evaluate the view that presidents since 1993 have been 'imperial presidents' (30 marks) Flashcards

1
Q

imperial presidency

A

A presidency characterised by the misuse and abuse of the powers of the presidency.

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2
Q

imperilled presidency

A

Congress restricting the power of the president.

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3
Q

unilaterialism

A

actions or decisions performed by one group, in this case, the president

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4
Q

Bill Clinton: imperial president

A
  • he managed to become president without the popular vote, with only 43% of support
  • stood ready to launch 20,000 troops to Haiti without congressional permission
  • he used troops in NATO peacekeeping missions in the Federal Public of Yugoslavia, which was argued to go against the War Powers Act 1973
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5
Q

Bill Clinton: imperilled president

A
  • he failed to pass his policies like healthcare reform as it lacked clear focus
  • even with a democratic congress, he still failed to pass healthcare reforms
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6
Q

George W. Bush: imperial president

A

2001
- he announced the ‘war on terror’ and invaded Afghanistan and Iraq
- he used executive orders to authorise controversial anti-terrorist measures, like : surveillance of suspects without a court order and detaining alleged terrorists at Guanatanemo Bay detention centre
- after 9/11, his approval rating rose dramatically
- he managed to pass a lot of legislation, like the Patriot Act 2001, The Homeland Security Act 2002 and The No Child Left Behind Act 2002

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7
Q

George W. Bush: imperilled president

A
  • he did not act unilaterally, as he received permission from Congress beforehand
  • he was reined in by the Supreme Court for Guanatanemo Bay, for holding enemy combatants without rights in 2 separate cases: Hamdan v Runsfeld and Bounediene v Bush
  • he failed to pass social security reform in 2006
  • in his last 2 years, he was more of a lame duck president, as people lost interest on his ‘war on terror’ and he was criticised for his handling of Hurricane Katrina
  • the Republicans lost control of Congress to the Democrats, making it hard for him to pass laws and he faced a lot of scrutiny
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8
Q

Obama: imperial president

A
  • passed a lot of foreign policy
  • launched a major offensive in Afghanistan in 2010 and he signed a 4 year extension to Bush’s Patriot Act
  • he launched 10 times as many airstrikes in the Middle East and Asia as Bush
  • he sanctioned a military intervention in Libya without congressional approval
  • Obamacare was passed
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9
Q

Obama: imperilled president

A
  • although he introduced Obamacare, after republican takeover of Congress, he had to compromise his vision to fit their preferences
  • the Senate refused to discuss his nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland in 2016
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10
Q

Trump: imperial president

A
  • removed popular policies despite criticism
  • removed The Iran Nuclear Deal, The North America Free Trade Agreement (replaced with US-Mexico-Canada Agreement)
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11
Q

Trump: imperilled president

A
  • lack of popularity
  • impeached twice (one of them was for influencing the Capitol Hill Raid)
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