THE SOCIAL POLICIES PRESIDENTS MAKE: PRE-EMPTIVE LEADERSHIP UNDER NIXON AND CLINTON

Grounded in Stephen Skowronek’s typology of presidential leadership, this article furthers our understanding of ‘pre-emptive leadership ’ through a comparative analysis of the welfare and Social Security reforms pursued by presidents Richard Nixon and William Clinton. Although not identical, their experience in these areas provides a valuable insight into the difficulty of wielding power in an inhospitable political environment. The article starts with a brief presentation of Skowronek’s typology before discussing the electoral strategies employed by both presidents as they attempted to frame political identities that would allow them to compete successfully in unfavourable ideological and political circumstances. The article then specifically focuses on the politics of welfare and Social Security reform as the two presidents used these issues as part of their effort to craft distinctive political images and attract wider electoral support. This comparative analysis reinforces the concept of ‘pre-emption ’ as a valuable tool in understanding presidential behaviour. It also underlines, however, the limits of pre-emptive leadership. Pre-emptive strategies can be effectiv