Reagan, Bush, Obama: A Political Time Analysis - Essay Sample

Introduction

Stephen Skowronek analyses presidential elections through political time. The analysis will involve three presidents namely Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barrack Obama. The sequence moves from reconstructive presidents who change politics, for instance, Ronald Reagan. As a conservative; Reagan viewed War on Poverty as an ineffective way of developing the economy and suggested a reduction of government spending to the public. In 1980, Reagan was ready to reform the economy after the failed liberal strategies on independence applied by Carter. The voters yearned for a transformative leader, and his ideas led to reelection in 1984 (Skowronek, 2011). According to Skowronek George W. Bush presidency demonstrated the consequences of increasing barriers and hardening crosscurrents had on second-generation associates. The Republican Party and the voters at large wanted a bridled presidency; therefore Bush imperialistic presidency was a result of a union of historical undercurrents and of the propensity of late-regime presidential articulators to outwit. The rise of Bill Clinton to power was a result of the adoption the reigning orthodoxy of the party. Clinton was not like Regan, a conservative who believed in economic policies, nor a handicapped successor like Bush. In 1992 the Democrats prevented a third consecutive loss to Republicans. Skowronek says that handicapped leaders are followed by individuals who utilize the orthodoxy of their parties (Skowronek, 2011). The major problems are that the theory holds an assumption that presidential candidates can achieve a polity or political objective as long as they focus on their tactics. The theory also assumes that the American presidency is all-powerful, indicating that they have the resources that help them to implement their objectives. The failure of the president is associated with his focus because he can achieve everything with hard work.

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Jeffrey Tulis' Two Constitutional Presidencies Framework

The rhetorical presidency theory describes how the presidents communicate with the voters through the media. It does not focus on the traditional methods of communication with Congress but the approval of the people. The president aims to instill an indirect pressure on the members of Congress to support the president. In the US the presidential rhetoric is divided into three ways, the old, middle, and new. President Andrew Johnson tried to use this form of campaign. Most of his messages were delivered in writing addressed to courts, dignitaries, and congress. Johnson applied the Great Society, which was a series of domestic initiatives and legislation in 1964. The main objectives of the Great Society programs were to end poverty, abolish inequality, environmental conservation, crime reduction, and elimination of racial injustice. These programs also aimed at helping the spoor by increasing government spending in social amenities such as transportation, education, rural issues, and healthcare. However, the method was not as successful as the programs deteriorated the economic conditions of the Americans. The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt marked the middle way where he made both internal and external appeals of significant matters. For instance, he introduced the Hepbum Act that led to severe opposition from his party in Congress, because it was appealing directly people. Moreover, Theodore introduced public tours where he could meet directly with the voters, an act that was highly opposed by his party. Since 1913 the new way of rhetorical presidency begun and presidents often engage the public in decision making. Unlike Theodore and Johnson, Woodrow Wilson employed both visionary and policy speech to ruling the public. Problems; the policy speech clarifies and protects the president's strategy on a certain problem, while the visionary speech enunciates the objective for the future and unites the country towards one goal. However, the public may focus on the president's image and ignore the role of other branches in decision making.

Lori Cox Han's Theoretical Framework (Traditional, Modern, Post-Modern)

Theodore Roosevelt initiated the use of the rhetorical presidency and blue pulpit to address the nation and appeal his support. He increased the power of the presidency as a national figure through popular support. Roosevelt held that the president was the bailiff of the public and that feeble presidential governance during the 19th century resulted in a negative influence on the American system. Roosevelt's usage of the presidency as a tormenter podium transformed American's opinion of the office and facilitated the shifting power from the legislative to the executive branch during the 20th century. According to Coax, following presidents, although not all of the implemented Roosevelt's approach of depending the bully podium to raise the power of the presidency as an effort to lead constitutionally as the representative for the American people (Han, 2005).

Over time numerous presidents have used different mediums to communicate with the public. The role of media and advanced technology has shifted the power from the legislative to the executive because of the public look at the presidency as the top-most leadership. Reagan and Clinton used photos that were aired on few seconds on newscasts. He also appeared in public meetings to address the people. They also used radios and television to air news from the white house, for instance, during Clinton administration television could cover foreign visits, travel to areas affected by calamities, economic meetings, and conferences among others. Maximum news coverage was news of presidential appearances and visits, marketing his image to the public. The internet was also greatly used to publish documents that provided information to the people. Problems include that the presidents concentrated on their image rather than development plans to boost the economy. The public would be swayed by the emotional appeal demonstrated when the presidents speak to them on television or help those affected by disasters (Han, 2005).

Hamilton Underpinnings

Alexander Hamilton explained the importance of a strong president as the leader of the nation. He claimed that the energy and unity of the leader are crucial to the administration of an effective government. Hamilton's major idea was that a single president would be accountable to the public. The president would be influential more than a group of individuals or states. Hamilton enumerated the benefits of a strong president and they include protection, unity, and stability for democracy representation. A strong presidency not only protects the public not only from self-harm but also from other nations. The different presidency has failed Hamilton's underpinnings, for instance, John Quincy Adams' presidency was associated with several failures and success. He was able to accomplish what is now called modern systems. However, many feel that John Quincy Adams presidency was a disappointment and judged a failure because of the dishonor, connected to his election, the triviality of his political rivals, and his strong character. The major failure of Adam's presidency was his incapability to work with Congress and enthrall the public. Clinton also demonstrated weakness between 1993 and 2001 for his ignorance of foreign policy. He promoted American trade during emergencies, for example, humanitarian crisis and United Nations peace initiatives. Obama administration also failed to protect the lives of the citizens because he did not combat terrorism and illegal immigration. These weaknesses of the presidency in different eras affected the American economy greatly. Today, many undocumented immigrants are competing for employment and social amenities in the US.

Executive Power

Article II Section 1 of the constitution affirms that executive power is conferred in a single individual, but disagreements have been raining since the beginning of the true meaning of the designation. Historically, the role of the president is to unite people as a symbol of national unity, stabilize the economy, and protect the citizens from internal and external attacks. During Bush's administration, the country was attacked by terrorists. According to LaFree et al reports of the investigations of 9/11 President Bush had a strong business relationship with Osama Bin Laden and he failed to honor a business agreement, and the terrorists attacked in revenge (2014). The terrorists wanted to prove that they were powerful to attack the United States a country that is believed to have strong military power. The Al-Qaeda terrorists released videotapes claiming to be responsible for the terrible attack. Barrack Obama did not provide universal healthcare as he promised during the campaign period, but he made deals with the insurance company on people to cover. Regan failed to stabilize the economy due to massive borrowing after he introduced economic policies to curb poverty. The failure of the presidency has adverse effects on public safety and economic development.

References

Han, Lori Cox. 2005. "The Rose Garden Strategy Revisited: How Presidents Use Public Activities." In the Public Domain: Presidents and the Challenge of Public Leadership, eds. Lori Cox Han and Diane J. Heith. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 163-178. https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1004&context=polisci_books

LaFree, G., Dugan, L., & Miller, E. (2014). Putting terrorism in context: Lessons from the Global Terrorism Database. Routledge.

Skowronek, S. (2011). Presidential leadership in political time: Reprise and reappraisal. University Press of Kansas.