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I by no means think George W. Bush was charismatic. But I do think due to the age of television (and satellite-driven telecommunications by extension) you have to divide presidents into pre-Kennedy and Kennedy & Beyond classifications. Why do I evoke the name of Bush? While clearly not the sharpest pencil in the box, he was the first president to have every misstep and dumb statement be heard and broadcast in real time, without even so much as the filter of print media. So while Obama and Clinton have been described as pathological liars, this is only because their "political speech" has been readily accessible in the cable news media age. I would wager that Chester Arthur who parlayed Collector of the Port of New York (as a product of the Conkling New York Political Machine) into the Vice-Presidency has done some shady stuff. Hence while George W. Bush is once again NOT charismatic and was an extremely bad president, I think his flaws were much more illuminated due to the current media age. History seems to indicate Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan had far less personality.
Accordingly, people today are far more "partisan" in their politics then from what I can remember as a youth. The 1990s were the era in which the United States was the most prosperous country in the history of capitalism and Bill Clinton was its folksy steward, equally at home in Harlem and rural Arkansas. I would call that charismatic. Obama turned out a response like a rock star when he traveled abroad, and I don't think "developed and sophisticated" populations in Europe turned out just to see a black guy in a suit. Obama's only been defeated once in an election and was never at any point an experienced politician. I think he has a genuine charisma.
I think JFK may have been the most charismatic, and had RFK lived (and been elected), probably would have ended up second. I think this Kennedy charisma was part a function of being put through the political and business world paces by their father. Apparently the oldest brother was the most charming of them all. But JFK (and RFK) had good looks that appealed to women, boyish charm, but was also witty and book smart. So while JFK may not have been able to connect with as wide a variety of Americans as Clinton, I think JFK should be given credit for serving as a role model for Clinton and Bill was able to even improve on turning up the charm. Maybe JFK rubbed off a little on Clinton when Bill met him at the age of 16!
Clinton is definatley in the top 5 for sure... this is how I would rank em 1-5
1. Teddy Roosevelt
2. Bill Clinton
3. Ronald Reagan
4. Andrew Jackson
5. Franklin Roosevelt
Teddy without a doubt has the most Charisma, just a real Man's man. Smart, Good leader,Communicator ect.
Good list. I would put John F. Kennedy in at #4. #6 would be Andrew Jackson and at #7 put in Harry Truman who had some profanity laced charisma! #8 would be Barack Obama. He seems to be more charismatic when campaigning to win the election than during his term IMO. LOL. Your #1,#2,#3, and #5 choices are spot on.
Last edited by chessgeek; 05-23-2014 at 09:51 PM..
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