Ch 14: The Executive Branch

Question 0

Prez v Prime Minister

Answer 0

prez: outsiders (not a member of congress), members of Congress can’t serve in cabinet, has no guaranteed majority party in congress.
Prime M: insiders, members of Parliament can serve in cabinet, always have majority in Parliament, chief executive, selects other ministers from the members of parliament

Question 1

Divided Gov (because the president isn’t promised majority) (does gridlock matter?)

Answer 1

-not a difference in passing laws, bills, conducting investigations & ratifying treaties than w/ united gov
-this works because…parties themselves are ideologically diverse
-is policy gridlock bad?
Eh not really, it shows that they are contemplating to make a good decision

Question 2

Evolution of Presidency

Answer 2

Founding Fathers imposed the electoral college (reps from every state, 1rep & 2 senators) to vote for the prez
-they thought the ppl weren’t all very educated about the gov
PROBLEMS NOW: electoral college is able to vote however they want, whether it be based on the people or not.

Question 3

Expansion of presidential powers

Answer 3

Andrew Jackson: had many vetoes
Lincoln: suspending writ of habeas corpus
T Roosevelt: involved in legislative process & increased size of bureaucracy
FDR: increased size of bureaucracy w/ new deal ( lot of programs)

Question 4

Term Limits

Answer 4

22nd amend. (1951) stated that a prez can only have 2 full terms, but can serve half of someone else’s)

Question 5

Powers of Presidency

Answer 5

• ability to Persuade: needs to have a good approval rating because it affects the whole body, if people like his policy, congress will also want the presidents policy to help with their reelection
• Veto: to reject the bill Congress worked on
• Impoundment of Funds: he can choose to NOT spend funds congress already appropriated. The Budget Reform Act of 1974: prez MUST tell congress when he will do so, so that they can redistribute the funds.
• signing the message: how the president will execute the policy

Question 6

Powers in Times of Emergency

Answer 6

could terrorism result in a constitution dictatorship?

• during major crises, ppl to turn to Prez for initiative & resolute leadership
• few checks on our prez as commander in chief
• Constitutional Dictatorships: gives prez power to preserve whatever is needed, typically only last during crisis, sanctioned by the existing constitutional system
• Could a dictatorship happen if the president takes in all these powers for too long?: it hasn’t yet, possibility in future for preservation, we need to be prepared

Question 7

Prez Programs

Answer 7

• prez is chief legislator
• How he establishes programs: rely on interest groups, aides, advisors, departments, agencies, specialist (to provide him w/ what he needs to change), choose whether to take on ALL issues or a FEW large issues
• Constraints on how to establish programs: reaction of public affects congress, time, unexpected crises ($ now directed to issue, not programs), budget constraints (must limit $ spending for programs)

Question 8

How Powerful is Prez?

Answer 8

More constrained today because of…

• complexity of issues
• scrutiny of media
• greater # & power of interest groups (try to fight prez action)

Question 9

Prez Response to Constraints

Answer 9

• acting early in first term (lot of voters like u, no time for disappointment yet)
• est. a few top priorities (best to function on a few things at a time to actually pass things)
• giving power to the White House Staff & then supervising them carefully

Question 11

3 ways to organize the Office of the Prez

Answer 11

White House Office

• pyramidal (chain of ppl reporting to one person who reports to prez, very few actually reporting to president.)
• circular (several ppl reporting to a few supervisors who report to prez, more people report to president, less chain of command)
• ad hoc (a lot of ppl reporting to prez)
• popular to mix methods

Question 12

Executive Office of Prez

Answer 12

• Senate approval for confirmations
• executives agencies
• cabinet (15)
• independent agencies, commissions, judgeships (elected by prez but confirmed by Senate)

Question 13

founders electing the president

Answer 13

• worried that the president would become a tool of congress
• created an electoral college to choose the president, but expected most elections would be decided in the HOR, they were wrong
• the electoral college still endures
• framers did not forsee the role that political parties would play in providing nationwide support for a slate of national candidates

Question 14

divided government

Answer 14

one party controls the white house and a different party controls one or both houses of congress

Question 15

unified government

Answer 15

only when it is not just the same party, but the same ideological wing of that party is in effective control of both branches

Question 16

powers of the president alone

Answer 16

serve as commander in chief of the armed forces, commission officers of the armed forces, grant reprieves and pardons for federal officers (except impeachment), convene congress in special sessions, receive ambassadors, take care that the laws be faithfully executed, wield the executive power, appoint officials to lesser offices

Question 17

powers the president shares with the senate

Answer 17

makes treaties, appoints ambassadors, judges, and high officials

Question 18

powers the president shares with congress as a whole

Answer 18

approve legislation

Question 19

initial concerns of presidency

Answer 19

that the president would use his militia power to overpower state governments, he would become a tool of the senate by sharing treaty making power with them, and permanent reelection

Question 20

the presidents need to persuade

Answer 20

• the sketchy constitutional powers given the president, combined with the lack of a promised majority, the president must rely on persuasion to accomplish anything
• he has three audiences he must persuade: washington DC fellow politicians and leaders, party activists and officeholders outside of the whitehouse, and the public
• object of persuasion talks is to convert personal popularity into congressional support for the presidents legislative programs
• the more popular the president, the higher the proportion of his bills congress will pass

Question 21

presidential popularity fluctuations

Answer 21

• its value tends to inexorably decline

- lose support between inauguration and exiting office, except during election time

Question 22

cabinet

Answer 22

the officers are the heads of the 15 major executive departments