CIAO DATE: 08/04

Bush and Kerry: Questions About Governing Styles

Charles O. Jones

Policy Brief #134
June 2004

The Brookings Institution

Abstract

Political campaigns are about governing. Candidates offer themselves to the public and endure a grueling process of nomination and election. Campaigns generate a lot of headlines, but it's what comes afterward that counts. Voters usually are left guessing about how each of the candidates would govern.

In 2000, the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Hoover Institution jointly conducted several forums with journalists and the presidential candidates' close associates that explored how each of the candidates would govern based on their backgrounds, experience, and leadership styles.

The questions raised in 2000 are relevant in 2004, but there are notable differences. In 2000, the race was between two candidates with executive experience at high levels: a sitting and active vice president, Al Gore, and Texas Governor George W. Bush. Bush is now an incumbent president, so most questions that were raised in 2000 have been answered. But new questions arise because second terms differ from first terms, and because his administration may change if he is re-elected. Bush's opponent, John F. Kerry, has nineteen years of experience in the Senate, but lacks noteworthy executive branch service.

After the elections, how will the next president govern? This policy brief outlines how best to ascertain that information before November.

Full Text (PDF, 8 pages, 98 KB)