Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan

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Richard Neustadt identifies three specific traits a person must possess in order to succeed as president of the United States of America. He stated that “the presidency is not a place for amateurs” and candidates must meet specific traits if they are to succeed at commanding one of the world’s largest and strongest nations. The three criteria he believed that a man must possess in order to succeed as president include the power to persuade, a professional reputation, and a public prestige. Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan are three presidents who were elected to power at three very different eras of American history. The following research paper will examine how each of these three men succeeded and failed at meeting Neustadt’s criteria of presidential greatness. In addition, this research paper will compare and contrast the successes and failures of the three men and finally, the paper will conclude by offering a personal consideration of what I believe makes a truly great president.

When looking at how he met Neustadt’s three criteria, one could classify Hoover as a weaker president then others. Because of his non-political background, Hoover was not a very persuasive man and lacked the skills needed to succeed in Washington. Although he was one of the smartest men ever elected president and the only engineer, his programs often failed to stimulate consumption and production needed to get America out of the depression. As a result, many blame the severity of the depression on Hoover’s lack of government involvement in trying to stimulate the economy. Hoover refused to have the federal government fix prices, control businesses, manipulate currency values etc. Because Hoover had always...

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... was seen as weaker at the time then Kennedy or Reagan, he also entered the presidency during a difficult time in American History. When comparing the presidency of these three men to Neustadt’s three criteria it helps us breakdown a president and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, basing a president’s success on purely these three criteria would be a poor decision. If it were up to me to create criteria, to evaluate a presidency, I would include Neustadt’s criteria but I would also examine them based on the time period the president was in and look at what was occurring in America at the time. A great president in my opinion would be one who would run a campaign based on the current American situation and achieve success through clean politics by having a firm stance on issues but being able to work with a majority of the parties involved.

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