Imperial or imperilled president? Flashcards
Evolution of powers
The federal government acquired more and more responsibilities on domestic policy
Increasing global superpower status and foreign policy involvement meant increasing (world) status for the president
On the other hand:
Increasing polarisation has meant a system dependent on bipartisanship turned to gridlock
Imperial presidency
President as all-mighty powerful Emperor – excessive power, secrecy, disregarding the constitution
Presidents’ powers are out of control and exceeding their constitutional limits
Schlesinger wrote his book about the ‘imperial presidency’ after Richard Nixon and the Watergate affair – but he also noted a general pattern
general pattern of imperial presidents
overruling or bypassing congress
Taking powers away from the states, expanding federal government
Surrounding himself with an increasing number of staff loyal to him personally – EXOP staff that are not accountable to Congress
Disregard for the rule of law
Overruling or bypassing Congress
Warfare without Congress declaring war (Lybia (Obama); Yemen (Trump))
Executive orders (e.g. Trump’s Muslim travel ban, Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal workers) and executive agreements (Obama’s Paris Climate Agreement)
Pardons – Joe Arpaio, Mike Flynn, etc.
Taking powers away from the states, expanding federal government
Affordable Care Act
CARES Act
Inflation Reduction Act
Respect for Marriage Act
EXOP
Expansion to 3,000 employees nowadays
Trump’s hard-right advisers, e.g. Steve Bannon, John Bolton
disregard for the rule of law
Nixon, Watergate affair
Clinton - Monica Lewinsky affair
Trump –undermine Mueller Russia investigation; Stormy Daniels hush money; Ukraine scandal; inciting January 6th attack on Congress
certain situations in which presidents tend to be able to become more ‘imperial’:
war
Imperilled presidency
President as weak and restricted, with not enough powers to be effective
lame duck president’: a weak, unsuccessful president, incapable of achieving anything, especially towards the end of his presidency
factors creating an imperilled presidency
Too many checks on the president’s powers
Lacking popularity
Divided government increasingly common – hostile majorities in Congress
Too many checks on the president’s powers
Senate blocking Merrick Garland
Congress overriding Trump veto of Defense Authorization Act
Courts blocking 1st versions of Trump travel bans
Congress blocking Trump’s AHCA
Congress blocking Trump’s Southern border wall funding
Trump impeachment(s)
Senate filibustering Biden’s For the People Act
Lacking popularity
Lacking popularity, particular later in their term after the first ‘honeymoon period’. Low approval ratings (Trump around 40%; George W. Bush 27% at the end of his presidency; Biden down to 33%)
Divided government
Divided government increasingly common – hostile majorities in Congress. Biden - the Republican majority in HoR since 2023
Obama did not get any significant laws passed by Congress in the second term; Merrick Garland blocked
Trump faced Democrat majority in House of Representatives in last two years
The phase within the presidency makes a difference:
Most presidents recently start their term:
High approval ratings
Supportive majorities in Congress
Ability to persuade and push through policies
Most presidents end their term(s):
Low approval ratings
Divided government, an obstructive Congress
Weakened, lame duck
Is there any long-term trend, imperial or imperilled?
One recent political development has made a Congress divided by the opposite party more damaging and weakening for the president:
Ideological polarisation
This has meant bipartisanship is less likely, reduced power of persuasion for the President, and increased likelihood of gridlock, and an unsuccessful President as result
