Analysis: Obama and Trump broke the mold. Do they signal a new view of the presidency?
By Dan Balz Dan Balz Chief correspondent covering national politics, the presidency and Congress Email Bio Follow May 18 at 5:56 PM For more than two centuries, until the election of 2008, American presidents all looked alike. They were white and male and every one of them came to office with experience in the government, military or both. Barack Obama, the first African American president, broke one mold. Donald Trump, who had neither military nor government experience, broke the other.
Will and Wendy Keen were in the audience at the Big Grove Brewery and Taproom in Iowa City a few weeks ago, awaiting the arrival of former vice president Joe Biden. They have been making what Will called “a diligent effort to connect with each of the candidates” campaigning in their state. From George Washington through George W. Bush, no characteristic was more enduring in American presidents than the monopoly of white men. No women or candidates of color made much of a dent on the presidential selection process. Candidates of color ran for their parties’ nomination and lost. Women ran for the nomination and lost. Women were nominated to be vice president with no success.
Rob Burns, who works in the university bookstore at the University of Iowa, said he is less concerned about traditional credentials as he assesses presidential candidates this year. Hetherington believes that a changing Democratic Party makes nontraditional candidates more attractive to some party activists. As consumers, he said, many of those Democrats are more likely to be attracted to niche products — fair-trade coffee as opposed to the opposite, for example — and that helps to explain why the base of the party acts as it does.
Cues from party leaders count for less, as candidates build their own followings. Sid Milkis, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, argued that, for all their differences, Trump and Obama share something more than nontraditional résumés. “They see or saw themselves as heads of a movement. They didn’t just envision themselves as presidential candidates,” he said. “And secondly, both kept their distance — and you could say weakened — the official party organization.
That was the message David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, gave to the young senator as he was making his final decision to run for president. Through much of the 20th century, governmental experience marked the résumés of presidents. Herbert Hoover had earned a reputation as a skilled executive by organizing humanitarian relief efforts in Europe after World War I and later distinguished himself as a commerce secretary with outsize influence. Franklin D. Roosevelt had served as assistant secretary of the Navy during World War I, vice presidential nominee in 1920 and a term as governor of New York on his way to the presidency.
Carter’s election “opened the floodgates” to this different model of presidents, Nelson said. After Carter came Reagan, who had been the two-term governor of California. In 1992, the country elected Bill Clinton, the young governor of Arkansas, turning out Bush, who had been Reagan’s vice president, after a single term. Clinton was succeeded by Bush’s son, George W. Bush, who in addition to his family name had twice been elected governor of Texas.
“It spread his name beyond Illinois,” Goodwin said. “He became a national figure because of those debates.” Trump’s celebrity proved to be one of the most important assets in 2016. Though he was a well-known businessman, he could not claim the executive skills of the head of a company with tens of thousands of employees. Instead, his background as a reality TV star distinguished him from other candidates for the GOP nomination — and allowed him to use media to his advantage.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Romney rejects Trump judicial pick who smeared ObamaMitt Romney was the only Republican senator to vote against one of President Trump's judicial nominees on Tuesday. And he did so in part to defend former President Obama.
Weiterlesen »
Biden says Republicans will work toward consensus after Trump; critics ask if he's forgotten Obama presidency'The thing that will fundamentally change things is with Donald Trump out of the White House. Not a joke. You will see an epiphany occur among many of my Republican friends.'
Weiterlesen »
Romney votes against Trump judicial nominee citing comments 'disparaging of President Obama'Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah broke with President Trump as the lone GOP senator to vote against Michael Truncale to be a district court judge in Texas, citing Truncale's comments 'disparaging of President Obama' in 2011 in explaining his vote
Weiterlesen »
Senate backs Trump judicial pick who disparaged ObamaWASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed a new federal judge in Eastern Texas, despite comments he made disparaging former President Barack Obama.
Weiterlesen »
Obama admaker signs on with ButtigiegPete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign just picked up the advertising firm that aided Barack Obama’s 2008 rise to the national stage
Weiterlesen »
Obama ad-maker signs on with ButtigiegPete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign just picked up the advertising firm that aided Barack Obama’s 2008 rise to the national stage
Weiterlesen »
Romney breaks with GOP to oppose Trump’s judicial pick who called Obama ‘un-American impostor’Michael J. Truncale disparaged Obama in 2011. Said Romney: “I felt I just couldn’t go along with that for a judge.”
Weiterlesen »
Michelle Obama talks moving out of the White House: 'Everybody's crying'The former first described her final hours at the White House as a teary, chaotic mess — mostly because her daughters insisted on hosting one more sleepover.
Weiterlesen »