US Presidents

US Presidents

Introduction

The first hundred days in a presidential term are the most critical days from the point of view of the people, the government, the analysts as well as historians. It is the time when everyone is anxious to see how well the President keeps to his promises. It is also a time when the fever of the election campaign is gradually dying down, and the new President is settling into his position as the most powerful man on Earth.

The President is slowly introduced to the nuances of his new office and makes his presence felt in the Congress. To say that this time period is a walk in the park would be incorrect. In all aspects, it is a challenge for the President as well as his Cabinet. After a lengthy election campaign, the President starts to realize the difference between theory and practice. He starts to find out the ground realities and starts to imbibe the role of a statesman. He also realizes that some of the decisions he would be making may not be as popular with his voters. We have the factor of opposition as well. They are always on the lookout for any step taken by the President that may go out of line. It is then up to the President to appease that opposition in the legislature and to gather support from the public. Almost immediately, there are legislations on his table that either could change the course of events in the country or have a bearing on the world front.

The United States has had 44 Presidents, and the nature of issues during their first hundred days in office has been similar, that is, challenging. Some President took over during a war and yet another may have been elected during the Great Depression. Another had to make decisions that would have a worldwide impact almost immediately after taking the oath of office.

Description

The President we have chosen for out study is the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton. He took over as President in 1993 after defeating the incumbent President George H.W Bush. The country had just come out of a war in the Middle East, and the challenge Clinton faced was to restore the ailing economy and to revive public faith in the government.

The presidency itself was a success, yet controversial. There were some major failures along with some major victories. In spite of his popularity, his ratings quickly dropped to 55% by the end of his hundredth day in office (politicsusa.com, 2009). Many decisions taken during the President first three months became unpopular. Interestingly, this Presidency was unique in the sense that its popularity grew with the passage of time (politicsusa.com, 2009).

Let us take a look at some of the successes and failures of his first hundred days in office. Since those successes and failures were to emanate from the legislations and decisions taken during the time, we will see some of them individually.

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

To start ...