ARCHIVE
White House Workshop
Ronald Reagan (1st term) Administration - Archive Edition
January 25-28, 1983
White House Workshop - 1983:
Challenge of the Modern Presidency
Held at The Capitol Hill Club.
In the early 1970s the Presidency was seen as an imperial institution. The concern was with its abuse of power. In the late 1970s it was seen as an imperiled institution. The concern was its lack of power. In the 1980s the institution is seen as both strong and weak, as both dominant and dominated. Americans regard it as the most powerful institution in the free world and yet, they are frustrated by its inability to act and to deal effectively with national problems. Is the problem one of public perceptions, institutional inadequacy, or faulty leadership? We will explore these questions in this workshop.
The objective is to get a sense of the operation of the presidency within its environment: its development, its organization, and its operations today. Does the presidency have the capacity to develop policy and mobilize resources within Congress and the public at large? If so, how? What are the mechanisms that can be used and how successful have they been?
Particular emphasis in the workshop will be placed on the programs and policies of the Reagan administration and the ways in which they are likely to evolve during the next two years. A broad range of policy concerns from economic to general domestic to international and national security matters will be examined.
One concern of obvious importance to federal executives is the institutional interaction between the White House, OMB and the Agency. The workshop will examine this interaction from several perspectives and try to suggest trends and developments which would be of particular interest to the Department of the Army.
White House Workshop Speakers & Topics
Reagan and Foreign Affairs: Robert Wood, Program Facilitator
The Institutional Presidency: Stephen Wayne, Professor, George Washington University
National Security Issues: Henry Nau, Member, National Security Council Staff
The Budget Viewed from Both Ends of the Avenue: Allen Schick, Former Senior Specialist in American Government, Library of Congress
Public Attitudes and Opinions: Richard Scammon, Chief political analyst for NBC News, Director, Election Research Center
Developing Strategies in the White House: Ralph Bledsoe, Assistant Director, Office of Planning and Evaluation, The White House
Intelligence, the Military and the Media: David Martin, Correspondent, Newsweek
Views from Capitol Hill by a Former White House Staffer: Representative Tom Loeffler (R-TX)
A Look at the Fed: Henry Wallich, Member of Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
The National Defense Policy: Another Perspective: James Fallows, Author of National Defense, and former Chief Speech Writer for President Carter
Reflections on the American Presidency: Haynes Johnson, Columnist, The Washington Post
Reagan's National Security and Defense Policies: Lawrence J. Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Logistics, The Pentagon
Lobbying in Washington, DC: Myths and Realities: Tom Korologos, Vice President & Director of Congressional Liaison, Timmons & Co., Former Director of Congressional Liaison for President Reagan's campaign
Dynamics of White House Cabinet Relationships: Bradley Patterson, Senior Staff Member, Brookings Institution
Paradoxes of the Presidency: Tom Cronin, Author and Presidential scholar
Limits of the Constitutional Role of the President: John Kramer, Counsel to House Majority Whip; Associate Dean, Georgetown University Law School
Covering the President: Lou Cannon, Columnist, The Washington Post
Reagan Economics: Rudy Penner, Economist, American Enterprise Institute
