POLI 308: Review Sheet Three: Summer 2015

Bill Newmann

List of terms: Those terms preceded by an asterisk (*) are primarily found in the readings.

REAGAN:

Reagan's past

Reagan (conservative wing) vs. Bush (moderate wing) in New Hampshire

Landslide over Carter

Reagan as Republican FDR -- confidence, hope, leadership

Reagan Beliefs (four priorities)

Reagan economic philosophy

*Criticism of the New Deal and Great Society

Principles of Reaganomics

Government vs. the Market

Return to classical liberalism; rejection of Keynes

Supply-side economics

The Reagan revolution

The impact of the tax cuts, but continued government spending

Reagan and US political spectrum

*Reagan realignment

*Reagan Coalition

*Undoing the New Deal and Great Society

Reagan management style

Spokesmodel Presidency/Reagan as actor portraying the president

Overall policy guidance by Reagan

The Troika:

Edwin Meese and his role

James Baker and his role

Michael Deaver and his role

Reagan and the media

The Teflon President

Reagan’s slight reality problem

Popularity of Reagan vs. Popularity of his policies

Reagan political and communications strategy

Bargaining

Going Public

Elements of Reagan Media Strategy:

Bully Pulpit

Stage Events in controlled settings

Feed the Media

Consistency of message -- Line of the Day/Sound Bites

Selling the President

Popularity = Power

Party Philosophy 1990s

*hyperpartisanship

*mobilizing voters by emphasizing differences

*Newt Gingrich strategy

BUSH 41:

Bush as Insider

*Small “c” vs. capital “C” conservatives

Bush and party loyalty

"The Vision Thing"

Bush history:

Moderate Republican

Appointed jobs for Republican party -- loyalty

1988: No New Taxes

1990: Budget Deal

1992: a mistake to raise taxes

*Gulf War

Rally-round-the-flag-effect in Bush popularity

Wasting opportunities after the Gulf

Bush and failure to remake the party

Bush and leadership

CLINTON:

Democratic Party after 1984 election

*Old Democrats vs. new Democrats

Why the growth of a moderate center?

*Democrats lost South

*Impact of Reagan revolution (shifting US politics to the right)

*Deficit

tax revolts of 1970s and 1980s

economic slowdown since 1970s

perceived failure of:

1. Democratic New Deal/Great Society

2. Reaganomics

Fight in each Party

*Democrats: centrist vs. liberal – centrists win

*Republicans: moderate vs. conservative – Movement conservatives win

*New Democrats – Democratic Leadership Council

*Socially liberal

*Fiscally Conservative

*Pro-Business

Government has limited, but important role

*Clinton as New Democrat

Education reform in Arkansas

The logic of Clinton's election

1992 election: Three way race

*Is Clinton really a New Democrat?

*Gays in the military

*Health care

*Budget

*Triangulation and Welfare reform

Trade

Economic world order building and globalization

Pro-business Democrat

*Aggressive promotion of free trade

*economic policy as the key to foreign policy

*Republicans take the House and Senate

*The trust issue

*Slick Willie

*Scandals and accusations

*Investigations and evidence

*Clinton and his spin team's defense against the accusations

*Clinton's relationship with the media

*Clinton haters

The impeachment and Acquittal of Clinton

Red, Blue, and Purple States (Some Lecture but mostly from Brownstein)

What a red or blue or purple states look like county by county

*Electoral Realignment and the Great Sorting Out

*The growth of extreme partisanship

*extreme partisanship leading to irreconcilable conflict between parties

*ideological discipline within parties

*political system more polarized than the people

*Age of Bargaining

*Conservative Southern Democrats often allied with conservative republicans and Liberal Republicans sometimes allied with Liberal Democrats 

If the US electorate is really polarize, why?

1. *Party Changes from 1960s to 1980s realignment

a. *Parties used to have moderate and conservative wings

b. *Shift to a more purely conservative Republican Party and a more purely Liberal Democratic Party

2. Urban vs. Rural, plus College Towns

3. *Regional

a. *Solid South Realignment

4. *Culture War: “Guns, God and Gays”

5. *Result of “winner-take-all” system

6. *Gerrymandering

If the electorate is not polarized, why does it seem like it is?

1. *Polarization is an election strategy

a) *Polarized elites

b) *The use of fear

c) *Mobilization by emphasizing and exaggerating differences (Brownstein)

2. *Low Turnout

a) *only the most ideological vote

3. *Independent Voters: alienated?

4. *Purple States: swing voters

a) *Solid red states, solid blue states, and purple swing states

b) *Presidential elections vs. midterm elections and primaries

George W. Bush (Bush 43)

*2000 Election

*Bush as uniter and divider

*Goal of Republican unity instead of bipartisanship

*strategy of division or polarization

W’s administration as Reagan III

Priority: Tax cuts

Bush 43 on his own: compassionate conservatism

Reagan conservative, but No Child Left Behind

Weak mandate after 2000 and losing Senate in May 2001

Pre-modern presidency vs. modern presidency

Modern presidency as crisis presidency

Post-Modern Presidency?

Cold War ends

Fate of Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43 before 9/11

Impeachment of Clinton

Characteristics of Post-Modern Presidency

Weak executive

Powerful Congress

Madisonian style checks and balances

Governor of the USA?

Then 9/11

*Crisis presidency reborn/New imperial presidency

*Unitary Executive Theory

*Executive power

*National security

*The fight against presidential power

1. *Bush homeland security institutions in EOP vs. Dept of Homeland Security

2. *Asking Congress for Authority

3. Surveillance

4. Detainees

5. *Signing Statements

6. Executive Orders

Obama

Historic election

Democrats making history no matter who wins nomination

Obama’s background

Election to Senate and Presidency

McCain-Palin

Weird election

Birthers

Great Recession fall 2008

Bush and Obama response

Obama priorities

Health Care fight

Within administration

Republican reaction and overreaction and rhetoric

Tea Party movement

Legitimate issues

Problems within movement

2010-2914 elections

Republican Strategy vs. Obama

Obama strategy

Lessons from Teddy Roosevelt

Not enough bully pulpit

Lessons from LBJ

Not enough control of congressional actions and details of the bill

Lessons from Ronald Reagan

Clarity and simplicity in selling the message

The basic elements of reform

Increased polarization

Obama increases government regulation

Republicans see government as the problem

A divide and hyperbole increases polarization