The Reagan Revolution

Barack Obama is the 44th president in the history of the United States. During the previous 43 presidencies we have passed through different “eras” of US history, periods of time that were defined by a main ideological position set by a single party in the United States. There was the era of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, the System of 1896 with McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt. After World War I we had an era focusing on domestic progress that consisted of both the New Deal and the Great Society under FDR, and LBJ. Lastly, the latest era the United States has seen is the Reagan Revolution. The eras cited above consisted of similar patterns. This pattern in the presidencies included control by a single political party; each period featured
Franklin Roosevelt won 472 electoral votes and 57.4% of the vote . In addition to the presidential election, the Democrats made big strides in Congressional elections. Democrats gained 90 seats in the House and nine in the Senate , signaling a major shift in issues for the American people.
WILL WE ENTER A NEW PRESIDENTIAL ERA OR HAVE WE REACHED THE END? Barack Obama is not a disciple of the Reagan Revolution, if anything he is a disciple of the New Deal. Does this mean the Reagan Revolution is over? Is Obama the beginning of a new era, dominated by Democrats? Or have we reached the point where the patterns are over and there will no longer be a dominant party in America? If you look solely at history it points towards the emergence of “The Obama Era” of the American presidency. Obama was president when the United States exited the recession, much like FDR and McKinley. When he was first elected in 2008 it was the highest percentage of voter turnout since 1968, signaling the potential of it being a realignment election . The beginning of Obama’s first turn was filled with active legislating, including the passing of the Affordable Care Act. All of these events fit into James Sundquist’s Theory of Partisan
Yes, many of the conditions that existed during Obama’s first term are similar to the pattern of other presidential eras, but there are many differences. First of all, the third party that currently exists is a faction of the conservative right. The Tea Party fits in line with the small government beliefs of the Reagan Revolution and not Obama’s belief in a large, active federal government. If the Tea Party does rise to power its ideologies would be a shift from Obama’s. In addition to the third party not aligning with Obama’s views, their influence has been steadily decreasing over time. Secondly, there is no outbreak of political activity. The opposite is true as both the House and Senate find themselves gridlocked, unable to pass any