ABSTRACT
According to the Reagan revolution thesis, many of the landmark conservative changes of the 1980s developed through President Reagan's brilliant successes in influencing Congress. Many political observers have given Johnson and Reagan high marks in legislative leadership, while the other presidents' performances in the 1953–88 period are often judged somewhere from poor to moderately successful. President Reagan failed almost completely in attaining his legislative goals in agriculture policy. A problem with the presidential support ratings is the inability to distinguish between important congressional votes and relatively insignificant votes. Some political commentators concluded that the 1983 Social Security reform bill, which was enacted to solve the program's financial problems, was a great victory for President Reagan. They also believed that his actions in the policy formulation process showed his outstanding ability as a legislative leader.
