Likeable Presidents

   John F. Kennedy was one of the most well liked Presidents in modern America, but many of his proposals were left to Lyndon B. Johnson to carry through.
   Franklin D. Roosevelt was labeled "a traitor to his class," and was so hated by many wealthy Americans that they refused to speak his name, only referring to him as "that man in the White House." Yet FDR's policies rescued the nation from the Great Depression.
   Ronald Reagan was loved by many, but scholars have cast doubt on his competence in government budgeting and in national economics.
   
   LBJ was disliked by so many that he declined to seek a second term as President. But without his inside knowledge of how Congress functions, the important legislation of the 1960s -- including the Civil Rights Act -- might not have become law.
   As for likeability, Jimmy Carter was easily overcome by Reagan, the former star of Hollywood movies. Which was the more successful President, Carter or Reagan?
   
   So which is more important for a Presidential candidate, competence and experience or a higher likeability quotient?
   Which candidate is more likely to be elected, the uber-macho salesman or the candidate who is disliked partly because of her gender?
   Which set of qualities is more attractive to voters, machismo and bluster or knowledge and experience?
   One candidate has a lower likeability quotient because of her perceived reserve in public, but rates higher in experience in government. The other is far more liked for his get-tough approach to all things but has no experience in government.

   There are many examples, in business as well as in government and the military, where a manager, official or a general is personally disliked by colleagues and staffers but is nevertheless respected for broad knowledge, experience and skill in getting a job done. There are others who are quite likeable and friendly, even loved, but lack competence and the skill to do a job reasonably well.
   
   Given the choice of likeability or competence, which will voters of America choose to be President? We'll have an answer come November.