Presentation Transcript

1. The 2000 General Election and Politics in the George W. Bush years

   Yilun Wang, Scott Gentry, Zachary Holder
2. The 2000 Election “dubbya” Bush campaigned on “restoring dignity to the white house” Bush called for tax cuts ($1.3 Trillion) based on an expected $2 Trillion surplus. Gore called for a smaller tax cut targeted at the middle and lower class, and wanted to lower debt or fortify social security. The race between Bush and Gore was a close one, and the outcome of Florida was to decide the outcome of the whole election. Because the race was so close, Florida state law mandated a recount of the ballots. When the recount declared W the winner, Gore supporters declared that this was caused by faulty voting machines, and demanded another recount.
3. Bush V. Gore The Florida vote debate made its way to the supreme court in the form of the Bush V. Gore case. 5 of the 9 supreme coutr judges ruled that florida’s legislature and courts had not established a standard method for dealing with disputed ballots, and that because of this hand counting of the ballots again was unconstitutional under the 14th amendment, because votes were not being granted equal protection. Bush won Florida, and thus the election by 537 votes, but did not win the popular election. (He recieved fewer popular votes, but more electoral votes than Gore)
4. Karl Rove Rove was W’s chief of staff. Though he was focused on White House policy development under the first part of Bush's term, he was more gifted in GOP political stratagy and was reassigned in 2006. Rove was W’s “Architect of Vicotry” over John Kerry (2004 democratic presidential candidate) Was involved in the Dismissal of US attourneys controversy: Seven attourneys were fired in ‘06, and congress believed that they were fired for political motives. They thought the GOP was using the attourneys to impede investigation into their own paty and damage democratic politicans. The Department of Justice was to produce all email from Rove about the dismissal fo attourneys with a deadline of may 15 ’07. Rove resigned in Agust of ‘07
5. Colin Powell First black seceratary of state Former military official in Vietnam Part of the Coverd up My Lai incident (mass murder of civilians in south Vietnam in 1968) Advised Bush that the Iraq war was important and would have international support Conceded that Iraq did not have WMD’s as thought and resigned.
6. Condoleeza Rice Powell’s successor Reopened nuclear negotiations with N. Korea and Iran Had to pursuade Bush into talks in these negotiations Started UN resolution to investigate war crimes in Sudan Involved in “Transformational Diplomacy” or building up of democratic governments in the middle east.
7. Bush Tax Cut of 2001 and 2003 ‘01 and ‘03 tax cuts reduced income tax rates for middle class, and the wealthy. The estate tax (death tax) would be rmeoved in 2010 and brought back in 2011 if other laws were not passed. Changed rate of income taxes from 15% to 10% in lower brakcets Increased Child Tax Credit from $500 to $1000 per child and made more low income families eligible for the bonus Added $1.7 Trillion to deficits between ‘01 and ‘08 Huge Cost in fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax(The tax on incomes of corporations and individuals above a certain level) to keep it from going into effect on millions of upper-middle-class families. Big effects on the wealthiest 1%(incomes over $450,000 in 2008). They would receive 31% of the tax cut benefits over the next ten years. Cuts were supposed to cause the complete eradication of the U.S. national debt by 2010. (They failed)
8. 2004 Election Democrat was John Kerry, a Massachusetts senator Republican was the incumbent “dubbya” Bush Other candidates: Michael Badnarik (Liberarian), David Cobb (Green), Ralph Nader (Independent), and Machael Peroutka (Constitution) War in Iraq, W supported, Kerry decried it as a blind attempt at controllin terrorism (He preferred attacking known terrorist organizations) Gay Marriage; Bush supported only civil unions, Kerry believed it should be decided by the states. Abortion; Bush opposed, kerry supported the wonan’s right to decide.
9. 2004 Election Cont. Education; Bush passed No Child Left Behind Act, which opened schools to evaluation by the federal government; kerry opposed this, and opted instead to support direct recruitment of more qualified teachers. Environment: Bush and Kerry opposed the Kyoto agreement (UN required emission reductions) and both supported funding for further research into the energy field. Health: Bush wanted to provide low income health insurance, while Kerry wanted insurance for all Americans Tax Cuts: Bush wanted to cut taxes, Kerry wanted to cut spending Bush’s winning margin was the smallest since that of Harry Truman 50 years previous Voter turnout was extremely high, 60.7% of all voters cast ballots Overall number of votes cast was a historical record.
10. Sources Cited Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.biography.com/>. "Center on Budget and Policy Priorities." Policy Basics: The 2001 and 2003 Tax Cuts —. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2014. <http://centeronbudget.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2705>. "The Economic Impact of President Bush's Tax Relief Plan." The Heritage Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2014. <http://origin.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2001/04/The-Economic-Impact-of-President-Bushs-Tax-Relief-Plan>. Bailey, Thomas Andrew, David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.