August 9, 2007
Experts Discuss What Makes a President Great
 BOSTON – The next president of the United States needs character, good judgment, an ability to build consensus and “the courage to be lonely.” That’s what two distinguished former presidential advisers told state legislators and legislative staff today at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2007 Legislative Summit.
National Public Radio’s Mara Liasson moderated the session. Panelists were David Gergen, advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton; and Andrew Card, who worked for Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. They discussed the qualities the next president will need and the America he or she will lead.
Gergen said the next president needs vision, character and judgment. “You need a vision of what this society should be like, … what you’re trying to build to,” Gergen said. And in these polarized times, Gergen said the next American commander in chief must have the capacity to build a consensus.
Both panelists agree that difficult decisions loom for the 44th president. That’s why Card advised that he or she needs the ability to cope if his or her decisions aren’t popular.
“The most important characteristic the next president will need is the courage to be lonely,” Card said. “The president will have to make tough decisions, and they have to be made in the best interest of the country, not in the best interest of his or her party.”
The panelists were split on the importance of experience.
Card said Reagan was the best president he served under. “He did not have the breadth of experience,” Card said, “but he was able to stay focused on the big picture and make the tough decisions at the right time. He didn’t allow himself to be rushed to decisions.”
Gergen feels that executive branch experience is an important qualification. “In the presidency, executive branch experience matters, and especially in a big state, so you get used to the rough and tumble.” Gergen named Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan as good commanders. But he said Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter “got off to stumbling starts” because the smaller states they governed were less political environments.
The panelists agree that these are critical times for this nation. Gergen listed climate change, stability in the Middle East, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and education at top concerns. Card agreed that Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare should be priorities for the next president. He added securing America and keeping the economy strong to the list.
Card feels the nation will remain polarized through the next term. “I think we will continue to be a red state/blue state country,” he said. “But it might not be the same states.”
Gergen says that partisanship could dissipate. “Our history has been that when there are termites in the basement we argue,” he said. “But when there are wolves at the door, we come together.”
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.
###
|
