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Comparison and contrast presidential leadership styles
Presidential leadership
Ronald Reagan impact
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INTRODUCTION It is widely accepted that George Bush Snr. was forced to play out his presidency in the mighty shadow of Ronald Reagan. Reagan's charm and personality was one of his greatest strengths and, even now, is widely revered for his time as President. Bush was reportedly always conscious of people's expectations of him in view of his predecessor and this burden seemed to weigh heavily. Reagan's achievements in Washington were considerable, if not in number then in impact. His political and strategic skills were impressive and Bush cannot be said to have equalled his achievements at home, and this is borne out by Bush's failure to win re-election. Nevertheless Bush made some staggeringly important contributions to the international arena and is deeply respected for his part in world events where there is every reason to suspect that Reagan would not have been. The huge differences between the two are even more interesting given that Bush was a dutiful Vice President to Reagan for eight years and sought on gaining office only to take over where he left off. Bush did not set out to ring the changes between Reagan and himself; quite the opposite. He purported to be the archetypal guardian president; consolidating Reagan's good work and continuing to steer America on the same path. So why then did they turn out to be such almost polar opposites? This essay explores the realms of domestic politics, vision and leadership and international issues with the focus on drawing comparison between the two men and their styles of leadership and analysing in each instance who may have been the more effective president. I will conclude that, regardless of actual achievements real success in presidential terms depends on successful handling of the media, an area Reagan understood and Bush never would. IMAGE, PERSONALITY, AND MEDIA RELATIONS It is almost universally agreed that Ronald Reagan's greatest strength, certainly early in his first term and arguably until he left office was his ability to communicate with the American people. He won the presidency not only on his package of radical reforms at a time when the current policy orthodoxies had failed the Americans (along with most of the rest of the western world), but on his winsome personality, his awesome eloquence and his considerable charisma. A direct comparison with Margaret Thatcher can ... ... middle of paper ... ...symbolism than the vast disconnect between what people close to Bush perceive about the man and what much of the public ultimately believed" Reagan, on the other hand, is remembered not only for his reforms in policy, but overwhelmingly for the connection he managed to achieve with the American voting public. This not only secures him a place in fond memory but was ultimately what allowed him to achieve that which he did whilst in office; "In the modern era, the presidential image is tantamount to reality" . Where Bush might easily have been the better President given the requisite media talents and a little more political sophistication, in fact Reagan came out of his term of office the more successful of the two. BIBLIOGRAPHY · Kellerman, B., 'The Political Presidency', Ch. 11; (1984) · Light, P., 'The President's Agenda' Chs. 10, 11, 12; (1999) · Mervin, D., 'George Bush and the Guardianship Presidency', Chs. 2, 9; (1996) · Rose, R., 'The Post-Modern Presidency', Ch. 15; (1991) · Rozell, M. J., 'In Reagan's Shadow: Bush's Antirhetorical Presidency', Presidential Studies Quarterly; (Winter 1998) · Wildavsky, A., 'The Beleaguered Presidency', ch. 12; (1994)
Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan have many difference in the government. Lyndon B. Johnson saying that congress role to promote “general welfare” to discover ways to improve government. Reagan called the war on poverty a failure and proposed budget to reduce spending social programs but increase the size of military. By compare and contrasting Lyndon B. Johnson’s speech on affirmative action with Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address can show the differences and alikeness in federal Government.
Beginning with a comparative analysis of the manner in which Neustadt and Skowronek conceptualize of the Presidency itself, the essay notes that Neustadt’s theory operates at the micro level while Skowronek’s operates at the macro level. Arguing that this difference is salient in creating a division of labor between the two, the essay moves forward to examine each theory’s ability to expatiate upon differences between Presidents by applying them to both the Johnson and Nixon Administrations. Noting Neustadt’s superiority vis-à-vis Johnson and Skowronek’s greater potency as it pertains to Nixon, and how Reagan best shows the strengths and weaknesses of both authors, this essay proposes that this discussion lends further support to the notion that each theory is best suited to examining different facets of the Presidency.
But if there is one thing to say about both men, that they equally accomplished even though both did it different ways and by different means, is that they worked with Congress flawlessly. Both had the undivided support of their Congress in their actions. Whether it be leading Conservatives supporting Reagan and his foreign policy or Roosevelt when it came down to making changes in policies to better the public, they had the full support of those behind them. Both men seemed to be extremely charismatic when it came to this. It was almost as if that instead of choosing their Cabinets, they had managed to pick their Congress.
This was the final straw for many Americans, and enough to push them to the “right” side of the political spectrum, Republican. The election of 1980 brought the re-nominated Democratic candidate, Jimmy Carter, against the newly nominated Republican candidate, Ronald Reagan. While Carter ran a rather “gloom and doom” campaign, Reagan came into the election upbeat and with high hopes of rebuilding the military. Americans, weary of the liberal government, elected Ronald Reagan. Reagan came into the Presidency wanting to restore United States leadership in world affairs with a “get tough” attitude.
Presidents Johnson and Reagan led the United States in two very different eras, and have left much different legacies from their time in office. Their social policies while President were almost completely opposites. Johnson was focused on making social reforms to benefit all Americans, while Reagan wanted to lessen the aid given to those in poverty.
Reagan’s speech on the night of January 28, 1986 dramatically “took the first step toward uniting the country in its grief (Ritter, 4)”. Ronald Reagan reached out to the schoolchildren of America and all other citizens of the United States to counsel them in time of tragedy. He gave hope to the nation through emotional and spiritual reference. He was effective in conveying his message but the way his thoughts were organized was in part ineffective. His speech is very unorganized, and he could have ordered his thoughts better. More importantly than disorganization though, Ronald Reagan reached out to a nation that needed him as there president. He gave the people of the United States hope and Reassurance, a task that the President has been expected to do since the beginning of our country.
Richard Neustadt identifies three specific traits a person must possess in order to succeed as president of the United States of America. He stated that “the presidency is not a place for amateurs” and candidates must meet specific traits if they are to succeed at commanding one of the world’s largest and strongest nations. The three criteria he believed that a man must possess in order to succeed as president include the power to persuade, a professional reputation, and a public prestige. Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan are three presidents who were elected to power at three very different eras of American history. The following research paper will examine how each of these three men succeeded and failed at meeting Neustadt’s criteria of presidential greatness. In addition, this research paper will compare and contrast the successes and failures of the three men and finally, the paper will conclude by offering a personal consideration of what I believe makes a truly great president.
Throughout the 20th century we have had many presidents, good and bad, but George Herbert Walker Bush stands out as far superior to his competition. For his great works he won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Only the elite can achieve such an honor. It is because of his reserved, diplomatic, protecting, and empathic nature that he reigns supreme. His presidency will live on for all to remember. For as long as the Earth is still spinning, all win remember George Herbert Walker Bush.
George H. W. Bush became the 41st president of the United States of America on January 20, 1989 by succeeding Ronald Reagan. He promised to American that there will be no new taxes. In his Inaugural Address he pledged in "a moment rich with promise" to use American strength as "a force for good." During his presidency he past many bill such as Clean air act which focused on the things reducing urban smog, and curbing acid rain. The other act was the disabilities act, which illegal for employers and employees to discriminate against the disabled ones. In his presidency he had many difficult trials. One of his first hard trials was. Saddam Hussein invaded the city of Kuwait in August 1990. He was able to get Saddam Hussein out of the oil rich country. This is seen to be one of the greatest success during his presidential success. Even though, president job isn't a easy job it requires lots of skill and knowledge and you have to be able to understand what your people want's and how you can help them.
Understanding and evaluating presidents’ performance often poses challenges for political experts. The nation votes one president at the time and each presidency faces different tests. The environments surrounding a presidency have a tremendous impact on the success and failure of that presidency. In addition, the president exercises his power through a check and balance system embody in the Constitution. As stated in (Collier 1959), the Constitution created a government of “separated institutions sharing power.” As a result, a president works with others institutions of the government to shape the nation’s agenda. Thus, determining a presidential performance becomes difficult, especially when it comes to comparing the performance among presidencies.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan chose Bush to be his vice-presidential running mate and won against Jimmy Carter. Bush served two terms as vice president under Reagan, and in 1988, Bush ran for president against Michael Dukakis. During his presidency, Bush was known for his foreign policy. In this time, the Soviet Union was falling apart, and the Cold War was finally coming to an end. The Soviet Union and the United States’ relationship was tense, but Bush helped to improve the relations by meeting with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and signing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Not only did Bush lessened the tensions with the Soviet Union, he also authorized military operations in Panama. America invaded Panama in 1989 and overthrew the dictator, Manuel Noriega, and Noriega had threatened the safety of Americans who resided in Panama and also trafficked illegal drugs to the United States. Finally, the leader of Iraq Saddam Hussein launched an invasion in Kuwait and menaced to invade Saudi Arabia. Because of this, Bush formed a union of military soldiers and started an air assault against Iraq in 1991. After a couple of weeks, Iraq was defeated along with Kuwait’s liberation. Bush also signed legislation such as Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Because of his decisions of how to handle foreign policies, Americans supported Bush as a president, and he successfully
... years in office. Even when President Reagan, didn’t make wise decisions, he took full blame for them, which made the American population trust him and gain more popularity. With his many major accomplishments in helping the American people, and putting them first, really helped in his favor. Reagan has built up the US military to what it is now because he believed that we needed to “restore America's ability to defend itself and fulfill its responsibilities as a trustee of freedom and peace in the world” (Wild Thing, January 21, 2006). President Reagan is man that has a heart and soul with America, and will fight for our freedoms and rights for as long as his lives. In 1994, President Reagan got Alzheimer’s disease, left public life, and died on June 5, 2004 from pneumonia. Reagan is still looked up to and is considered one of the greatest Presidents of all time.
The Civil War was the first major conflict to be documented by photography. At the time of the Civil War, it was vital to have public support on both the North and the South side of the dispute. It is also said that if war efforts do not have complete support of its’ citizens that it will not result to any benefits. Photography was one way that was almost guaranteeing support of citizens on the homefront. Photographers had power within their photographs, toying with the pathos of the civilians, and causing them to feel whatever the photographers wanted them to. This power was abused at time by manipulating people’s opinions towards the war. There were pictures coming back from the warfront one after the other which made it impossible for people to feel an emotional connection to the soldiers at war. These photographs allowed events happening miles away to feel like they were closer to home causing people to support the war efforts more heavily. Instead of people having their own opinions during the war, photographers used manipulative
A president does not have to a genius; He doesn't have to be clever; you can hire clever. But you can't buy courage and decency; you can't rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him. (Peggy Noonan). Ronald Reagan was an independent thinker, optimistic, confident, independent, hard worker, and courageous. These traits made Reagan a great president for the United States. Being independent is very important in presidency because you are reasonable for a lot of things. Relying on others in not what the president should do and Reagan believed in that too. He was a very hard worker as mentioned before, but this showed in his presidency strongly with all of the problems he faced during his terms. Being an independent thinker is such a good thing to have as a quality when being a president and Reagan had this quality. Some feel like if being an independent thinker is a bad trait because those independent thinkers do not take anyone else’s ideas and only use their own. That is not the case when it came to Reagan as a president, he took input from everyone, but he made up his own ideas in order to get input. The best quality that Ronald Reagan has is his courage. Courage played a huge role in Ronald Reagan’s presidency. He faced many problems, but he was very courageous when it came to being shot in the lung. The characteristics he faced improved Reagan as not only a person, but a
However despite his militaristic success, domestic problems were his downfall which led him not to be re-elected as president. From the Reagan yeas, the economy was in already in bad shape and President Bush faced much heated criticism in his approach when he betrayed the Republicans when he created new taxes. He tried to help the economy but only emphasized vague principles. Bush was unable to handle the criticism and anger from the people because of the bad economy and high deficit spending. From the evidence, President George Herbert Walker Bush can be labelled as a borderline active-positive/passive-negative personality, coming strong when it does to environmental and foreign affairs, but faltering when it came to domestic issues.