It has been observed by any number of historians, including Paul Johnson (1997), that between 1932 and 2000 the United States has experienced a series of shifts between so-called ôliberalismö and so-called ôconservatism.ö This thesis will be addressed herein, providing support for the assertion that changes in the dominant political ideology as represented by presidential election outcomes are commonplace in a democracy and are an artifact of changing social, economic and political climates that shape and inform public opinion. Further, as Eric Foner (1998) noted, the very meaning of ôliberalismö and ôconservatismö tends to change over time in response to such conditions.
Generally, if one considers the political orientation of the U.S. presidents since 1932, the following chronology and ideological association can be offered.
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932-1948 Liberal Democrat Harry S. Truman 1948 Moderate Democrat
Dwight D. Eisenhower 1952 -1960 Moderate Republican
John F. Kennedy 1960 Liberal Democrat
Lyndon B. Johnson 1963 Liberal Democrat
Richard M. Nixon 1964 Conservative Republican
Gerald R. Ford 1971 Moderate Republican
Jimmy Carter 1976 Liberal Democrat
Ronald Reagan 1980 Conservative Republican
George Bush 1988 Conservative Republican
Bill Clinton 1992 Liberal Democrat
George W. Bush 2000 Conservative Republican
These designations, drawn from commentary offered by Whitney (1993) and Hyland (1999), must be interpreted with some caveats. Specifically, while there are few historians who would deny that the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt was essentially a liberal initiative designed to ameliorate the ill effects of the Great Depression (Martin & Roberts, 1990), categorizing Bill Clinton as solely a liberal overlooks his actions vis-a-vis welfare reform, which position him in the moderate camp (Hyland, 1999). Calling Lyndon B....