How long do Presidential policies live after a President leaves office?

Question

I seem to remember, from school, it being around 7-9 years. That would mean we are coming to the conclusion of the Clinton administration, but I can't find anything written, or links to this formula.

Answer 1

Laws (bills) are passed by congress.

Policies set by the president can be changed just as quickly as they can be drafted and implemented. Some candidates have policies prepared so if they are elected they can begin implementing them immediately.

For example, President Reagan prohibited military bases from performing or even mentioning "abortion." President Bush continued that policy. President Clinton abolished it within a few months of taking office. President Shrub reinstated it within a few months of his assuming office.

Answer 2

Oh, you mean how long do the effects of those policies take to play out. It really depends on the policy, some things take longer to manifest than others.

For instance, the policies initiated by FDR in the 1930's led to hyperinflation in the 1970s. That's only because those policies became popular and weren't ever reversed, but it took a long time to manifest. Another FDR initiative, Social Security, is likely to cause problems in the future, as well.

The tax reforms of the Regan era really began paying economic dividends in the 90's, but one aspect of those reforms - the AMT - is poised to devestate the middle class in coming years, as well.

Presidents can leave long-standing legacies.

Thier policies can also flop right way. Nixon, for instance, instituted wage & price freezes to combat inflation. They did nothing, were quickly dropped, and had no particular lingering impact beyond illustrating that such things are futile.


The legacies of the Clinton era include loss of respect for the Office of the President, shifting of spending from the military to social programs (the 'peace dividend'), military involvement in internal conflicts (Somalia), and a commitment to a peace process in the middle east, including less-confrontational policies towards international terrorists. Among other things, I'm sure.

Some of those may, indeed, have been playing out durring the Bush years. Al Qaeda could concievably have been emboldened by the Clinton Administrations token responses to it's attacks on American forces overseas, and concluded a more dramatic attack on American soil was called for. OTOH, Iraq lingering under increasingly ineffectual UN sanctions after the first Gulf War could be considered a legacy of the first Bush Administration, that Clinton just didn't address - and Bush II did.

The next democratic president, by the same token, will be dealing with the fallout of the Bush years, including a heavy burden of government debt, and loss of international goodwill.

Answer 3

There is no specific formula. if the law is one that the incoming party really doesn't like then it can be removed quickly if the incoming party has the White House plus the Congress. If not, it can remain a law for quite awhile.

Answer 4

people say 7-9 years but the true answer exists only when you understand of when the bill is to be implemented- how it is to be implemented and how long it will be implemented for.