9:50 a.m., March 30, 2010----Walter D. Broadnax,
Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School
of Syracuse University and Charles P. Messick Distinguished Visiting
Scholar in the University of Delaware's School of Urban Affairs and
Public Policy (SUAPP) for spring 2010, spoke about the conflicts and
tasks that have been handed to the administration of President Barack
Obama thus far during a lecture on Wednesday, March 24, at the Marriott
Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware hotel on campus.
Broadnax's lecture, entitled Leadership Challenges for the
President: A World of Opportunities and Hazards, was given in front of
SUAPP alumni, guests and friends and dealt with how Obama and his
administration have been challenged to handle many different situations,
including health care, renewable energy, the financial crisis, gays in
the military and changing the Washington scene. The latter challenge, he
asserted, is the biggest of them all.
The president of the United States controls and develops the vision
of the country, Broadnax said. However, past presidents have tended to
set a framework that has affected subsequent leaders, he said, citing
how the outlook of Ronald Reagan has made an impact for three decades.
For Obama, there is no exception; Broadnax said the president has had
difficulty trying to make his visions a reality because he has had to
follow past presidents and their own visions.
Broadnax said the country's fiscal crisis has been a challenge that
Obama has inherited and that has consumed much of his presidency so far.
Therefore, it may be tougher for Obama to execute what he wants to do.
So here you are, and you're going to change Washington, and coming
in from one side of the stage or another is this huge trillion-dollar
problem that you have, and in the face of the country that is already
experiencing deficits and a growing debt, you now have to step out there
and say, 'Well, I want to spend right away another 700 billion
dollars,' Broadnax said, explaining how this challenge has developed.
In addition, while the president has the power to set the tone for
the country, Broadnax said, the notion that the president has the
capacity to work with no regard to Congress is false, as Congress and
interest groups do have influence.
Ignoring them is not a good strategy, he said. So you have to figure out how you are going to dance with these people.
Broadnax, who served in the Clinton and Carter administrations as a
leader in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, described
the optimal situation for effective presidential leadership as horse
trading. A healthy exchange of ideas between the president and Congress
is ideal, rather than fighting or a tug-of-war taking place.