Obama in Action - I - February 7, 2009

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.

OIA I - Feb. 7	OIA V - Mar. 21
OIA II - Feb. 17	OIA VI - Apr. 5
OIA III - Feb. 25	OIA VII - Apr. 18
OIA IV - Mar. 11	OIA VIII - Apr. 30
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February 17, 2009

SANTA BARBARA — After setting records for his activity in his first 18 days in office, President, Barack Obama took no new unilateral actions in days 19-28. Obama in Action - II

Because of his prior high pace of activity, Obama still leads all prior presidents in volumes of unilateral action. But among new presidents following a change in partisan control of the office, only Eisenhower took no unilateral actions during days 19-28.

This report continues our ongoing comparison of 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 (1953), JFK (1961), Nixon (1969), Carter (1977), Reagan (1981), Clinton (1993), and George W. Bush (2001).

In his first 28 days in office, Obama has issued a record 14 executive orders and 11 memoranda to the executive branch, compared with an average of 4.5 orders and 3.1 memoranda for the comparison group. In issuing 3 proclamations, however, Obama is exactly equal to the prior norm of 3. Total unilateral activity levels are reported in a graph nearby.

Considering all his activity—insofar as it has been reported on the White House website—Obama has been slightly less active on the whole than his immediate predecessors, George W. Bush and William J. Clinton.

After 28 days in office, Obama, alone of this group of presidents, has sent no “Messages to Congress.” Despite his reputation as an effective and persuasive speaker, Obama has not made any major addresses to the nation. By contrast, during this same period 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;” Reagan and Clinton had each delivered a televised “Address to the Nation.”

Obama held his first press conference on his 21st day in office. Among our study group, only George W. Bush and Eisenhower were slower to hold their first press conference. (See related graph)

The White House website continues to underreport Obama’s activity and to post information with a substantial delay. His TV interviews in the wake of the failed Daschle nomination are still not reflected anywhere on the White House web site. It’s a curious omission.