commercial relations with foreign nations, veto power, and the ability to persuade public opinion via the media, Presidents now have the ability to make Congress write policy in the President’s best interest. Though the President still cannot write economic policy, the American people hold him accountable for the failures and successes of the economy. A President’s term partially rests on how the economy was during his term, with prosperity or recession playing a part in deciding the fate of the candidate’s next four years (Diller 239). Political Scientist Clinton Rossiter: “The people of this country are no longer content to let disaster fall upon them unopposed. They now expect their government, under the direct leadership of the President, to prevent a depression or panic and not simply wait until one has developed before putting it out. Thus the President has a new function which is still taking shape, that of Manager of Prosperity”(Diller 239).Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6th, 1911, to Jack and Nelle Reagan of Northern Illinois. Reagan took an obscure route to the White House. He went into broadcasting after graduating college in 1932. He entered into an acting career in 1940 and married actress Jane Wyman in 1941. In 1947 he entered the “political” arena, serving as President of the Screen Actors Guild labor union. In 1948 he divorced Wyman and married Nancy Davis, another actress and his current wife. They starred in their last movie together and then Reagan went on to work for General Electric to host a weekly television program. It was during this time Reagan did what no other President has done before. After growing up in a staunch democratic household, he began to listen Morris 3attentively to his conservative father-in-law and formally switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1964. He quickly became revered by Republicans nationwide and ...
