This morning I was reading an article on the Internet about Nash McCabe, the woman who asked Barack Obama why he doesn’t wear an American flagpin at this past Wednesday’s awful ABC televised debate. Overlooking how ludicrous it is that the media have given legitimacy to this kind of question, the article really did get me thinking about the Presidency — but in an unusual way. I wondered whether Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson could get elected President of the United States in this day and age.

Before I go into my convoluted thinking process that got me from flag pins to the electability of Abraham Lincoln, let me describe the article and Nash McCabe. The article told the tale of McCabe as just the type of Pennsylvania voter that Hillary Clinton and Obama are desperately courting for next Tuesday’s primary election — a white, working-class woman from Western Pennsylvania. It was a sad story of a woman whose family suffered from huge medical expenses but who continued to work and muddle through as best she could. The article had this to say about McCabe’s politics:

“McCabe sympathizes with working-class people who got in over their heads during the housing boom. She opposes the Iraq war and thinks President Bush has hurt the country. She doesn’t support Republican John McCain because he’s too close to Bush.

On paper, her stances make her as likely to support Obama as Clinton.

But she sees a difference between the two. In Clinton, she sees someone who has struggled for years, just like her, and has earned the right to be president. In Obama, she sees someone who rose like a rocket, always has a smooth explanation for everything — whether it’s about his former preacher or the flag pin — and who makes it all look too easy.

“That’s what upsets me about Barack Obama,” she says. “He takes everything so nonchalantly.”

She admits that she’s more likely to give Clinton the benefit of the doubt while looking for fault in Obama. For example, McCabe says that she once saw Obama on television and noticed that “he turned his back on the flag” before the Pledge of Allegiance ended. That irritated her to no end.

What caught my eye in this description of McCabe’s irritation was the word “nonchalantly.” It made me think about all of the other characteristics by which Obama had been described:. Some were uniquely positive like charismatic, energetic, charming, fresh, perceptive, confident, easy-going and creative. But some were kind of negative too like aloof, elitist, arrogant, shallow, and inconsistent. And it occurred to me that people were describing a personality type. When it comes to “Character,” what people seem to be drawn to or away from in Obama is his specific personality type.

ENTP
I did some fact checking and a google search on personality adjectives describing Obama and cross referenced that with a few books I have on the topic and bingo I got a personality type match: ENTP.

ENTP (links here and here) is one of 16 different personality types according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). People of this type are called innovators because:

“ENTPs are known for their quest of the novel and complex. They have faith in their ability to improvise and to overcome any challenges that they face. They are highly independent, and value adaptability and innovation. They may be several steps ahead of others in encouraging and valuing change. They hate uninspired routine and resist hierarchical and bureaucratic structures that are not functional.”

-Sandra Krebs Hirsch and Jean Kummerow

David Keirsey, an expert in MBTI research, says ENTPs’ “good humor and curiosity tend to be contagious, and people seek out their company.

All of this sounds familiar to me because I am also an ENTP and see shades of my own personality in Obama. However, of course, there are downsides to the ENTP personality type. We can sometimes be seen as arrogant, elitist, aloof, and condescending yet inconsistent, shallow, superficial, or indecisive. And those are exactly the adjectives often used to describe Obama. Whether one sees his positive qualities or these more negative ones is largely due to what the media highlights AND one’s own personality type as well.

RATIONALS
ENTPs are one of four types in a group called Rationals or Conceptualizers. Rationals are said to be only 10% of the population, but are disproportionately represented in positions of power. Of 43 Presidents, 8-12 are thought to have been rationals. 6 of those rationals are generally considered amongst our top Presidents. Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron, expert consultants on Personality Type describe Rationals like this:

“The motto for Conceptualizers might well be, “Be excellent in all things.” They are the most independent of the four temperaments, driven to acquire knowledge and set very high standards for themselves and others. Naturally curious, Conceptualizers usually can see many sides to the same argument or issue. Conceptualizers are excellent as seeing possibilities, understanding complexities, and designing solutions to real or hypothetical problems. Their role is often that of the architect of change.”

Famous Rationals? Abraham Lincoln, Thonmas Jefferson, Margaret Thatcher, Albert Einstein, Herbert Hoover. Now, I hope it’s apparent how I got to thinking about Abraham Lincoln and whether he would be electable in 2008. (For what it’s worth, my favorite rational character is Mr. Spock on Star Trek.) David Keirsey does a full profile of all of the Presidents on his website (click link here).

Certainly that list of rationals is pretty impressive and rationals have some great qualities. But, as you would expect, there’s some bad with the good. Barron and Tieger say the following:

“Sometimes Conceptualizers can be too complex for others to understand. They have a tendency to overlook necessary details. They can be deeply skeptical and often challenge rules, assumptions, or customs. They also sometimes have trouble with authority and can be seen as elitist. Conceptualizers often fail to see how they affect others and they may not be interested in either harmony or the importance of feelings. They can be fiercly competitive and will sometimes not bother with a project or activity if they don’t think they will excel at it. At their worst, Conceptualizers can be arrogant, remote, and in a world of their own.”

In other words, rationals can be argumentative yet cold, heartless big picture trouble makers who make big plans to change everything but leave the details to the peons beneath them. Think Donald Rumsfeld, another rational.

When you think of how people have described Obama, the previous quotes sound a heck of a lot like him. And they also sound a lot like all of the other rationals I mentioned: Einstein, Hoover, Thatcher, Jefferson, and Lincoln.

ELECTABILITY
So could any of our rational Presidents be elected today? Eisenhower was the last one. Could Lincoln, with his short resume, lack of executive and congressional experience, be elected today?

I would like to think so. After all, 6 rationals were among our best Presidents. Jefferson, A
dams and Lincoln are right up at the top. But, the questions about Obama’s character — elitism, shallowness, aloofness and on and on — makes me wonder whether the bright lights of Television and our 24-hour media cycle make the character flaws of a Rational that much more difficult to accept. That’s what hit me about Nash McCabe’s description of Obama’s nonchalance.

Only time will tell.

BACKGROUND ARTICLES ON OBAMA’S CHARACTER
What Obama Really Stands For (Toronto Star, 4/13/2008)
Obama walks arrogance line (Yahoo News, 3/17/2008)
So Far, and So Fast (Washington Post, 12/14/2007)
Obama Struggles To Feel Voters’ Pain (CBS News, 12/20/2007)
The Obama Marriage (Slate, 10/26/2007)
The Obama Marriage, Part 2 (Slate, 10/29/2007)

Barack Obama’s wife Michelle keeps him grounded; rationals tend to be dreamers with their minds always deep in thought. Having read articles about her life and background, I imagine she is an ESTJ Guardian. They make a wonderful complementary team. I should know: my wife and I are the same match (ESTJ/ENTP).

MICHELLE OBAMA’S CHARACTER
The woman behind Obama
The Other Obama
The Obama Marriage (Slate, 10/26/2007)
The Obama Marriage, Part 2 (Slate, 10/29/2007)