Mandate for Leadership
Encyclopedia
Mandate for Leadership is a series of books published by The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...

, a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

 think-tank based in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 They are intended to serve as guidelines for reducing the size and scope of the federal government through specific policy recommendations.The books have traditionally been released to coincide with an incoming U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 presidential administration, starting with the Reagan administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....

 in 1981. The latest edition was published in 2005.

Early development

In 1979, at a Heritage Foundation trustees' meeting, it was suggested by Jack Eckerd
Jack Eckerd
Jack Eckerd , was an American businessman who was a major innovator in drugstore retailing, and a public servant, politician and philanthropist.-Biography:...

, former head of the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...

 under Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...

, that the Foundation draw up a conservative plan of action for the next presidential administration in January 1981. Robert Krieble proposed that Heritage produce a manual to help policymakers “cut the size of government and manage it more effectively.”

The overall direction of the Heritage study was undertaken by Charles Heatherly, a former field director of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., or ', is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1953 as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists...

. In late January 1980, Heatherly produced a five-page outline titled “Mandate for Leadership.” Heatherly explained that the purpose of the project was to present concrete proposals to “revitalize our economy, strengthen our national security and halt the centralization of power in the federal government.”

Both the Reagan-Bush
Ronald Reagan presidential campaign, 1980
Ronald Reagan, the 33rd Governor of California, announced his candidacy for President of the United States in New York City on November 13, 1979. On July 17, 1980, he became the nominee of the Republican Party for the 1980 presidential election. After receiving the Republican nomination, he...

 and Carter-Mondale campaigns were approached by Heritage to discuss the project. However, they only received a reply from the Reagan–Bush campaign, and in July 1980, Reagan aide Edwin Meese
Edwin Meese
Edwin "Ed" Meese, III is an attorney, law professor, and author who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan Gubernatorial Administration , the Reagan Presidential Transition Team , and the Reagan White House , eventually rising to hold the position of the 75th Attorney General of...

 was a surprise guest at a dinner held by Heritage for the project’s team chairmen and co-chairmen. There, Meese gave the Heritage study “his blessing,” which was seen as a sign of the Reagan administration's receptiveness of the project.

Mandate I

In January 1981, Mandate for Leadership was released as a 20 volume, 3,000 page publication. Mandate contained more than 2,000 individual suggestions to move the federal government in a conservative direction, focusing on management and administration. The report did not take a stand on social issues. Specific suggestions included raising the defense budget by $20 billion in fiscal year 1981 and increasing it by an average of $35 billion over the next five years; establishing urban “enterprise zones” to encourage businesses to move into the nation’s inner cities; reducing personal income tax rates by 10 percent across the board; calling for line-item veto power by the president; and developing a new strategic bomber by using B-1 and advanced bomber technology.

At the first meeting of his cabinet, President Reagan passed out copies of Mandate, and many of the study’s authors were recruited into the White House administration. In particular, the Reagan administration hired key Mandate contributors Bill Bennett
William Bennett
William John "Bill" Bennett is an American conservative pundit, politician, and political theorist. He served as United States Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988. He also held the post of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H. W...

 as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...

 (and later as Secretary of Education) and James G. Watt
James G. Watt
James Gaius Watt served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior for President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1983.-Early life and career:...

 as Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...

.

According to the authors of Mandate, around 60% of Mandate for Leaderships 2,000 proposals had been implemented or initiated at the end of Reagan’s first year in office.

Mandate for Leadership appeared on the Washington Posts paperback bestseller list and the Post called it “an action plan for turning the government toward the right as fast as possible.” The New York Times in 2002 called it “the manifesto of the Reagan revolution.”

Mandate II and III

In 1984, Heritage released Mandate for Leadership II: Continuing the Conservative Revolution. The study featured 1,300 recommendations from 150 contributors, and continued the original Mandate's aim of reforming the federal government and strengthening U.S. defenses. Heritage published its third manual for an incoming administration in 1988, titled Mandate for Leadership III: Policy Strategies for the 1990s. This edition was edited by Charles Heatherly and Burt Pines.

Mandate IV

Prior to the 1996 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1996
The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Housing Secretary Jack...

 Heritage published the fourth Mandate for Leadership edition. Mandate IV was aimed at Congress, and focused on presenting a political strategy for Congress to continue the conservative policies of the outgoing Republican presidential administration. This edition of Mandate was offered as study material at an orientation conference attended by both Democratic and Republican freshman congressmen held by The Heritage Foundation and Empower America. In particular, a chapter on moving an agenda through Congress was recommended by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Mandate V

The fifth edition in the Mandate series, Mandate for Leadership 2000, included the edited transcripts of nine nonpartisan public sessions held by Heritage in 2000 called “The Keys to a Successful Presidency”. The forums focused on how past presidents and administrations implemented their policy agendas from their first day in office. Participants included Leon Panetta
Leon Panetta
Leon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...

, former chief of staff to President Clinton; Martin Anderson
Martin Anderson
Martin Lee Anderson was a 14-year-old from Florida who died while incarcerated at a boot camp-style youth detention center, the Bay County Boot Camp, located in Panama City, Florida and operated by the Bay County Sheriff's Office. Anderson collapsed while performing required physical training at...

, who advised President Reagan on domestic policy; Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....

, national security adviser to President Carter; and columnist Robert Novak
Robert Novak
Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for...

. Historian and former congressional aide, Alvin S. Felzenberg
Alvin S. Felzenberg
Alvin S. Felzenberg is an American presidential historian and political commentator who was Principal Spokesman for the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission....

was Mandate for Leadership 2000s project director.

Mandate VI

In 2005, Heritage published the sixth, and most recent, edition of Mandate for Leadership. This edition of Mandate was just 156 pages long. According to Heritage, the shorter length reflected that policies and ideas from the early Mandate editions had, by the time of this publication, largely become part of the mainstream debate.
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