How effective were presidents at achieving their aims? (30 marks) Flashcards
Bill Clinton : healthcare
- healthcare was the main aim Clinton wanted to achieve
- he did not have a clear mandate (43.3%)
- he put his wife in charge, which was a mistake as she had no congressional experience
- Hillary Clintons proposed reforms were too divided to get all of the democrats to unite around it
- overall, he failed in his attempts to provide affordable healthcare
Bill Clinton: economic growth
- the economy was in bad shape when he came into office
- he signed a welfare reform bill which was harsher than the previous one
- he put restrictions on spending and introduced tax increases on the wealthy, which was successful
- 4% economic growth, compared to Bush and Rheagans which was only 2.8%
- however, the gap between the rich and the poor was widening, and unemployment and poverty rates of ethnic groups was increasing
- overall, his policies helped and his presidency is remembered for a booming economy
Bill Clinton: greater levels of representation and civil rights
aim: to increase levels of representation for minority groups, protect civil rights and make the USA more racially inclusive and LGBTQ+ tolerant country
- when he came into cabinet, only 2 were of ethnic minority and 2 women, but he made the most diverse cabinet in history at the time
- he appointed 2 women and 6 men from minority groups and 4 white women
- he appointed more black federal judges and appointed the most hispanic judicial nominees on record
- ‘dont ask, dont tell’ : homosexuals joining the military should not disclose their sexuality, but they are allowed to join
- overall, he successfully increased representation of ethnic groups and women and he advanced gay rights in the military
Bill Clinton: foreign policy
aim: focus on Russia, Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland
- Clinton was successful with stabalising Russia after the Cold War, he secured 1.6bil in aid to Russia
- his initial involvement in Yugoslavia was bad, but he managed to turn it around and created peace
- played a big role in the signing of the Good Friday Agreement
- overall: he did not achieve political or economic reform in Russia, but he was successful in stabilising Russia and Yugoslavia, and was successful during the Good Friday Agreement
George W. Bush: ‘war on terror’
- war with Iraq
- passed the Homeland security Act 2002
- however, it was controversial as the war was started because of its ‘possession of weapons of mass destruction’, but there were none
- Guantanamo Bay detention camp
- Patriot Act (surveillance of internet / phone communications)
- overall: the Homeland Security Act has improved the USAs ability to defend themselves, but the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is controversial and so is the Patriot Act as it infinges freedoms. the ‘war on terror’ was based on fake info
George W. Bush: education policy
- passed the No Child Left Behind Act 2002 (intro of the national test) was good as it saw a 2% increase in spending for poorer schools
- however, it did not significantly improve the education system and the US is still outperformed by other countries
George W. Bush: major tax cuts
- successful in his aim of making $1.35 trillion worth of tax cuts
- but critics say it was irresponsible to impose tax cuts at a time where government deficit was increasing due to the ‘war of terror’
George W. Bush: social security reform
- wanted to let indiviuals divert a proportion of their social security tax into personal retirement accounts
- he was unsuccessful with this as he lacked the support from Congress
Obama: healthcare reform
- wanted to make healthcare affordable
- he was successful as he was good at compromising what he wanted, and the number of uninsured adults dropped from 18% to 11%
- however, he had to compromise and sacrifice the most radical and expensive aim of achieving universal healthcare coverage
Obama: stimulating the economy
- he successfully saw the US out of the 2008 economic crisis with Congress passing 2 major pieces of legislation:
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 ($787 billion package)
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Consumer Protection Act 2010 (regulate banks and prevent risk that led to the initial financial crisis)
Obama: immigration reform
- failed to pass the DREAM Act which would have granted temporary residency and the right to work to qualifying immigrants who entered the US as children, if they got full qualifications, they would get full citizenship
- he then tried to pass DAPA, however, the SC ruled against it
- overall, he failed
Obama: ending the war in Iraq
- he was successful in ending the war
- he removed troops from Iraq
Trump: taxes and jobs
- Trump argued tax cuts would lead to an economic boom and GDP would rise by 6%, but none of these happened
- introduced the Tax and Jobs Act 2017 (tax went from 35% down to 21%)
- unemployment levels fell to its lowest point since 1969, however, there was little change in the amount of Americans working part time as they struggled to find full time jobs
- overall, he was successful
Trump: immigration
The Migration Protection Protocol was successful in reducing the number of migrants from Mexico illegally trying to enter the US
Trump: build a wall
- failed to build a wall across the USA and Mexico border, only 15 miles was built, with most of this being replacement barriers
