3.2 Informal sources of presidential power and their use Flashcards

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1
Q

Define informal powers

A
  • Powers of the president no listed in the Constitution but exercised anyway
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2
Q

What sorts of presidential powers can be considered informal?

A
  • Electoral mandate
  • Executive orders
  • National events
  • The Cabinet
  • EXOP
  • Powers of persuasion
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3
Q

General significance of informal powers

A
  • Some are as important as, or even more important than, the powers delineated in the Constitution
  • The sources of informal power change over time - can result in dramatic fluctuations in presidential power within and between presidencies
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4
Q

President’s electoral mandate

A
  • Permission granted to a political leader or winning party to govern and act on their behalf - the mandate is more or less in effect for as long as the govt is in power
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5
Q

Significance of electoral mandates to a president’s power

A
  • Are elected on a strong wave of support - most presidents can achieve key goals in the first 2 yrs in office (while their mandate is fresh)
  • Presidential success rates typically fall as the term progresses - partly as the president moves further from their original mandate
  • E.g. - Obama achieved some of his most important policy goals in his first 2 yrs - such as the budget stimulus, health care reform and beginning the process of moving troops from Iraq
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6
Q

What is arguably a more important source of presidential power than their public mandate?

A
  • The nature of partisan control
  • Armed w/ a majority in Congress - president likely to be able to overcome limits to their mandate
  • Party majority will have a larger impact on their power
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7
Q

Senate and House control when Clinton was in office - and major issues during his presidency

A

House:
Democratic 1992-94
Republican 1994-2000

Senate:
Democratic 1992-94
Republican 1994-2000

Issues:

  • Oklahoma bombing
  • Balanced budget politics and govt shutdown
  • Monica Lewinsky scandal
  • Failed attempts at health care reform
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8
Q

Senate and House control when George W. Bush was in office - and major issues during his presidency

A

House:
Republican 2000-06
Democratic 2006-08

Senate:
2000-06
2006-08

Issues:

  • 9/11 and the ‘war on terror’
  • Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
  • Hurricane Katrina
  • Banking crisis
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9
Q

Senate and House control when Obama was in office - and major issues during his presidency

A

House control:
Democratic 2008-10
Republican 2010-16

Senate:
Democratic 2008-14
Republican 2014-16

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10
Q

Executive orders

A
  • President can create legal order without vote in Congress - use it to direct the executive branch in carrying out policies
  • Many of these orders can be traced directly to an Act of Congress - with the president issuing instructions to ensure they are carried out

In theory - a legitimate tool under the Constitution and many executive orders are uncontroversial

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11
Q

Examples of executive orders

A
  • Obama issued an executive order to create the White House Council on Native American Affairs
  • Bush refused congressional pressure to end certain interrogation methods - but Obama swiftly achieved a key policy goal, issuing an executive order to stop CIA operatives carrying what he saw as methods of torture as one of his first presidential acts
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12
Q

How can it be argued that the scope of executive orders has changed?

A
  • If issuing an order is seen as identical to making a new policy or law, then constitutionally Congress could have the right to vote on the proposal
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13
Q

What limitations are there on executive orders?

A
  • President has to show that their use is directing the executive branch in a manner that does not fall under the legislative role of Congress (can be reviewed by the courts)
  • Vast majority remain intact - but some are blocked -
  • Can be strong public and congressional outcry - presidents have to be mindful of their popularity if they are to maintain power (excessive use of them may undermine a their ability to make deals w/ Congress)
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14
Q

How can national events play a significant role on presidential power?

A
  • Especially natural disasters (e.g. Hurricane Katrina), economic crises (e.g. 2008-09 crash) and terrorist attacks (e.g. 9/11)
  • Can reduce the time the president has to devote to other policies - and can impact public opinion
  • If president or their policies are popular - Congress likely to show more deference to the president
  • Obama - almost blown off course in bid to pass his flagship health care policy
  • 2008 banking crisis and economic collapse - meant Obama had to prioritise an economic stimulus package - had to steer through Congress
  • Opposition to health care policy increased - forced Obama to water it down
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15
Q

Impact of 9/11 on US politics

A
  • Profound effect
  • Bush’s power surged dramatically - unity of public support increased
  • Rise in patriotism - a spirit of unity dampened any Democrat opposition to the president
  • Bush able to exert huge control over both domestic politics and foreign policy, in following years
  • Knock-on effect of allowing the Republican Party to take control of both chambers of Congress in the 2002 mid-terms
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16
Q

Layout of the Cabinet

A
  • Includes the VP and the heads fo 15 executive departments - and Cabinet-level officials such as the chief of staff and head of the Office of Management and Budget
  • Members can act as key policy advisers - with senior positions such as secretaries of state and Treasury often having a minor impact on policy
17
Q

Main influence of the cabinet

A
  • Limited number of meetings each year
  • Main influence lies w/ key individuals
  • E.g. - John Kerry as Secretary of State took a central role in developing foreign policy alongside Obama (worked on the Israeli-Palestine peace accords, having visited 11 times in just over a year in 2013/14 - also took key role on approaches to Syria)