Today is President’s Day, which gives a great many people the day off of work. Michael Frawley is a presidential historian and Associate Professor of History and Dean of Student Success at the University of Texas Permian Basin.
He says that while presidents have changed greatly from person to person and party to party, what has generally defined success for a presidency is the ability to stay flexible and deal with the unexpected that comes with every administration. “It’s the ability to rise to the challenge of the time. No President knows 100% what they’re going to face when they go into office. So, it really is the ability to meet the challenges that come with the times,” Frawley explains.
When it comes to which American Presidents have risen to the challenges and proven themselves among the greats, Frawley lists some of the usual suspects. “Of course, most would say George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. They were transformative,” says Frawley.
However, he has a bit of an unusual favorite when it comes to his list of past Presidents. “My favorite President is James K. Polk. He had two planks in his platform that he ran on, he accomplished both of those and then went home and retired,” Frawley went on to add.
The public’s perception of presidents has changed over the years with technology. Frawley emphasized the differences of opinion on who won the debate between JFK and Richard Nixon depending on who listened on the radio and who watched on television.
He adds that with 24 hour news networks and social media, the news cycle has grown even shorter, making it easier to skew perceptions. “It’s basically a 24 second news cycle the way social media works. It makes single-issue voting easier for political parties to manipulate because of the sound-bite based news cycle these days,” says Frawley.