The Associated Press Supporters of presidential
candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore trade chants before a rally
in Portland, Ore., on Monday.
By David Drucker
Daily Bruin Reporter
Millions of Americans will vote today, many of them hoping their
choice for president will follow through on a multitude of promises
made during the campaign.
Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore have garnered
support since the race began by vowing to reform and protect
everything from Social Security to the environment.
So assuming the winner of Tuesday’s election attempts to
deliver on his commitments, can he?
Supporters on each side of the race seem to think so.
Bruin Democrats President Melanie Ho said she firmly believes
Vice President Gore will fervently pursue his proposed agenda if
elected the nation’s 43rd chief executive.
“I think he intends to keep his promises,” she said.
“But his ability to do so depends on the cooperation of state
governments, not to mention the Congress.”
Ho said if the next Congress is anything like the current
Republican-led House and Senate, a President Gore will have a
difficult time acting on his proposals.
“His success might depend on the people putting pressure
on their congressional representatives,” she said.
Conversely, Bruin Republicans Chair Vartan Djihjanian said a
President Bush will have a much easier time achieving his policy
goals.
Most national polls indicate the GOP will retain control, albeit
by a slim margin, of the House and the Senate.
“This could be a historic moment for our party,”
Djihjanian said. “I think that both Bush and the Congress
will work together to turn his objectives into reality.”
Djihjanian said even if the GOP loses all or part of Congress,
Bush’s penchant for bipartisanship ““ which earned him
the endorsement of Texas’ Democratic Lieutenant Governor
““ will enable him to succeed in Washington D.C.
Djihjanian added there is no doubt in his mind Bush will fulfill
his election-year commitments.
“When you take a look at Bush’s promises, all you
have to do is check his record in Texas,” Djihjanian said.
“Bush proposed education reform and accomplished that. He
vowed to reduce crime and accomplished that as well.”
But congressional expert and UCLA political science Professor
Barbara Sinclair said that a even if the GOP retains a majority in
the House and the Senate, as is likely, a Bush victory
doesn’t necessarily mean the executive and legislative
branches of government will march in lock-step with each other.
“It’s wrong to assume there will be no
infighting,” Sinclair said. “His problem could be that
a lot of Republicans in Congress decide to pursue an extremely
conservative agenda, which goes against his “˜compassionate
conservative’ slogan.”
“This could prove big trouble for Bush,” she added.
And If Gore is elected, the task of pushing through an agenda could
prove even harder.
Professor Mark A. Anderson, who studies the interplay between
Capital Hill and the Oval Office at the School of Public Policy and
Social Research, said that Gore will likely find it impossible to
sign a campaign-finance reform bill, which he has repeatedly
promised would be the first bill he signs if elected.
“He has no assurance that this is at all possible,”
Peterson said. “There’s likely to be a GOP majority in
Congress, and some of them have come out against campaign-finance
reform on principle.”
The Supreme Court is another area where the future president is
likely to face challenges, since as many as four justices may
retire in the next four years, and it will be up to the president
to appoint successors.
Political science lecturer Robert Hennig, who follows the
Supreme Court, said the Senate, projected to stay in GOP hands, is
charged with confirming all court nominees.
“If there’s a Republican Senate, Gore is going to
have a more difficult time getting definitively pro-choice justices
confirmed to the court,” he said.
He said there would also be no guarantees for Bush. “Court
conversions are less common than we think. But when a
justice’s ideology does change, it tends to evolve in a
liberal direction rather than a conservative one,” he
continued.
Environmental issues will also play a role in the outcome of the
election.
School of Public Policy and Social Research Assistant Professor
J.R. De Shazo, an expert on the environment and the economy, cited
Bush’s plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic National
Wildlife Preserve as an example.
“Public opinion is already against this, not to mention
the fact that some Republican Congressman from the Northwest tend
to vote reliably green,” De Shazo said. “So he’d
need a big majority in Congress, which isn’t likely at this
point.”