Analyzing the psychology and performance of presidential candidates at a distance: Bob Dole and the 1996 presidential campaign

Modern presidential campaigns require voters to evaluate the character, leadership, and judgment of candidates. But on what basis can this be done? This paper presents a framework for the analysis of these three elements drawing on comparative psychoanalytic theory and the political psychology of leadership and decision making. Relying on publicly available data, I use this framework to construct a profile of Republican candidate Robert Dole and in so doing assess some of its possibilities and limitations.