Transcript The George W. Bush Presidency

As Clinton’s second term neared its end in 2000, his Vice
President, Al Gore, ran for the Democrats against
Republican George W. Bush for President.
Although Gore won more popular votes than Bush, the
electoral vote margin was too close to call.
The election depended on Florida’s 25 electoral
votes.
Because the vote in
Florida was so close,
state law mandated an
automatic recount.
The Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore
ended the recount. Bush was declared President.
Bush pursued an aggressive conservative agenda when he took
office.
He passed a series of tax cuts.
Bush promoted the 2002
No Child Left Behind Act to raise
national academic standards.
In 2003, despite criticism, Bush
worked with Congress to extend
Medicare to cover prescription drugs
for seniors.
•No
Child Left Behind Act
•2002
law aimed at
improving the performance
of schools through
mandated sanctions against
schools not reaching federal
performance standards
•
Patriot Act − a law passed after 9/11 that gave law
enforcement broader powers in monitoring possible
terrorist activities
•
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) − nuclear,
biological, and chemical weapons intended to kill or
harm on a large scale
September 11, 2001
On September 11,
2001, terrorists
hijacked and crashed
four airplanes.
Two planes hit the
World Trade Center
in New York City.
More than 3,000
people died as the
twin towers
collapsed.
•Patriot
Act
a law passed after
9/11 that gave law
enforcement broader
powers in monitoring
possible terrorist
activities
•Department of Homeland Security
•Created
by merging many
departments and offices
•Designed
to eliminate
bureaucracy and increase
efficiency in response to an
emergency
In response, the United States began a “war on
terror.”
Bush first focused on the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11.
Osama bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda
network, was thought to be hiding in
Afghanistan where the Taliban allowed him
to operate.
• Taliban
– the Islamic
fundamentalist faction
that controlled most
of Afghanistan from
1996-2001
• The
United States and
its allies sent forces to
Afghanistan and
overthrew the Taliban.
Iraq War
(2nd Gulf War)
Bush turned his attention to Iraq, where
many feared Saddam Hussein was stockpiling
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).
In 2003, U.S. and British forces invaded Iraq.
Saddam Hussein and many of his supporters were captured,
but no weapons of mass destruction were ever found. Many
Americans were troubled by the war, terrorism,& the budget.
The war continued in Bush’s second term.
Although Saddam was
overthrown, fighting broke
out among three rival
groups in Iraq. The
country was consumed by
chaos.
Then, in 2004, the UN
determined that Saddam
had never possessed
WMDs.
Critics of Bush said he had misled
Congress and the American people.

Saddam Hussein shuttered himself at the bottom of a
narrow, dark hole beneath a two-room mud shack on a
sheep farm, a U.S. military official stated.

Having opted not to travel with security forces or an
entourage that might bring attention to him, only a
Styrofoam square, dirt and a rug separated the
deposed Iraqi leader from the U.S. soldiers who routed
him from his hiding place Saturday night.
"He was in the bottom of a hole with no way to fight
back," said Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno. "He was
caught like a rat.”
From CNN
Hurricane Katrina
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina
devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Federal response to the disaster
was slow. Discontent grew.
The costliest natural disaster, as well
as one of the five deadliest
hurricanes, in the history of the U.S.
The Great Recession
Began when housing market collapsed
in 2009
Bad/risky lending practices caused banks
and financial companies to struggle
Financial struggles caused the stock
market to drop, & unemployment to rise.
•
•
•
•
Obamacare
Health Care Reform bill
passed within one year –
March 21, 2010.
Affordable Health Care Act
has been controversial
Obamacare has survived
several legal challenges.
•
The greatest economic crisis since the
1930s
– Financial meltdown
•
Passed 1.2 trillion dollars in stimulation
packages
– Including infrastructure and education
sections
•
Slow improvement at home and abroad
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act - 2009
An economic stimulus package enacted by
Congress in 2009 & signed into law by President
Obama. To respond to the Great Recession, the
primary objective for ARRA was to save & create
jobs almost immediately. Secondary objectives
were to provide temporary relief programs for
those most impacted by the recession & invest in
infrastructure, education, health, and renewable
energy. The Act included direct spending in
infrastructure, education, health, & energy,
federal tax incentives, & expansion of unemployment
benefits & other social welfare provisions.

Increased spending to end the recession
led to the government going deeper
into debt.

Yearly Federal deficit has shrunk in
recent years.

Total Federal Deficit has grown to over
$17,600,000,000,000.00
•
Congress failed to pass a spending bill to
allow government to continue to pay its
bills.
•
Congress failed to pass a bill raising the
amount that the government is allowed
to borrow.
•
Millions of people affected by temporary
layoffs or loss of government services