During my coursework in political science, one of the issues I have explored is the different categorizations of presidential character. With this knowledge, I provided a label for how DeSantis would act if elected president and I have taken inspiration from my lesson on this topic in the major, to further analyze DeSantis’ traits as a leader.
Many Floridians and Americans across the nation, regardless of political identity, are concerned about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, as his policy platform reflects authoritarian tendencies. DeSantis, like Viktor Órban, Hungary’s prime minister since 2010, has focused particularly on attacking higher education. DeSantis signed the “Stop WOKE Act” on April 22, which limits what professors can teach about race and gender in university classes, and this has impacted primary and secondary schools as well. The free speech advocacy group FIRE claimed in a letter to Florida State University that the law (HB 7) was so blatantly an abridgment of free speech that administrators would just “refuse to enforce” it.
Both men, DeSantis and Órban are focusing on academia because they have the assumption that academics are “indoctrinating” students into left-wing ideologies. Yet, their true fear is that students will learn how to think for themselves and will gain an awareness of what undemocratic and authoritarian leaders look like and in turn these men will be exposed.
Liberals and conservatives alike, know the role charisma plays in an election, and the Florida governor is viewed as not having the most charisma or appeal among Republican candidates. Despite viral commentary on DeSantis’ popularity or lack thereof, it has not stopped him from getting elected in the past, and this is of concern to those who do not want to see authoritarian patterns in office.
Can voters predict how DeSantis would utilize power if elected as president? James David Barber is the author of The Presidential Character, which makes the case that trends in a candidate’s personality and political philosophy can help voters predict how they will perform in office. Barber presents four classifications of presidential character:
1) Active-Positive. These presidents are adaptive and use their presidential power and influence to accomplish positive policy actions (Barber 9).
2) Passive-Positive. Presidents who fall within this classification are compliant. They are easily persuaded (perhaps not always towards the best outcome) and pursue public acceptance (Barber 10).
3) Active-Negative. This category falls under compulsive behavior. Active-negative presidents may struggle with anger issues and use power as a means of self-fulfillment. They also are more concerned about how the public may perceive them (Barber 9).
4) Passive-Negative. These leaders have poor self-esteem and cannot face conflict or uncertainty. Finally, they prioritize tradition and precedent over the current political and social climate (Barber 10).
A leader’s internalized struggles with a hunger for power and low self-esteem, all of which Barber describes as traits that fall under the active-negative classification, are an ongoing theme in the Florida Governor’s decision-making, such as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and signing HB 543, that allows carrying concealed guns without a permit in Florida.
DeSantis is aware he is not America’s top choice, which could result in a lack of confidence and one could make an argument in political psychology, that a leader’s craving for dominance is just a projection of his own low self-esteem. Because if that is not the case, why do we have men feeling threatened by academia and threatened by women being in control of their own bodies?