2012 | Why Presidents Succeed. Why They Fail.

With the 2012 presidential contest already underway, the Dole Institute’s signature series looks at what separates successful presidents from those deemed failures.
Both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon had significant accomplishments during their presidencies that were overshadowed by Vietnam and Watergate respectively. What if these men had been able to avoid these stains? Join us as we look at each man in this light.

Kick Off
1/29/2012

With the 2012 presidential contest already underway, the Dole Institute looks at what separates successful presidents from those deemed failures.
Presidential historian and first Dole Institute permanent director, Richard Norton Smith, will kick off the series with his take on this timely topic. Join Richard as he is interviewed by Dole Institute Director, Bill Lacy, on the leadership traits that create great presidents, and the mistakes that make them weak.
Note: This event was not recorded.

Nixon Presidency
4/19/2012

Former Nixon speechwriters John Andrews, who previously served as President of the Colorado Senate, and Lee Huebner, former professor of communications and journalism at Northwestern University, speak about the Nixon Presidency, and as the question of
“What if there never was a Watergate?” These two speechwriters from the Nixon White House will explore his presidency without this term-ending event.

Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency
4/23/2012

Without Vietnam would the public and historians have seen LBJ differently? Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum director and author, Mark Updegrove, discusses this question and his new book, Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency.