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Chapter 16, Conclusion: The Legacy of George W. Bush

Herbert, Jon and Wroe, Andrew (2009) Chapter 16, Conclusion: The Legacy of George W. Bush. In: Wroe, Andrew and Herbert, Jon, eds. Assessing the George W. Bush Presidency: A Tale of Two Terms. University of Edinburgh Press, Edinburgh, pp. 258-275. ISBN 978-0-7486-2741-7. (doi:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748627400.003.0016) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:45131)

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Abstract

Before George W. Bush was elected as president of the United States, he projected a presidency of extraordinary ambition. Bush hated the ‘small ball’ and his advisers consistently labelled him a ‘transformative president’. The ambitious rhetoric was backed by aspirations to institute major policy reforms. In foreign policy, Bush attempted a spectacular redirection of America's priorities and of its methods. In economic policy, he pursued an agenda of substantial tax cuts and extensive deregulation. In social policy, he launched radical reforms under the ‘compassionate conservative’ label, trying to co-opt traditionally Democratic Party policy areas such as Medicare, education and Social Security. These reforms, Bush hoped, would change his Republican Party's direction and image, trigger a realignment of the American electorate and create a permanent Republican majority. At the completion of Bush's second term, it became legitimate to ask to what degree Bush had achieved these high goals and to identify the inheritance he passed on to his successor.

Item Type: Book section
DOI/Identification number: 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748627400.003.0016
Uncontrolled keywords: George W. Bush, United States, Republican Party, reforms, economic policy, foreign policy, social policy, Medicare, Social Security, education
Subjects: E History America
F History United States, Canada, Latin America
J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
J Political Science > JK Political institutions and public administration (United States)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Politics and International Relations
Depositing User: Andrew Wroe
Date Deposited: 21 Nov 2014 09:27 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:18 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/45131 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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