Events

'The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency'

President Lyndon Johnson in the Cabinet Room of the White House on July 31, 1968

President Lyndon Johnson in the Cabinet Room of the White House on July 31, 1968

'The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency'

John Dickerson, William Antholis (moderator)

Tuesday, September 15, 2020
3:30PM - 4:30PM (EDT)
Event Details

 

Join renowned journalist John Dickerson for a conversation about his new book, The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency, moderated by Miller Center Director Bill Antholis.

In this eye-opening book, Dickerson writes about presidents in history such as Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and Eisenhower, and in contemporary times—LBJ, Reagan, Bush, Obama, and Trump—to show how a complex job has been done and why we need to reevaluate what we expect from them once they are in office.

What qualities make for a good president? Who did it well? Why did Bill Clinton call the White House “the crown jewel in the American penal system”? The presidency is a job of surprises with high stakes, requiring vision, management skill, and an even temperament. Ultimately, in order to evaluate candidates properly for the job, we need to adjust our expectations, and be more realistic about the goals, the requirements, and the limitations of the office.

As Dickerson writes, “Americans need their president to succeed, but the presidency is set up for failure. It doesn’t have to be.”

BUY THE BOOK

When
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
3:30PM - 4:30PM (EDT)
Where
Webinar
Speakers
Journalist John Dickerson

John Dickerson

John Dickerson is 60 Minutes correspondent. Prior to that, he was a co-host of CBS This Morning, the anchor of Face the Nation, and CBS News’s chief Washington correspondent. Dickerson is also a contributing writer to The Atlantic, co-host of Slate‘s Political Gabfest podcast, and host of the Whistlestop podcast. Dickerson won the Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency as Slate‘s chief political correspondent. Dickerson covered the White House for Time during his 12 years at the magazine. The 2020 presidential campaign will be the seventh he has covered.

Bill Antholis

William Antholis (moderator)

William Antholis serves as director and CEO of UVA's Miller Center, which studies the American presidency, public policy, and democratic institutions. He also has served in the U.S. federal government at the White House National Security Council and National Economic Council, and at the State Department. Antholis is the author of Inside Out India and China: Local Politics Go Global and, with Strobe Talbot, Fast Forward: Ethics and Politics in the Age of Global Warming.