Political Science

The heart of Lord Bryces argument was that great men were not chosen president because of the party system. He noted that political bosses gauged the strength of local organizations and the loyalty of voters and then calculated which candidate would add the right demographics to ensure victory. The objective therefore was winning, not governing.

What is greatness Lord Bryce felt that it was unnecessary to define greatness. Greatness is something common  a word which exacts vivid images of heroism, courage, and intelligence. He evidently thought that any intelligent person would recognize its presence or absence in a political leader. He also recognized that greatness is something inherent in personality  a rare quality.

To understand Bryce argument, there is a need to examine the historical milieu to which his work was situated. From 1889 to 1914, both the Republicans and the Democrats nominated some of the nations finest men. Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Charles Hughes possessed the qualities of greatness. However, these men were only a small proportion of individuals nominated to the presidency. Men like Cleveland, Harrison, and Taylor became presidents out of sheer demographics out of populism. This led Lord Bryce to conclude that great men are not often chosen presidents.

Lord Bryce, however, recognized the fact that some great men proved to be not-great presidents, and some others of moderate achievements proved to be great presidents. For example, from the start Abraham Lincoln was a moderate  a politician who appealed to populism to gain public support. When he became president, he proclaimed the emancipation of the Negro race from slavery in the middle of a civil war. He was determined to preserve the unity of the union by all means legally possible, including war. In the end, he succeeded. This was in contrast to President Grant, a former Union commander. He possessed the qualities of greatness  a man who could initiate change and reform. But when he became president, he made some political miscalculations which proved detrimental to his economic policies.

Today, the political bosses of the country are the media. The inherent powers of the media are as follows 1) agenda-setting, 2) distortion of public opinion, and 3) populism. The media controls agenda-setting as far as politics is concerned. The Democratic Party chose Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton, perhaps, because of his media appeal. One politician noted, he talks of change, feels of change, and looks like change. Obamas media appeal could not be denied. President Bushs image had been tarnished by his reckless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The American public needed a person who could initiate changes in government. Hillary Clinton represented the ideals of old politics. In the nomination process, Obama was chosen to be the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.

It is hard to tell whether or not Obama possessed the qualities of greatness as some individuals said. But one thing is clear. Obamas political and economic reforms are not certainly great in its epistemological sense. Indeed, his political plans for both Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be inadequate. However, at this point, it would be unwise to judge the actions of a sitting president. But, as Lord Bryce argued, the greatness of a president is felt everywhere, from the streets to the high grounds of the Capitoline.