evaluate the view that presidents since 1993 have been 'imperial presidents' (30 marks) Flashcards
imperial presidency
A presidency characterised by the misuse and abuse of the powers of the presidency.
imperilled presidency
Congress restricting the power of the president.
unilaterialism
actions or decisions performed by one group, in this case, the president
Bill Clinton: imperial president
- 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
Bill Clinton: imperilled president
- 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
George W. Bush: imperial president
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
George W. Bush: imperilled president
- 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
Obama: imperial president
- 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
Obama: imperilled president
- 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
Trump: imperial president
- removed popular policies despite criticism
- removed The Iran Nuclear Deal, The North America Free Trade Agreement (replaced with US-Mexico-Canada Agreement)
Trump: imperilled president
- lack of popularity
- impeached twice (one of them was for influencing the Capitol Hill Raid)