The New York Times ran an interesting story on Sunday about President Obama. Headlined “The Competitor in Chief,” the article addressed the President’s competitive nature and provided some perspective on his personality.
The article depicts the President as a proud man and perfectionist who wants to be the best at everything — and who apparently thinks he is the best or close to the best, whether it is playing pool, or reading children’s stories, or writing speeches. He practices regularly and works hard to improve, even at things like bowling or golf.
I feel I have a better understanding of President Obama, the person, having read this article. I’m impressed by his work ethic — but I also question whether hyper-competitiveness and believing you know more than any of your advisers really are positive qualities for a President of the United States.
I’m probably the least competitive person I know so, to me, a competitive personality is not particularly attractive. However, it is a trait I can accept in a leader. I wonder if his remark, on Romney’s response to the woman in Iowa, was borne of empathy for her plight and Romney’s failure to acknowledge her struggle on a human level rather than unrestrained competition?