Actually, I think the greater parallel with the Carrier thing is Ford's attention to constituency work. Ford was known for solving people's problems one by one; Trump is known for making deals.
Both are ignoring the fact that the scale and the nature of their responsibilities has changed, both don't seem to realize how to use the new tools and power they have, and both are simply falling back on the one thing they know how to do well.
So, apart from the fact Trump lied about the actual numbers, the same week that Trump crowed about his "deal" that traded off $7 million in subsidies for 730 jobs, Obama doing what presidents are supposed to do got to watch employment increase by 178,000 in the month of November.
Long and short, Mayors have more important things to do than answer constituent's calls, and Presidents shouldn't be making deals with individual companies or talking down the price of jumbo jets. It plays well on television, but it may ultimately be Trump's downfall.
Fingers crossed.
