The Lame Duck Presidency

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The Lame Duck Presidency

• Dr. Richard Heil
• Chair, Department of Political Science
• Mark Colwell, Assistant Director
• Assistant Director, American Democracy Project

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Bush Approval Rating Trends
Source Washington Post Online
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(No Transcript)
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Presidential Policy Success Rates

• Every modern two-term president has had
  considerable difficultly achieving policy
  initiatives in his second term
  
• See handout (Eisenhower through G. W. Bush)

A Signal or Trend?

• Party controlling the White House has lost seats
  in the second term, mid-term elections in 5 of
  the last 6 elections
  

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Open Seats and Retirees
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Senate Races in 2006
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Competitive House Races in 2006(Seats currently
held by Republicans)
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Competitive House Races in 2006(Seats currently
held by Democrats)
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Tracking Election Information

• Washington Post Race Breakdowns
• www.washingtonpost.com
• The Cook Political Report Race breakdowns
• www.cookpolitical.com
• Open Secrets Federal Campaign Contributions
• www.opensecrets.org
• Follow the Money State Contributions
• www.followthemoney.org