Ronald Reagan (Kornilovshina)

Reagan was president form 1981-1993. While his foreign policy (Contragate, the Second Latin American War etc.) is seen as dismal, his economic policy is seen as one of the best the American economy ever had.

First Term
Ronald Reagan won in a landslide against Libertarian candidate Ralph Nader, Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter and Green candidate Harry Manus.

The American economy was sliding into recession, and Reagan decided in his "Reaganomics" plan to help the American economy in a 5 point program, which would be:

1. Shutting down the Federal Reserve.

2. Cutting taxes.

3. Encourage jobs and economic growth.

4. reduce unnecessary government spending.

5. close down the medicaid act, which was seen as a white elephant by the Republicans and the libertarians.

These helped mitigate the recession, but not stave it off completely.

Second Term
Reagan won in a landslide against Walter Mondale (Green), Bill Clinton (Democratic) and Ralph Nader (Libertarian).

But the Contra Affair would cause his approval ratings to plummet lower than Hoover. Basically, several officials in the Reagan administration had overstepped their jurisdiction and illegally funded Nicaraguan partisans in order to overthrow the Sandinista government.

But even then, Reagan would win a third term in office with the largest electoral share in history, burying Michael Dukakis (green), Al Gore (Democratic) and Geraldine Ferraro (Libertarian)

Third term
During his third and final term, Reagan signed the Space privatization act in 1991 (which he proposed anyway) which is seen as a greater help to the American economy.

By the end of his presidency, Reagan had created a 1.2 Trillion dollar surplus for the USA, and would be hailed for his economic prudence. In his farewell address, Reagan warned of the rising threat in the middle east, saying that "a confrontation with these radicals is becoming more likely unless action is taken".