What About the Economy?
From the Collections: The Presidents | Leadership in times of crisisFinancial Crisis
President George W. Bush confronted the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. “From the standpoint of an ongoing threat that everybody in government knew that we had to do something about, the financial crisis ... was really scary,” said chief of staff Joshua Bolten.
From the film: George W. Bush
Battle over the Budget
Clinton's "triangulation" strategy was an attempt to take control of the budget from the Republicans in Congress. His own balanced budget plan claimed to balance the federal budget without cutting Medicare and Medicaid. "You know whether or not to balance the budget, we can’t win that fight," says Clinton's Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers. "Once you accept that we’re going to balance the budget now let’s have a fight about what we’re going to cut and what we’re going to protect. That’s a fight we can win."
From the film: Clinton
A Sluggish Economy
In the early 1990s, George H.W. Bush was faced with growing economic insecurity. But Bush believed there was little he could do.
From the film: George H.W. Bush
The 1982 Recession
The 1982 recession during the Reagan Administration resulted in high interest rates, homelessness, and unemployment. "We are really in trouble," Reagan confided to his diary.
From the film: Reagan
War on Poverty
President Johnson took on the economy by waging a "war on poverty." "His vision was of helping the disadvantaged to help themselves," Robert Dallek says.
From the film: LBJ
Curbing Inflation
In the summer of 1979, inflation rose to 14 percent. In response, Carter cut the budgets of social programs, leading to criticism from African American leaders and members of the "traditional FDR coalition."
From the film: Jimmy Carter
Energy Crisis
Carter asked the American people to cut down their energy usage during a fireside chat on February 2, 1977. "All of us must learn to waste less energy," Carter said.
