5 The President

Question 1

how is the American presidential system different from others?

Answer 1

• in normal presidential systems, you intentionally pick a president to have a powerful executive
• designed to restrain the president’s power thru checks and balances

Question 2

imperial presidency

Answer 2

a sharp increase in presidential power since WWII

Question 3

how is the president elected?

Answer 3

via the electoral college, wherein 270 votes must be won

Question 4

presidential powers

Answer 4

• commander-in-chief
• presidential pardons
• recumbency

Question 5

the power of commander-in-chief

Answer 5

• the president is the leader of the US Armed Forces, and can order it for all intents and purposes
• controls American military bases around the world
• Congress officially declares war, but the president can order military actions in line with war

Question 6

the power of presidential pardons

Answer 6

-if a person commits a crime, a president can pardon them so they don’t have to serve any time or face criminal charges
- tends to be overused by the end of a president’s term

Question 7

the power of recumbency

Answer 7

being re-elected is likely since you were already president

Question 8

First Lady

Answer 8

the role of the president’s spouse hasn’t changed much, as they get priority but don’t get heavily involved in politics

Question 9

Vice President

Answer 9

• position has changed dramatically since the 1990s
• prior to 2000, the VP was one of the least powerful and important figures
• would usually run for president after their president has served 2 terms

Question 10

when did the shift in the VP’s power occur?

Answer 10

• Bill Clinton gave VP Algor a lot of power
• George Bush, Jr.’s VP, Dick Chaney, increased the institution’s power further
• this continued under Obama and VP Joe Biden
• recent VPs (Mike Pence, Kamala Harris) don’t experience as much power as Biden had

Question 11

presidential roles

Answer 11

• head of state
• head of gov’t
• address the nation

Question 12

head of state

Answer 12

the president represents the country

Question 13

head of government

Answer 13

the president represents the ppl of the country

Question 14

presidential prestige

Answer 14

has declined, as it was traditional practice that presidents’ personal lives weren’t published by media

Question 15

Richard Nixon and Watergate

Answer 15

• marked the initial decline of the presidency
• it became a goal of media to ‘take down’ the president
• presidential prestige has increasingly been attacked, which is dangerous bc their powers are increasing yet are more challenged

Question 16

special prosecutor

Answer 16

a position created by Congress with complete freedom to investigate anywhere with no oversight

Question 17

presidential addresses

Answer 17

presidents can request airtime from networks to give speeches, which allows them to lay out priorities to control the news cycle

Question 18

heroes vs celebrities

Answer 18

• presidential prestige was tied to their image as a ‘hero’, wherein their private life was kept private or filtered flatteringly
• a celebrity is someone you know everything about, s a hero loses their heroic nature when they become a celebrity

Question 19

symbolism of the president

Answer 19

• the moment someone becomes president, their popularity surges due to initial prestige
• has declined every presidency as it’s becoming less impressive