Compare and contrast the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. How were their presidencies similar or different? What was each president's standing as he took office? How did each respond to crises he faced, and were these responses effective?
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
1. George W. Bush lost the popular election, which cast doubts on his presidency. Yet he managed to win broad income tax reductions, education reform, and Medicare expansion. The 9/11 attack led to a massive increase in Bush's popularity. Later, during his second term, the financial crisis and an unsuccessful Iraq War led to a decrease in popularity.
2. Barack Obama was elected as a political outsider during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Despite not being able to meet the very high expectations, his two terms as president generated some admirable accomplishments-the economy recovered, and the administration passed major health care reform and avoided major foreign policy disasters.
3. Much like Bush, Trump lost the popular election, which cast doubts on his presidency. Trump took office amid scandal associated with Russian interference in the election. His approval rating was among the lowest of any modern president. Yet, the Trump administration managed to pass a massive tax reform that featured the biggest tax cut in three decades-mostly for businesses and the wealthy. This increased the deficit while bolstering the economy.
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In which of the following did Madison declare that a federal system allows the states the ability to counter "ambitious encroachments of the federal government" ?
a. Federalist No. 70 b. Federalist No. 46 c. Federalist No. 51 d. Federalist No. 78 e. Federalist No. 15
After being overly optimistic about the collapse of
authoritarianism, many political scientists do not believe that: a. some authoritarian regimes have had to make big changes in policies to survive. b. electoral authoritarianism is weakening as a way of maintaining authoritarian rule. c. democracy is now the only widely accepted way of claiming legitimacy. d. fundamentalist Islam is the twenty-first-century ideological equivalent of Marxism.
What did the 1976 Planned Parenthood v. Danforth decision say about spousal consent?
a) Both partners must agree to the abortion, or the abortion is illegal. b) A woman has the ultimate say in whether she should have an abortion. c) Husbands of married women must be informed before a woman has an abortion. d) All partners, married or not, must be informed before a women has an abortion.
In the context of the American system of government, which of the following statements is true of the president and members of Congress?
A) Both have a common national focus. B) Both face different election cycles. C) Both have similar constituencies. D) Neither has the power to appropriate budgetary money. E) Neither has the power to set foreign policies.