George W. Bush’s Presidency

2000 Election

• Campaign focused on what the gov. should do with the federal budget surplus created by Clinton

• Republican candidate: George W. Bush– The federal budget surplus should be used to return

money to the public through tax cuts• Democratic candidate: Al Gore– The federal budget surplus should be used to

supplement social security and to pay off the national debt

The Crisis of the Election

• On Election Day, neither candidate had the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election

• Over the course of 36 days, recounts occurred in Florida, the state that would determine the winner– Bush had a slight lead over Gore in Florida, and state law

required a mandatory vote recount to occur• Democrats argued that in certain African American

precincts, voters were turned away from the polls, which worked in the favor of Republicans as black voters favored Gore during the election

Bush v. Gore

• In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to allow the recount to continue

• “Although we may never know with complete certainty the identity of the winner of this year’s presidential election, the identity of the loser is perfectly clear. It is the nation’s confidence in the judge as an impartial guardian of the law.” – Justice John Paul Stevens’ Dissent

• In the end, Bush won the electoral vote 271-266 while Gore won the popular vote

2000 Election

Presidency (2000-2004)

• Ideology similar to that of Reagan– Supply-side economics - argues that lower tax

rates promote economic growth– Wanted to reduce the size of government and

decrease federal jurisdiction over industry/corporations

– Increase military spending

Presidency (2000-2004)

• Mid-2001, the tax cut became law and allowed more tax-free saving for education and reduced estate taxes

• 1st budget imposed cuts on health programs for people without access to health insurance

• Spent money on the military, causing problems because tax cuts provide less tax revenue deficit spending

Environmental Concerns

• Allowed road building in national forests and made it easier for mining companies to dig on public lands

• Shrunk legal protection of endangered species because of real estate interests

• Allowed oil drilling in the protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

• Dismissed a study from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) that linked the use of fossil fuels to global warming

2004 Election

• George W. Bush (Rep)• John Kerry (Dem)– Vietnam War hero– Questioned the administration’s ability to protect

the nation from terrorist attacks– Believed that tax cuts had done little to revive the

economy

2004 Election

Presidency (2004-2008)

• Reform on social security because of the pressure coming from the impending retirement of the baby boom generation

• Allowed people to invest part of their retirement money in private retirement accounts– Critics argued that it would leave millions of workers

vulnerable to market fluctuations• Proposed more tax cuts in 2005 despite the

deficit

Results of Bush’s Two Terms

• Had a 30% approval rating• Known as one of the least competent

presidents in American history