Lesson 8 Flashcards
Myth of the Presidency as a Powerhouse
Distorts the public image of the presidency
Presidential Power
The power to persuade, NOT command
Fundamental Paradox at the heart of the Presidency
Americans want to believe in the idea of a powerful president, but dislike the concentration of power that would make this degree of authority possible
The president must be… (3)
1) at least 35
2) natural born citizen
3) resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
All presidents have been_____ except_______
- WASPS
- JFK, Barack Obama
What are WASPS ?
White, Anglo-Saxon, protestants
How do most presidents reach high office? What are presidents guaranteed?
- through the electoral process
- 4 year term by the Constitution
22nd Amendment
- Ratified in 1951
- limits the president to 2 terms or 10 years
How many presidents have served 2 terms?
25%
20% of presidents….
33% of ….
- have reached high office from being VP upon the death or resignation of the prez
- twentieth century presidents were “accidental”
The selection of the VP is…
-a strategic choice typically intended to win over a particular state or region of the country
What is the only Constitutional duty of the VP? How involved are VP’s today?
- To serve as president of the senate and to break votes in case of a tie
- recent presidents have heavily involved their VP’s in policy making and diplomacy
What reasons can the House of Representatives impeach a President?
1) treason
2) bribery
3) high crimes and misdemeanors
Define impeach
Formally accuse of wrongdoing
What does impeachment require? Who hears the charges?
- majority vote in the house
- charges are first heard by the House Judiciary Committee, which makes a recommendation to the full House
In 1974…
The House Judiciary Committee recommended impeach,ent charges against Nixon
-he resigned before the full House had a vote
What two Presidents have been impeached? What year?
- Andrew Johnson: 1868
- Bill Clinton: 1998
If the House votes to impeach…
In the Senate chamber…
- the Senate will hold the trail
- the chief justice of the supreme court presides
How can the senate convict and remove the president?
By a 2/3 vote
25th Amendment
- permits the VP to become the President if the VP and the president’s cabinet determine the president is disabled
- the president can declare his own disability
On what 2 occasions did the VP take over for short time?
George W. Bush(2002,2007) transferred presidency to Dick Cheney
What does the 25th amendment outline?
Procedures for how the president can reclaim office
What happens if the office of VP becomes vacant?
The prez nominates a new VP, who assumes office when both houses of congress approve
What 2 times dis the office of VP become vacant ?
1) Nixon named Ford VP following Spiro Agnews resignation in 1973
2) Ford named Nelson Rockefeller VP in 1974
What is the order of succession?
VP
Speaker
President pro tempore of the senate
Cabinet members in chronological order of departments creation
President pro tempore
Oldest person of the majority party in the senate
Name 4 cabinet members
1) Sec. of State
2) Sec. of Treasury
3) Sec. of defense
4) attorney general
Presidency today
More robust and organized than the presidency conceived by framers
What are the 4 presidency powers derived from the constitution ?
1) national security
2) legislative
3) administrative
4) judicial
National Security Powers (4)
1) commander in chief of the armed forces
2) make treaties with other nations, subject to agreement of 2/3 of the senate
3) nominate ambassadors, subject to agreement with senate majority
4) receive ambassadors from other nations
Legislative Powers(5)
1) present information on the state of the union to Congress
2) recommend legislation to Congress
3) convene both chambers of congress on extraordinary occasions (rare)
4) adjourn Congress if the house and senate cannot agree on adjournment (rare)
5) veto legislation
Administrative Powers (4)
1) take care of that the laws be faithfully executed
2) appoint officials as provided for by Congress and subject to agreement of senate majority
3) request written opinions of administrative officials
4) fill administrative vacancies during congressional recesses
How can Congress override a veto?
With a 2/3 vote in each chamber
Judicial Powers
- grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment)
- appoint federal judges with the agreement of senate majority
What is one of the President’s most important roles?
Presiding over the administration of government(bureaucracy)
What does the bureaucracy include? How much does it spend ?
- More than 4mill civilian and military employees
- more than $2.5trill annually
How does the president exert control over the bureaucracy? What officials does the president appoint ?
- by appointing top level administrators
- officials who share the president’s ideas and priorities
How many high level positions are available for new presidents to appoint
500
Presidents have the power to…
this is a result of…..
-recommend agency budgets to Congress (result of the Budgeting and Accounting Act of 1921)
Every President has had….
Even though it is not….
- a presidential cabinet
- mentioned in the constitution
Size of the Cabinet
Has expanded over the years as Congress has created new agencies
Todays cabinet includes…
- 13 secretaries
- attorney general
The President may designate other officials as cabinet members. True or false?
True
The Executive Office of the President includes what 3 major policymaking bodies?
1) National Security Council (NSC)
2) Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
3) Office of Management and Budget(OMB)
National Security Council (NSC) (3)
1) links prez’s key foreign and military policy advisors
2) advises president on matters of national security
3) monitors the implementation of national securit policy
Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) (3)
1) consists of 3 people
2) prepares Annual Report of of the Council of Economic Advisors
3) helps prez make policy on inflation, unemployment, and economic matters
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)(2)
1) helps prepare prez budget
2) advises prez on budgetary implications of policy proposals
What does the White House Staff include?
Key aids the president sees daily: chief of staff, press secretary, national security advisor, etc. (prez turns to them first )
What does the prez rely on the staff for ?
- information
- policy options
- analysis
Why is the White House Staff sometimes referred to as the West Wing?
-reference to that part of the White House where staff offices(and oval office) are located
What is the White House Office? How often do the presidents see these people?
- A non policymaking agency within the Executive Office of the President
- rarely
What does the White House Office provide?
Provides the prez with a wide range of services , such as travel prep and responding to mail
The First Lady
Not and official government position
Two Different Models of a First Lady
1) Behind the Scenes
- choose noncontroversial advocacy issue to promote and advance
2) Front and Center
- actively assists prez with policymaking
Examples of Behind the Scenes First Ladies
Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Nancy Reagan
Examples of non controversial issues
Laura Bush=literacy
Michelle Obama=child obesity
Melania Trump= cyber bullying
Example of controversial issue
Hillary Clinton=health care
The president is the….
- major shaper of congressional agenda
- chief legislator
The president does what to legislation?
Signs or vetoes it
How is the threat of a presidential veto an effective tool?
It influences Congress
If the Prez does nothing with with a bill within 10 days…
It automatically becomes a law
Pocket Veto
If Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill, and the prez takes no action, the bill dies
Why would a prez let a pocket veto happen?
-less harsh, says he will sign it if it is changed
How many presidential vetoes have been overridden
3%
In 1996…
Congress gave prez a line item veto for appropriations bills… this was ruled unconstitutional by Supreme Court in Clinton v City of NY(1998)
The president os highly dependent on hos party to…
Move the presidential agenda through Congress
It is difficult for the president to…
Lead his party in Congress since each member is simultaneously being influenced by interest groups and his or her own constituents
What do Republicans tend to do?
Rally behind their presidents more cohesively than Democrats
If a party member wishes to oppose the White House…
There is little the prez can do (another indication of weak political parties)
What is the most effective means for increasing presidential influence in Congress?
To increase the number of fellow party members in Congress
The Theory of Presidential Coattails
Posits that members of Congress will benefit at the ballot box when the prez belongs to their party… this theory is NOT supported by evidence
What is a midterm election? What happens?
- elections between presidential election cycles
- prez’s party party usually loses seats in Congress
What is the current trend?
Divided government which impedes the prez since his party does not control both houses(not divided rn with Trump)
Who does the President need support from?
Why?
- opposition party
- to advance the presidential agenda… this can be very difficult
Presidents with high public approval ratings(current 43%)…
Able to influence Congress more readily
When do members of Congress take risks? What do strong poll numbers do?
- when they oppose a popular prez
- give the prez greater leverage, not greater control
What does the prez like to claim after a decisive electoral victory? What does this mean?
- mandate
- they like to claim that they won by such a large margin that the public has expressed unquestioning support for their agenda, and that Congress should realize this and waste no time turning the prez policies into law
A president with strong political skills can….
these skills include….
- increase his influence in Congress
1) bargaining
2) making personal appeals
3) consulting with Congress
4) setting priorities
5) exploiting “honeymoon” periods
What is the president granted by Congress?
The greatest amount of deference in matters of foreign policy/national security
Though Congress has the power to declare war…
Modern presidents have established a kind of informal authority to commit troops to battle as discretion dictates
War Powers Act(1973)
Requiring withdrawal of forces fro, combat zones within 60 days unless Congress passes a war resolution or grants an extension
How do presidents deal with War Powers Act?
Have ignored it, believing it to be akin to a legislative veto of perfectly lawful executive action
Powers of Supply and Demand
- Framers divided it between the legislative and executive:
- congress can refuse to fund prez actions, prez can refuse to act on a funded congressional initiative
The true role of congress in modern times
The oversight of executive foreign policy actions rather than the originator of policy
Does the prez have more success with leading congress on matters of foreign policy or domestic policy?
Foreign
What does the prez extend?
Diplomatic recognition to foreign governments
Who does the prez negotiate treaties with?
Foreign nations, as well as executive agreements (don’t require senate approval)
The prez conducts foreign policy through…
Envoys/ambassadors, but occasionally engages in personal diplomacy
Why is the prez the commander in chief ?
Since Framers consisted on civilian control of military
The “football”
Briefcase containing the codes to launch a nuclear strike-never far from prez
The Prez is also the nation’s
De facto crisis manager
-while most crises are international in nature, some are domestic(hurricane katrina)
Crises are…
Rarely a president’s doing, but can be the president’s undoing if badly handled
What is the presidents greatest challenge? What has this resulted in? And how does the public repond?
- Winning and maintaining public support
- the use of public relations techniques similar to those used by marketers –respond with cynicism
Every prez since JFK(except Nixon)…
Has made frequent public appearances to communicate with the public
What roles does the presidency combine?
Head of state and head of government.
As has of state, what does the president symbolically represent?
U.S. on the international stage
Ceremonial activities the prez performs as head of state(3)
1) state dinners
2) military funerals
3) visits to foreign capitals
Presidential approval ratings are the product of what 4 factors
1) presidents handling of policy
2) presidents character and tone
3) rally events
4) scandal, or perception of it
What do the president’s staff and advisors go through great lengths to do?
To control and choreograph how the president appears to the public
How must the prez use his authority of office as? What is this?
-bully pit: perch from which to preach his agenda and sell it to the American people with persuasive appeals
Where do presidents frequently make arguments for their policy?
Television (Obama frequently implored the public to “call your legislators and ask them to support)
What is a rally?
Major, often unforeseen occurrences that can cause a presidents approval ratings to spike(george w. Bush after 9/11)
What is an important part of the president’s effort to lead public opinion?
Relations with the press
Why is there a natural conflict between the president and the press?
The prez wants to control the flow of info to the public, the press wants all the info and they want it now
President’s Press Secretary
Gives daily press briefings and answers questions
Highest profile interaction between president and the press
Presidential press conference
Presidential Press Conference
Notoriously poor method for journalists to obtain meaningful information
How is media coverage of the president described ?
As body watch
Define Body Watch
What the president is talking about, where he is traveling to, who he is feuding with, etc….there is far more of this type of coverage than analysis of presidential policies
What do presidents often allege about the press?
The press produces more negative than positive news stories about their administrations
What have studies shown about the media?
The media does not have a systematic bias against presidents
Concerns about the Presidency (3)
1) too much power?
2) with divided gov, checks and balances, and partisan gridlock, does prez face too many limitations to act?
3) do prez actions expand scope of gov?
Writing the state of the union (4)
1) evidence
2) fact checking
3) mention person… have them sit in first lady box
4) speech writers
What is legislative veto?
Congressional technique ruled unconstitutional in 1983
Line item veto
Prez signs in parts of laws he likes
