How might a political candidate's ideology affect his or her actions once elected?

Answer 1

It may depend a bit on how well his ideology stands the test of economic and political realities in the world as well as within Washington. Very often - and certainly in the case of President Obama - a hostile US Congress may try to block almost any and all actions and policies of a President. Furthermore, a country like the US is bound in many of its dealings with the world by a great number of international treaties and laws, or a President's ideology may clash with that of all- powerful pressure groups like the National Rifle Association.

So very often a President's ideology is restricted by all these realities, and these rarely result in radical breaks with the past, politically or economically. But based on his ideology he can set priorities and try to make gradual policy changes. So for instance Obama finally got his Health Care plan accepted, although much watered down from what he originally had wished; untangled his armies from Iraq and Afghanistan and firmly refused to have American soldiers involved in Syria's battlefields and turned US support for Israel from 'undying' to lukewarm. Other of his 'ideological' priorities like better gun control and closing Guantanamo Bay prison were effectively blocked by the Republican majority in Congress. If the USA ever gets a President Trump, he also will find that he will have to swallow many of his convictions and priorities if he finds - as he well may - that the Republicans in Congress hate his guts as much as they now do those of Barack Obama. But he will still try to prioritize according to his ideology.