Obama in Action - I
An American Presidency Project Exclusive Analysis
February 7, 2009
 SANTA BARBARA — In his first 18 days as President, Barack Obama has set new standards for the volume of unilateral presidential action.
The American Presidency Project has launched an ongoing study comparing Obama’s activity level with that of other presidents who took over from a president of the opposite party. The study begins with FDR in 1933, and also includes Eisenhower, JFK, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush. We will be updating these data weekly.
Record Numbers of Orders
| In this series, APP compares Obama to other modern presidents who assumed the office following an administration of the other party. So the comparison group includes FDR, Eisenhower, JFK, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and G.W. Bush. |
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In his first 18 days in office, Obama has issued a record 10 executive orders and 11 memoranda to the executive branch, compared with an average of 2.6 orders and 2 memoranda for the comparison group. In issuing 2 proclamations, however, Obama is only slightly above the prior norm of 1.6. (see chart below). Subsequent to February 7, the White House published information about additional unilateral actions that had been issued in the first 18 days. Obama issued 14 EOs, 11 memoranda, and 3 proclamations.
Considering all his activity—insofar as it has been reported on the White House website—Obama has been no more active on the whole than his immediate predecessors, George W. Bush and William J. Clinton.
What’s Missing
Obama’s record is striking for what it does not include. Obama, alone of this group of presidents sent no “Messages to Congress” in the first 18 days.
For a president remarked for his rhetorical power, it is surprising that Obama has given no major addresses and held no news conferences. By contrast, during the first 18 days, FDR had given his first “fireside chat;” Eisenhower and Kennedy had delivered State of the Union Addresses; Carter delivered a televised “report to the people;” and Reagan delivered a televised “Address to the Nation.” FDR, JFK, Nixon, Reagan and Clinton all had press conferences in the first 18 days—but not Obama.
Overall, however, Obama as been at least as active as his predecessors in other forms of activity—talk, issuing statements, releasing letters, ceremonial events. His round of TV interviews in the wake of the failed Daschle nomination has guaranteed that. Interestingly, the White House website has not reflected many of those media events. It’s a curious omission.
The White House website has undergone some modifications since the inauguration, and we have observed several obvious glitches in getting information posted quickly.
©The American Presidency Project
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