Harry S. Truman once threatened bodily harm in a letter to a reviewer who wrote disparagingly about the musical talents of his daughter. Richard M. Nixon ranted, and so did Bill Clinton. George Stephanopoulos once described Clinton's "purple rages," which left Stephanopoulos, often the subject of Clinton's private lashings, so shaken that he broke out in hives, sunk into depression and began taking an antidepressant.Wait, who cares about Stephanopoulos's emotional problems? Who reacts to anger with hives?
"Clinton could flare up," remembers John D. Podesta, a former Clinton chief of staff. "You might have to endure five minutes of him yelling. But you could challenge him. . . . He would sometimes get mad when [aides] pushed back -- but it was a passing moment; tomorrow would be fine. You didn't get in the doghouse for pushing back."Get less wimpy aides.
"Temper can sometimes be a political instrument," said James A. Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. "There are sometimes calculated displays of temper, which is what Lyndon Johnson used to persuade people. . . .
"But sometimes somebody's temperament can get in the way of aides telling him the truth, which happened [during the Vietnam War] with LBJ. His temper scared some [aides] away, which was not good for anyone. . . . That's always part of the risk with a strong temper . . . and so it's always relevant."
It sounds as though Stephanopoulos wasn't up for it. Nothing wrong with that. Reposition yourself in media and snipe from a distance. It's my preference too.
But enough about Stephanopoulos. My real question here is: How much emotional volatility is good for a President? We will — in all likelihood — face a choice between a candidate who's too hot — McCain — and a candidate who's too cool — Obama. But it's not too late — superdelegates take note! — Hillary Clinton may be just right.
She's the baby bear's porridge on the table of presidential politics.
IN THE COMMENTS: The inimitable Trooper York:
Everyone thought that Boo Boo Bear was a cute little bear like the ones you heard about in stories. But actually he was a freak. He was really into drugs and was a total enabler. Yogi threw him out of Jellystone after he got caught robbing picinic baskets to snort the condiments when he couldn’t get any drugs. He hung out in Gentle Bens guest house until the night he killed his wife and her waiter friend. He was homeless for a while which wasn’t so bad because he was used to eating out of garbage cans. He hit bottom when he was arrested with a sex toy in his fur, meth in his pocket and a rope tied around his penis. When asked what the hell he was doing with the rope, Boo Boo said “Some people thought it was too small, some people thought it was too big, but with a rope it’s just right.”
(Ricou Browning & John Florea, Gentle Ben, The E True Hollywood Story)
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24 comments:
Hillary Clinton, known for throwing objects at hand like lamps and ashtrays?
Not likely.
Hillary Clinton may be just right.
I am reminded of the argument that "comfort" can be achieved with one foot in a fire and the other in a bucket of ice. If the parallel is carried to a logical conclusion, then Billary would be the dangling bit in the middle.
Too many bromides can cause skin eruptions.
The belief that John McCain may lose his temper when talking with some world leader is so laughable that I almost spit out my cereal.
Perhaps a little more straight talk is what we need in foreign relations.
I think it might be beneficial to think in terms of McCain and his running mate, because of the age factor. It seems probable that McCain would be a 1-term president or, if he was alert enough to win a second term, unable to live out that term.
Methinks Stephanopoulos was embroidering with that breaking out in hives claim...as is his wont.
Oh, Professor, you have it backwards.
Carrier-based fighter pilots are not hot heads. Those guys get weeded out. Remember Tom Wolfe's famous 'greasy skillet'?
Shepard, Carpenter, Schirra, Young, Conrad, Lovell, Cernan, and Armstrong. All Navy men.
It's Obama who's the angry one. Untested he is.
It's good this story gets some attention. For all the time spent on so-called "character" issues, the way they treat other people and resolve issues is a character issue.
If McCain won't tolerate disagreement, will he listen to people when he's wrong? No. Will this lead to bad policies for the nation if he takes the Oval Office? Yes.
I do hope Althouse addresses the bombshell of the weekend:
Behind Military Analysts, the Pentagon’s Hidden Hand
Propaganda with the goal to deceive the American people about failed and corrupt war policies. Wow. Don't look for the news channels to cover this! (or Althouse, who supports Bush war policies).
George - Carrier-based fighter pilots are not hot heads. Those guys get weeded out. Remember Tom Wolfe's famous 'greasy skillet'?
I believe the more accurate phrasing of those astronauts that started as carrier-based fighter pilots was that they could be cocky hotheads, but never "out of control" cocky hotheads. The ones who couldn't master their emotions got weeded out. The other side was certain fighter jocks in the Navy were very "distaff" tranquil confident people who never got emotional. That doesn't appear to make them "better" than those who did have a big temper. You are talkng about the cool, analytical Don Rumsfeld types.
Presendential types that had big tempers? Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, Grant, TDR, FDR, Truman, Reagan, LBJ, Clinton, Nixon.
More placid, tranquil types?
John Quincy, Monroe, Pierce, Cleveland, Wilson, Hoover, Eisenhower, Carter, HW Bush, GW Bush.
A temper seems to come with a President that believes passionately in what they are doing. Sometimes it can be excessive. When the all-time temper champ Andrew Jackson got pissed, he sometimes left dead people in his wake.
Sometimes a more placid, technocratic type is right when the nation needs a caretaker, a "steadying hand".
Cleveland, Eisenhower, HW Bush pulled it off.
Carter talking malaise in his cardigan sweater and GW Bush tranquilly plodding on despite critics - on how God guided him in his certain quest to give the "noble, purple-fingered, freedom-loving Iraqis" their democracy and uplifting - did not.
Alphaliberal,
Whence comes the idea that the military/pentagon is an independent body who's job it is to be a neutral arbiter between POTUS and the American people?
The Pentagon is not a neutral actor, it follows direction and command directly from the President.
The question should be, why shouldn't they propagandize the policy of the elected representative of the people?
Would we be better served if they had their own agenda?
So you take a psychological parameter that has an inconclusive relationship with presidential success, and then end by reconciling that uncertainty with an assumption based on the ending of a fairy tale. How cute!
Personally I think your description of Hillary's comparative demeanor exemplifies the one meaningful biblical aphorism that I believe describes her dysfunctional relationship with the electorate: "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth."
People are losing their patience with yammering politicians who can't figure out where they stand, in case you didn't notice. They need at least enough passion to voice a consistent political direction that stands out as being independent of their political ambitions.
None of your quotes from WaPo refers to actually successful presidents - i.e. from the top of the rankings. Perhaps you were quoting selectively? But I'd venture to guess that Washington, Lincoln and FDR were probably more personally restrained. T.R. not so much. But if we dig even further, way further, back into history, to the paragon of political success, I'd be willing to bet money on Augustus Ceasar being judged to have had a "cool" characterological assessment orders of magnitude beyond that of the many, much less successful emperors that succeeded him or the consuls that preceded him. And we can't forget that hot-headed Marcus Aurelius either!
I think there's a good reason that the democracy we modeled ourselves off of, the Romans, only had room for extolling 4 cardinal virtues - including, most interestingly, this one.
So you take a psychological parameter that has an inconclusive relationship with presidential success, and then end by reconciling that uncertainty with an assumption based on the ending of a fairy tale. How cute!
It's a famous tale stressing the importance of moderation in all things, and don't mess with bears.
Cedar--
Anger is a tool. Depends on how well you use it or if it uses you.
Washington, I think, had a fierce temper as a young man, but learned to control it.
He wrote a book about manners, The Rules of Civility. Its 110 maxims are here.
Rule #1. Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.
Hillary isn't the baby bear's porridge. She's the wolf that eats grandma and Red Riding Hood.
Carter tranquil? Mister Raging Resentment calm? Puhleeze,
There were stories of Hillary's temper tantrums too while she was first lady. How soon everyone forgets. Just like they forgot that she has no proven track record of public accomplishments or service.
World statesman Sen. Bob Smith thinks that McCain's temper would "disqualify him" as an opening salvo. The article goes down from there!!!
I've known about Boo Boo and his wild ways for years!
Stephanopoulos would not have gotten hives if he only had used the Oval Office fainting couch -- but Lewinsky was in it!
Seems given whom he is supporting now Robert Reich must have got the croup!
The question should be, why shouldn't they propagandize the policy of the elected representative of the people?
I guess I took it as a given that we don't want our government intentionally misleading us, or use public funds to mislead the people and the Congress.
We have to debate this? Really? This thing is sneaky and dishonest.
Here's a telling snippet from one of the used generals:
As conditions in Iraq deteriorated, Mr. Allard recalled, he saw a yawning gap between what analysts were told in private briefings and what subsequent inquiries and books later revealed.
“Night and day,” Mr. Allard said, “I felt we’d been hosed.”
To Professor Althouse.
Madam,
To illustrate the Moderate Course that Mrs. Clinton may take, you have use'd a very pleasant Fable. This Fable was raised upon Brutes, with one of our own Species mixt among them, for the Moral hath so requir'd.
But besides this kind of Fable, there is another in which the Actors are Passions, Virtues, Vices, and other imaginary Persons of the like Nature. Some of the ancient Criticks will have it, that the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer are Fables of this Nature: and that the several Names of Gods and Heroes are nothing else but the Affections in a visible Shape and Character. Thus they tell us, that Achilles, in the first Iliad, represents Anger, or the Irascible Part of Human Nature; That upon drawing his Sword against his Superior in a full Assembly, Pallas, or Athena, is only another Name for Reason, which checks and advises him upon that Occasion; and at her first Appearance touches him upon the Head, that Part of the Man being looked upon as the Seat of Reason. And thus of the rest of the Poem.
I could, Madam, continue to Expound in a similar Vein, Comparing Achilles' irascible Anger with that of Sen. McCain; and would draw the Audience's Attention to the Contrast of two angry Leaders, one who remain'd petulant and wish'd to withdraw from a War, and t'other who, while angry yet, should continue one. If I did, the Audience, I fear, should grow tired.
I would also suggest that, as Achilles finally enter'd the Fray, enrag'd and determin'd to seek Revenge, so might Sen. McCain be persuaded of a Philosophic Calm that would cause his leaving off of Revenge, and his adopting the mild Course of Withdrawl from Mesopotamia. The Audience should, no doubt, have begun to yawn.
Indeed, I could go on with a Train of Thought, compleat with ev'ry Classical Allusion, a rigid Parallel Exposition, and Quotes from the Greek, such as:—
μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκεν
bemoaning accursed Rage, &c., &c. The Audience will have fall'n Asleep.
But, Madam, I shant; so perhaps the Audience would now reawaken.
Why, You may ask, do I not continue my Work, even though the Audience may doze? What harm could it cause, except perhaps to my Reputation for Wit? Why should I not perform what ev'ry Writer on Politicks had done in my Age, by drawing endless Parallels between the Ancients & Moderns?
The answer, Madam, is Boo Boo Bear.
Boo Boo Bear hath driv'n ev'ry rational Thought from my Brain, and replac'd Political and Historical Critcism with the Precepts of Jellystone Park. I find that I am now contemplating the Apotheosis of Yogi Bear as a fit Subject for a Pangyrick Ode, and would write a short Pastoral Essay on Ranger Smith.
Under such Circumstances, I must forbear further Comment until such Time as I can take the true Measure of Events, without hearing in my Mind's Ear, so to speak, the tedious Phrase, "I'm smarter than the average Bear."
Wishing that Messers Hanna & Barbera had never met,
I remain,
Madam,
Your humble & obt. Servant,
Sir Archy
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