Former President Iacocca's Legacy?

News this morning that Lee Iacocca, the 41st President of the US (1989-93) has died.

What, if anything, will be the lasting legacy of his Presidency? Aside from his surprising win as an Independent presidential candidate (something no one else has managed before or since), how should we look at his four years in office?
 
although he is independent candidate, his policy is no different from policy of two big parties. Since success of Business Coup to prevent socialist policy of President Roosevelt, all president (and governor) of USA is always successful Captain of Industry. Lacocca only different policy is about foreign policy where he prefer to ally with Japanese Empire rather than with German Reich like President from big two parties. On domestic policy, only thing he do differently is improving port facility in West Coast during his presidency, and crush Longshoreman revolt by replacing then with African American indentures. Big Two party always prefer to develop Caribbean and Atlantic ports, rather than politically dangerous California territory.
 
^^^
OOC: I'm sorry, what now? Is this a riff on Man in the High Castle? FWIW, what I had in mind was history happening like it did in OTL until the '88 election when Iacocca running and winning the Presidency changes things.
 
He's from the Lehigh Valley, where I live - A local hot dog chain was founded by his family, but the residents (at that time mostly Pennsylvania Dutch) couldn't pronounce Iacocca, so the chain is called "Yocco's" instead.
 
His Presidency laid rest to the myth of having a businessman run the government.
He found out that the United States Congress was not a complaint Board of Directors rubber stamping his decisions, ironically he did know how to navigate the federal bureaucracy due to his experience at Ford.
His biggest legacy was becoming a staunch supporter of free trade after the debacle of imposing steep tariffs on small economy cars from Europe and Japan.
 
although he is independent candidate, his policy is no different from policy of two big parties. Since success of Business Coup to prevent socialist policy of President Roosevelt, all president (and governor) of USA is always successful Captain of Industry. Lacocca only different policy is about foreign policy where he prefer to ally with Japanese Empire rather than with German Reich like President from big two parties. On domestic policy, only thing he do differently is improving port facility in West Coast during his presidency, and crush Longshoreman revolt by replacing then with African American indentures. Big Two party always prefer to develop Caribbean and Atlantic ports, rather than politically dangerous California territory.
Yeah, um, no.
 
His Presidency laid rest to the myth of having a businessman run the government.
He found out that the United States Congress was not a complaint Board of Directors rubber stamping his decisions, ironically he did know how to navigate the federal bureaucracy due to his experience at Ford.
His biggest legacy was becoming a staunch supporter of free trade after the debacle of imposing steep tariffs on small economy cars from Europe and Japan.

Well put ejpsan! Thus when famed NY real estate “developer” Donald Trump began poking around in 2004 to see if he could garner support for a run @ the White House, one reason he was unable to do so was that memories of the failed Iacocca presidency were still vivid. They made people shie away from another “businessman” as POTUS. As one New Yorker who knew Trump(& for reasons that are obvious wishes to remain anonymous)put it: “Donald President? He’d make Lee look like Washington & Lincoln put together!”
 
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Well I don't know if we would have let Iraq keep Kuwait after it got invaded. That led to inflation and huge increases in oil prices until the rise in electric and hybrid cars years later. It wasn't until President Gore got elected in 2000 that the economy really started to recover
 
His Presidency laid rest to the myth of having a businessman run the government.
He found out that the United States Congress was not a complaint Board of Directors rubber stamping his decisionns, ironically he did know how to navigate the federal bureaucracy due to his experience at Ford.
His biggest legacy was becoming a staunch supporter of free trade after the debacle of imposing steep tariffs on small economy cars from Europe and Japan.

I think his biggest problem was that he was in independent. Once the glow of a third party/independent president who can break partisan gridlock wore off (after about a week) he was faced with the most bi-partisan Congress in US history - they all hated him and nobody wanted to work with him. For awhile that made him very popular with the American people but once we were faced with nothing getting done except some laws and initiatives Congress passed with veto proof majorities it all got old really quick.
 
His Presidency while an unquestionable failure in the first two years, the second part had some success like the Governmental Reorganization Act that made the Federal Government more responsive and the Transportation Reform Act made mass transit projects more integrated with affordable housing, places of employment, higher education, and hospitals that helped move lower income people from public assistance to good paying jobs.
That last part took years to for the effects to be noticed.
 
^^^
OOC: I'm sorry, what now? Is this a riff on Man in the High Castle? FWIW, what I had in mind was history happening like it did in OTL until the '88 election when Iacocca running and winning the Presidency changes things.

Yeah, um, no.

OOC: Sorry. You don't give POD, so I started free association "Businessman as President > Business Plot" as POD.

Yeah, but the lack of a given POD doesn’t mean you can just pick one fifty years earlier. That’s just not proper etiquette to be quite honest.

OOC : Pretty sure I see other DBWI which have gone weirder direction and pick strange POD.
 
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OOC: Sorry. You don't give POD, so I started free association "Businessman as President > Business Plot" as POD.
Yeah, but the lack of a given POD doesn’t mean you can just pick one fifty years earlier. That’s just not proper etiquette to be quite honest.
 
Uhm, Lee Iacocca was never elected president. I assume you forgot to put DBWI before the Thread Title?
 
OOC: Sorry. You don't give POD, so I started free association "Businessman as President > Business Plot" as POD.



OOC : Pretty sure I see other DBWI which have gone weirder direction and pick strange POD.

OOC: It not make any sense that you have given 1980's scenario and then give some much earlier POD despite that there is not any hint for such. This is not how DBWIs work. True that some DBWIs have taken some strange direction but it doesn't mean that you can't take part without bringing some strange. Yes, POD is bit unusualö but it doesn't need some strange things around which are even more implausible.
 
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