America Examples Flashcards
Name a failed nomination under George Bush
John Tower failed to pass through the senate as defence secretary by 53/47
What are recess appointments?
Appointments made by the President which allow unelected officials to serve for up to a year
How many recess appointments did George Bush make?
171
State an executive order that Truman implemented
E0-9981 which desegregated the armed forces
Outline the case of Chelsea Manning
She wanted to expose America’s involvement in Afghanistan and was sentenced to treason by the USA. Obama commuted the sentence as he was comfortable that justice had been served
How are pardons abused by the President?
Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon of any involvement in the Watergate scandal
How does congress hold power in foreign affairs?
They’re the only body that can declare war
How can the executive override their inability to declare war?
AUMF allows the commitment of armed forces that the President deems a threat to the US
How can the president make treaties without the Senate’s approval?
Pass treaties through executive orders
Name a treaty made by Obama when he was president
The Iran nuclear deal which was between Iran and World powers for them to restrict their nuclear regime
Name a way in which congress has used the power of the purse
Foreign Assistance Act 1974 which pulled all funding for the Vietnam war (ended in the following year)
Name a treaty that was terminated by the executive
1978 Taiwan defence treaty was terminated by Jimmy Carter in order to improve relations with China
How did Clinton use the cabinet to their advantage?
He had the most diverse cabinet in history being 44% female and consisting of 7 African Americans
How many advisors did Obama have?
Over 2000
Why was Eisenhower reliant on his executive office staff?
He would only read documents that his Chief of staff had “okayed”
Name an example of bipartisanship in 2021?
The Trillion $ infostructure bill under Biden was passed through the senate with all 50 democrats and 19 republicans
What was the electoral college vote between Bush and Gore in 2000?
Bush won with 271 votes to 266 despite losing the popular vote
What is the 9th amendment?
Outlines that a US citizen has more rights than those specified in the Bill of Rights
What is an example of partisanship in America?
In the 2023 State of Union address Biden was booed and heckled by republicans when speaking about the economy
What did congress do in tandem with civil right groups which overturned the Supreme Court?
Passed the Civil Rights Act in 1991 which overturned 9 Supreme Court rulings which were Anti civil right under Chief justice Rehnquist
How have Congress and the Executive ignored the Supreme Court?
Through Guantanamo bay as although the Military Commissions act was unconstitutional detainees are still held indefinitely to this day
How did the executive branch undermine the Supreme Court?
George H W Bush passed the Military commissions act 2006 which allowed for detainees to be trialled by the military
Name a detainee from Guantanamo bay and mention his significance
Saifullah Paracha, despite the military commission act being unconstitutional in 2008 Saifullah still spent 12 years in the prison despite the ruling
What is an Incumbent president
A president who has already served a term
What are the advantages of Incumbency?
Recognition and no need to waste resources during the early election process
What % of Incumbent presidents have won since 1796?
71%
How much money did Hillary Clinton raise for her 2016 election campaign?
$1.4 billion
What is the purpose of a PAC (Political Action Committee)?
Raise Hard money in order to elect or defeat a specific candidate. They are capped at $5,000 donations per candidate per election
