Making of the Postmodern Presidency: From Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama by John F. Freie

Author:John F. Freie [Freie, John F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Sociology, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781317256434
Google: Xh3vCgAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 27890940
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2011-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

Unilateral Actions

As noted in the previous chapter, George H. W. Bush was aggressive in his use of unilateral actions. Facing a Democrat-controlled Congress, he employed tactics such as executive orders, proclamations, signing statements, and national security directives to control the political agenda. Just as Clinton looked to Ronald Reagan for clues about how to create and manipulate images, he looked to Bush to develop a go-it-alone governing style. In some instances he was able to combine both approaches. His creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument illustrates how he combined the features of spectacle, targeting niche voters, and unilateral action into a single pseudo-event.

On September 18, 1996, Clinton stood next to Vice President Gore and actor Robert Redford and announced the creation of the 1.7-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—what would become the largest national monument in the nation. To avoid protests which would mar the photo opportunity, the signing took place on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, 70 miles south of the monument itself. Standing in front of El Tovar Lodge, only a few feet from the exact spot where Theodore Roosevelt stood in 1908 when he created Grand Canyon National Park, Clinton signed Proclamation 6920, using the 1906 Antiquities Act, which allows for the federal protection of objects of historic and scientific interest. The creation of the monument had the effect of banning mining and road building, angering many Utahans who wanted the area developed. While many residents of Utah were angry, labeling the action a land grab by the federal government, environmentalists praised the action.

Clinton knew that he would never get the Republican-controlled Congress to support the creation of the national monument through legislation. Instead, he worked around Congress by using a presidential proclamation. At the same time, he knew that the media would not be able to resist the photo opportunity. With the spectacular scenery of the Grand Canyon in the background, the handsome visage of Robert Redford at his side, and the president acting to protect the environment, media coverage was assured. Clinton knew that he would probably lose Utah in the upcoming election (as he had in 1992), but environmental voters elsewhere were the real targets. "The political logic was clear, and his institutional authority allowed President Clinton to pursue political and programmatic gains without incurring significant political costs" (Mayer and Price 2002, 369).

Clinton made early and extensive use of unilateral actions. In the first few weeks of his administration, he issued 25 presidential memoranda and 18 executive orders (Cooper 2001), and by the end of his eight years he ended up with 364 executive orders, 880 presidential proclamations, 381 signing statements, and 148 national security directives. Still, the Clinton administration was not unique in its use of unilateral actions and, in fact, he did not surpass his predecessors. Reagan issued more proclamations and executive orders, and Bush made more signing statements, on average, per year. "Clinton is clearly within the tradition of recent presidents who have used the administrative presidency strategy to achieve their goals" (Aberbach 2000, 129).

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