Christian Johnson
June 5, 2015
HIST 3960
Interpretive Essay #3
Word Count:
Over the course of history the office of the presidency has been filled by many men. These men differ in personality and demeanor just as all men do but they have also sought to accomplish different goals during their time as the President of the United States. These goals fall into one of two categories of policy which are foreign or domestic. In respect to domestic policy some presidents have enjoyed more success than others. This is due to the various factors which interact to produce either a favorable or not favorable environment in which a president must attempt to carry out his domestic policy. As previously mentioned, some presidents have experienced more success than others in respect to having their domestic agendas fulfilled. This struggle to achieve domestic policy goals can be attributed in part to the fact that the national stage is much larger than the global stage. That is to say that rather than dealing with a few key government leaders and ambassadors to accomplish goals in the realm of foreign policy, presidents must take into account the opinions, wants, needs, and respective relationship with interest groups, states, constituents and of course Congress to accomplish domestic goals. However, there are things that can improve the likelihood of issues on a president’s domestic agenda being approved. For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt was faced with a multitude of issues as he took office in 1933. Roosevelt sought to revive traditional American values and take a course of action rather than inaction in all things. His fireside chats enabled him to acquire the trust of the public and his threats against the Supreme Court to appoint additional justices allowed him to see that key pieces of the Second New Deal, including the Social Security Act, were pushed through congress in which he had a large majority by this time. In regard to his attitude toward finding solutions to the problems which plagued the nation at the time of his presidency Roosevelt said, “The country needs […] persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”1 While some presidents, such as Franklin Roosevelt, have had successes in enacting domestic policy others have not. Former president Bill Clinton campaigned on the issue of health care reform. Once he took office in 1993 he addressed congress regarding the need for reform by saying, “[…] we must first be secure in our most basic needs. […] our health care is too uncertain and too expensive, too bureaucratic and too wasteful.”2 President Clinton then quickly organized a task force to draw up a plan to provide universal health care to Americans. The resulting legislation was very complex and covered in red tape. Perhaps the
