Summary of Bush's First Term
White House photo by Tina Hager / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
George W. Bush swore in as president on January 20th, 2001. One of his first acts as President was to push through a $1.3 widespread tax cut. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bush vowed for a global war against terrorism and ordered the invasion of Afghanistan. In 2003, America invaded Iraq after the Bush administration claimed that they possessed weapons of mass destruction. The Iraq War faced some resistance in the Senate, but ultimately passed.
Riding President Bush's high approval ratings, Republicans took control of the Senate in the 2002 midterms and also gained seats in the House. Down in Florida, Senator Shalala maintained high approvals during her first term - she voted for key bipartisan legislation backed by the Bush administration, but also stuck to her progressive roots and continued to advocate for liberal domestic policy issues. Particularly, she was a leading advocate during the No Child Left Behind debates and successfully lobbied for amendments requiring more funding for school districts with high minority populations, as well as increased prioritization for non-English speaking students and more comprehensive bilingual programs.
Heading in to the 2004 Presidential election, Bush started out as a strong favorite, but some saw vulnerabilities as the war in Iraq was already decreasing in popularity. As of July 2003, his approval rating sat at 59%, but has been steadily dropping.
Next up: the 2004 Democratic primaries