PURSUING A RECONSTRUCTIVE PRESIDENCY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENCY

Abstract

ABSTRACTWas Barack Obama a transformational president? This study addresses that question through an elaborated version of Stephen Skowronek’s regime theory in political time, which serves as a useful lens in determining opportunity for a “reconstructive” presidency; and through comparison of the Obama presidency to five previous reconstructive presidencies. Skowronek’s presidency typology asserts linkage between disjunction and reconstruction, and the ubiquitous existence of a dominant political regime. This study demonstrates that both disjunctions and reconstructions can occur outside the frame of one presidency; and that a disjunctive presidency need not be followed by a reconstructive presidency, but rather can be followed by a competitive period of no dominant regime. Political time is a constraint, not a determinant, where contingency is an important consideration. Also, an opportune political time must be supplemented by a president’s will and skill in managing a dominant regime change and in creating a reconstructive politics. Relevant presidential skills demonstrated by successful reconstructive presidents include repudiating the corruption of the outgoing regime; communicating a mid-level reform message in simple, abbreviated terms to relevant publics (including the public-at-large); tying policy reforms to past values for purposes of legitimacy; setting effective agenda priorities and achieving early signature “wins;” and leading and expanding the party. A review of President Obama’s skills in each of these areas show weaknesses in the domestic realm that made a durable reconstruction impossible for him. Even in foreign policy, where presidents have more unilateral authority, and where Obama was more successful in communicating his foreign policy objectives, foreign policy failures, and lack of Congressional support concerning major foreign policy accomplishments, made his policy reforms transitory rather than durable. This study demonstrates that Barack Obama had reconstructive opportunity, transformational will, but lacked the requisite skills to implement a presidential reconstruction.