Obama - Barber Theory

Based on Obama's character and ability to accomplish goals within politics, I would have to characterize him as something new, rather than the predefined Barber theory characterizations. As a President, Obama is active-neutral in his character. Although he may try and he puts a significant amount of effort into his work as the Executive, Obama cannot accomplish much. This is not all his fault however. During his first and second terms, Democrats controlled Congress, and now with the control shifted to the Republicans, compromise is no longer an option. Obama may speak to the Republicans about passing legislation and meeting goals, but they do not want to negotiate and make his job much more difficult than it previously was. For example of his activeness, Obama tried to solve the government shutdown with Boehner, and avoid the fiscal cliff. This shows he has the drive to achieve goals, even if they aren't met. This may lower his self esteem but at other times when he acomplishes something, such as passing "Obamacare", his self esteem rises because that is the achievement he will be remembered for. When others approve of Obama, he puts more effort into legislation it seems and then he tries to have more passed. This puts Obama somewhere in the middle between active-negative and active-positive, which sums up to neutral. Also, Obama feels both stress and love for his job. He wants to help the American people it seems, but the constant turmoil of Capitol Hill takes a toll on him, reducing his effectiveness as a leader and as the image of the Presidency. The bickering of Congress and refusal to agree is not entirely Obama's fault. Politcal parties have become so polarized that compromise is almost impossible, and the divisions within parties only adds to the chaos, such as the Tea Party within the Republican party. In 2016, voters need to see an active-positive President. The new President needs to ensure that he passes lots of favorable legislation so that the people have renewed confidence in the government, which many claim is Obama's fault. Obama is not an effective President but it is not his fault completely. The times and pressure of the country's issues have produced problems that any Executive would have trouble handling, and Obama has tried to solve them to the best of his abilities. Overall, Obama can be characterized as an active-neutral Executive that can handle the times to the best of his ability but they have not agreed with him even with his effort.