
What was Washington and Jefferson, two of America’s early presidents, most concerned
about? (hint: think about their great accomplishments)
What did Lincoln prove to the world about the alleged fragility of democracy?
America’s Worst Presidents
Where do Historians rank Bush (the son)? Which other presidents left office disgraced
but now look so good in the eyes of historians that they rank among the top 10 greatest
presidents?
Why do historians rank Fillmore, Pierce, Andrew Johnson, and Buchanan among
America’s worst presidents?
Presidential Leadership
Why do presidents who exhibit leadership often pay a high price for leading the country
in new direction?
What price did Lincoln pay for his leadership in ending slavery and holding the union
together?
What price did Bush43 pay for his leadership in taking the country to war in Iraq?
What price did Obama pay for his leadership in pushing health care reform through
Congress?
Timing
Did Barack Obama’s presidency initially benefit from good timing? (Think about how
historians ranked Bush’s presidency)
Personality/Character
What effect did FDR’s and Reagan’s reassuring personalities have on the American
people?
How did Obama’s personality empower him to help others allay their fears about the
economy in 2012?
How was Bush41 hurt by not having a reassuring personality?
When a president possesses a “credible threat,” what effect does that have on America’s
adversaries?
Why does Obama object, in most cases, to the use of “threats” as a tool of U.S. foreign
policy?
Given Bill Clinton’s moral flaws, why didn’t the moral character argument help Bush41
in his efforts to win reelection (1992)?
Political Intelligence
What did Bill Clinton do to neutralize issues that typically favor Republicans? What is
this neutralization process called?
How did the economy perform during Bill Clinton’s terms in office?
Did Bill Clinton have a budget surplus during his administration?
Intellectual Intelligence
Wilson was intellectually intelligent, but what did he do that turned out not to be political
smart?
Carter was intellectually intelligent also, but what did he do that was not politically
intelligent?
As was Bush41, but what did he do that was not politically intelligent?
As was Clinton, but what did he do that was not politically intelligent?
The Effect of War
Are more presidents helped or hurt (politically) by fighting war?
Why is it unclear that Bush41 was helped (politically) by fighting the Persian Gulf War
(1990-91)?
Why was the Mexican-American War (1846-48) so controversial in America?
Public Opinion – War, Economy, and Scandal
What happened to Nixon’s job approval rating during the Watergate scandal? What
happened to Reagan’s job approval rating during the recession in the early 1980s? What
happened to Obama’s job approval ratings during the recession he inherited as president?
What happened to Bill Clinton’s job approval rating during the Clinton/Lewinsky
scandal?
The Rally Effect
What happened to the president’s job approval numbers in the immediate aftermath of the
following disasters: Pearl Harbor? Iran Hostage Crisis? 9/11 terrorist attacks?