David Kyvig: Why 2nd Term Presidencies Often Go Wrong

by Cliopatria

David Kyvig is Distinguished Research Professor at Northern Illinois University and a recipient of the Bancroft Prize for Explicit and Authentic Acts: Amending the U.S. Constitution, 1776-1995.

He was interviewed by HNN's Rick Shenkman at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association on January 6, 2006.

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Patrick M. Ebbitt - 9/25/2006

Someone/anyone please explain something/anything that was right about GW Bush's first term...

Then maybe that will help explain why his second term is an unmitigated disaster...

Patrick M. Ebbitt - 9/25/2006

Dear Mr. Stepp,

1.) Do you believe it to be a good idea to cut taxes with the country at war? Explain...

2.) Do you believe it to be a good idea to cut taxes as we float the US national debt on the coattails of our ideological, economic, military nemesis Red China? Explain...

3.) Do you believe it to be a good thing to cut taxes so as to engineer 85% of tax break returns to top 5% of the wealthy while cutting/curtailing social and health services to the needy, reducing/eliminating veteran benefits and cutting college tuition grants to students? Explain...

4.) Do you believe the economy is truly better with continued mass layoffs, elimination of pensions, Wall Street malaise, GM/Delphi and Ford on the ropes, outsourcing to low cost oversea producers and cutting/eliminating worker protection at OSHA or MSA in light of the recent SAGO tragedy? Explain...

William J. Stepp - 1/9/2006

Bush did one good thing his first term when he cut taxes. If he hadn't done that, the economy would be a lot weaker.