Informal sources of presidential power: The power to persuade Flashcards
Define powers of persuasion
The idea that the President can use bargaining methods and the prestige of their role to get people to do as they wish
Why are powers of persuasion less effective now than they were in the post war era?
Because politics is extremely polarised now, whereas it was quite bipartisan then
Why does the President need to use powers of persuasion?
Because almost every power that they possess can be checked by Congress
Why has it been more difficult for President’s to implement their legislative agenda since 1992?
Because Congress has become more assertive
How often was there a unified government between 1993 and 2022?
For 10.5 of the 30 years
Define unified government
Where both Houses of Congress and the Presidency are controlled by one party
Give a Neustadt quote that shows that President’s can find it difficult even at a time of unified government
‘What the constitution separates, political parties do not combine’
What did Clinton fail to pass despite the fact he enjoyed a unified government?
Healthcare reform
Who must the President work through in order to be a successful persuader?
A number of other people, having a strong executive team will help the President persuade Congress
List professor Mckay’s 4 rules for organising the WH in order to have powers of persuasion`
- Exploit the honeymoon period by appointing key roles early, as this means their presidency can hit the ground running
- Chief of Staff must be a good political operator
- Be open to selling final programmes
- Build an espirit de corps between staffers and cabinet secretaries
Give an example of some Presidents who were good at making appointments during the honeymoon period?
Obama, Biden and Bush Jr. all made sure that key cabinet positions were appointed before they came to office
Give an example of a president that failed to make key appointments quickly
Trump - this hindered progress in the early months of his presidency
How did Obama, Trump and Bush fare in appointing a good chief of staff?
- Bush found an effective and long serving one in Card
- Trump got through 4
- Obama was mixed, getting through four in his first term but finding stability with McDonough in his second
Explain how Bush Jr. was successful in selling programmes to Congress
He managed to get bipartisan support for No Child Left Behind
Explain how Clinton was unsuccessful in selling programmes to Congress
He failed to persuade his own party that his healthcare reforms were unfeasable and had to face the humiliation of Congress not even voting on his bill
Explain how Obama was successful in selling programmes to Congress
He tailored Obamacare to make sure he got most of what he wanted while retaining the support of his own party. He did this by dropping the more radical elements to ensure the support of conservative Ds
Explain how Biden was successful in selling programmes to Congress
He reached out to all sections of his party to ensure that they all supported the 2021 American Rescue Plan
Explain how Biden was successful in selling programmes to Congress
He reached out to all sections of his party to ensure that they all supported the 2021 American Rescue Plan
Give an example of a President who was good at building a feeling of pride and loyalty within the executive
Bush Jr. was great at this for the first 6 years of his presidency, with his whole administration united around him and his war on terror
Give an example of a President who was bad at building a feeling of pride and loyalty within the executive
Trump - his administration suffered from a high turnover and lots of resignations
Why will most two term presidents lose their espirit de corps?
Because they will become lame duck presidents
Explain the idea of a lame duck presidency
A period in which the President has lost much of their power and will therefore struggle to enact policy objectives. It usually happens at the end of a second term because the President will be gone soon anyway
