McCain and Obama different on style as well as substance
Their responses to recent crises suggest what kind of a president each might be.
WASHINGTON — One is hot, the other cool. One is a man of quick action, the other a man of abiding caution. One claims the role of national maverick; the other hopes to play the role of national mediator.
The choice between John McCain and Barack Obama is not only between contrasting parties and policies; it's also between two markedly different styles of leadership. Those contrasts were sharply evident Friday as the presidential candidates sought to show how they would lead the nation through its latest harrowing financial crisis.
Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) heatedly called on the Federal Reserve to stop bailing out big financial firms, proposed a new agency to "fix them before they become insolvent," and vowed to stamp out "corruption and unbridled greed" on Wall Street.
Candidates' leadership styles: An article in Saturday's Section A about the leadership styles of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain identified Stanley A. Renshon as a psychiatrist. Renshon is a psychoanalyst, trained and certified in clinical psychology.
SEC chairman: Articles in Section A on Sept. 19 and 20 about the financial rescue plan said the president could not fire the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The statute governing the SEC does not explicitly give the president the authority to fire the commission's members. However, federal courts have held that the president can remove members of independent commissions like the SEC "for cause," including "inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office." The president can also demote the chairman of the SEC without removing him or her from the commission.
Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) announced that he had decided not to issue a financial rescue plan -- because he wanted to give the Bush administration a chance to work out a bipartisan solution without political interference.
"It's about their leadership styles," said Stanley A. Renshon, a scholar of the presidency who is also a psychiatrist. "McCain is a man of trying to do things. Obama is a man who tends to act cautiously and prudently. . . . It's not that one approach is necessarily better; they both come with advantages and risks."
This week's debate over the financial crisis wasn't the only time those differences have come to the fore.
When Russian troops invaded neighboring Georgia last month, McCain immediately denounced Russia and demanded a withdrawal. "We are all Georgians," he declared. Obama urged both sides to show restraint and did not initially condemn the Russian action -- although he later issued a statement chiding Russia.
Even Hurricane Gustav, which swept across the Gulf Coast three weeks ago, brought different responses. McCain detoured to Mississippi to tour the state's Emergency Management Agency; Obama stayed away, saying a sudden visit might "draw resources away from folks on the ground."
The candidates' snap reactions to unexpected events can offer "an insight into the real person behind the campaign ads," said Michael A. Genovese, an expert on presidential leadership at Loyola Marymount University. "How do they respond to rapidly changing events? How well can they think on the run?"
And their responses to the financial meltdown have been particularly interesting, scholars said, because neither candidate is considered an expert on economic regulation.
- Barack Obama, John McCain square off on economy Aug 21, 2008
- Obama and McCain's glass houses Aug 23, 2008
- McCain, Obama keep economy in campaign forefront Jul 29, 2008
