Presidential Performance Criteria

Abstract

What are the appropriate criteria for evaluating candidates for the presidency? To find answers based on the collective record of the past, we analyzed the content of randomly selected biographies covering a dozen modern presidencies. From these, we distilled lists of performance criteria to which over one hundred biographers attributed the successes and failures of presidencies. Yet a comparison of eight newspapers and three news magazines revealed that these significant criteria were deemphasized in the print media during the 1992 presidential campaign. Considering the potential significance of performance-related information, we conclude that the news media should provide voters with more coverage that directly speaks to the candidates' talents for managing the presidency.