Fidelity to Duty vs. Focus on Discretion in the 100 Days

Abstract

This paper considers whether, in their day to day routines, presidents control their agendas or react to the institution’s burdens. It utilizes minute by minute logs of presidential operations during the first 100 days of eight presidents, Dwight Eisenhower through George H. W. Bush. Making four empirical comparisons, the paper concludes that the patterns to their work suggest the influence of the institution over presidents’ individual choices. These results suggest two “executive” dynamics: the pull of duty, like the electoral constraint on members of Congress, overwhelms individual presidential motives and agendas, and the development of operational routines that mirror primary responsibilities.

Keywords: presidency, White House operations, 100 days,