Political Leadership in a Divided Electorate: Assessing Character Issues in the 2000 Presidential Campaign

Abstract

In this paper, using publicly accessible data, I examine these questions in the context of the 2000 presidential campaign. I first ask “does character still matter?” and examine a range of data which suggests that it does. More specifically, I examine the impact of the Clinton presidency in helping to set the frame within which character issues are being considered. I then turn to the question of the broader cultural and political contexts in which the search for leadership takes place. I argue that the public’s experiences and leadership preferences have a important effect on the kinds of leadership that develop and are supported in a society. I then distinguish between two models of leadership in contemporary American society. One, the heroic has become traditional, the other, reflective leadership is emerging in response to structure and psychological changes in the American public. I close by suggesting how each of these two models of leadership affected the 2000 presidential campaign.