Political cycles and the president's agenda -- Lame ducks and unilateralism -- Jimmy Carter's unfinished agenda -- Ronald Reagan: policy retrenchment in a friendly takeover -- George H.W. Bush: twilight time for the deregulation revolution -- Bill Clinton's last campaign -- Bush, Cheney, and midnight deregulation -- Conclusion: digging in and running out the clock -- Appendix: Economically significant fourth-quarter rules
Summary
Pres. Jimmy Carter issued last-minute rules immediately before leaving the White House, creating frustration for the incoming Reagan Administration. As George W. Bush prepared to cede the Oval Office to Barack Obama almost three decades later, he ordered more than thirty last-minute policy changes, quickly finalizing the rules before the Obama Administration could overturn them. Presidents are able to bypass Congress and quietly initiate significant policy changes by using the executive branch's authority to alter existing statutes. In Eleventh Hour: The Politics of Policy Initi
