Report Outline
Special Focus
Introduction
Regardless of whether Dukakis or Bush wins the November election, his transition to power will not be easy. The transition period is always a difficult one. Between Election Day and the inauguration, the outgoing administration has legal authority but diminished influence, while the new administration has much influence but no authority. And after the inauguration, the dangers associated with presidential transitions actually may be greater.
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Overview
At noon on Jan. 20, 1989, less than 11 weeks after his election, the 41st president of the United States will take the oath of office and stride into history. It will take but an instant for the office's immense authority to be lifted from the broad shoulders of his aged predecessor and placed upon his own. But the transition from the Reagan administration to the Dukakis or Bush administration really will have begun much earlier. And it will not be over until the new administration finally defines and establishes itself, which may be weeks or even months after Inauguration Day. All new administrations hope “to hit the ground running,” but none ever fully succeeds and some stumble badly. This transition, like previous ones, will be a time of opportunity and hope—but also, perhaps, a time of missed opportunities and even danger.
Before the election, the candidate and his advisers are too preoccupied with winning to spend much time thinking about governance. After the election, the president-elect and his associates are elated and exhausted. But they are suddenly faced with the urgent need to begin forming a new administration and, in just a few short months, governing the nation. Campaign promises and aspirations—at least some of them—must now be translated into reality. Hundreds of officials must be chosen, and the search for them is often frantic and chaotic. |
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Executive Powers and the Presidency |
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Feb. 24, 2006 |
Presidential Power |
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Nov. 15, 2002 |
Presidential Power |
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Feb. 02, 2001 |
The Bush Presidency |
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Jun. 20, 1997 |
Line-Item Veto |
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Jun. 14, 1996 |
First Ladies |
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Oct. 21, 1988 |
Dangers in Presidential Transitions |
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Jun. 10, 1988 |
The Quandary of Being Vice President |
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Jan. 06, 1984 |
Presidential Advisory Commissions |
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Jul. 28, 1978 |
Presidential Popularity |
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Feb. 13, 1976 |
Evaluating Presidential Performance |
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Dec. 12, 1975 |
Presidential Protection |
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Jul. 11, 1973 |
Presidential Reorganization |
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Mar. 07, 1973 |
Presidential Accountability |
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Sep. 24, 1971 |
Presidential Diplomacy |
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Nov. 11, 1970 |
Vice Presidency |
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Oct. 02, 1968 |
Presidential Power |
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Mar. 14, 1966 |
War Powers of the President |
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Nov. 23, 1960 |
Transfer of Executive Power |
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Apr. 04, 1956 |
Vice Presidency |
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Oct. 15, 1952 |
Change of Presidents |
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Jun. 09, 1950 |
President and Mid-Term Elections |
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Oct. 20, 1948 |
Federal Patronage |
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Mar. 24, 1948 |
The South and the Presidency |
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Dec. 05, 1947 |
Military Leaders and the Presidency |
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Apr. 16, 1947 |
Veto Power of the President |
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Sep. 20, 1945 |
Succession to the Presidency |
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Sep. 12, 1940 |
The War Powers of the President |
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Feb. 11, 1938 |
Emergency Powers of the President |
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Jan. 06, 1938 |
The Power to Declare War |
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Dec. 28, 1937 |
Extension of the Veto Power |
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Dec. 28, 1936 |
Limitation of the President's Tenure |
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Mar. 12, 1935 |
The President and the Congress |
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Dec. 16, 1932 |
The Veto Power of the President |
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May 28, 1931 |
Presidential Commissions |
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Oct. 23, 1928 |
Presidential Appointments and the Senate |
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Mar. 21, 1928 |
Business Conditions in Presidential Years |
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Jan. 20, 1927 |
The Monroe Doctrine |
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Mar. 18, 1925 |
The President's Power of Appointment |
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Sep. 10, 1923 |
The President's Position on Patronage |
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