P3 - The Presidency Flashcards
What does Article II, Section I say
‘the executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America’
What does the executive comprise of
the president, VP, cabinet, ExOP and the federal bureaucracy (civil service)
What are the presidential powers in the constitution
- signing or vetoing legislation
- appointing federal judges
- receiving ambassadors
- making treaties
- granting pardons
- Giving the state of the union address
- commander in chief of the armed forces
- executing laws
- calling a special session of Congress
what does being head of state involve
- granting pardons
- attending global summits
- being ‘consoler-in-chief’ during times of national crises - receiving and nominating ambassadors
what is an example of the president being head of state
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump met with other world leaders and spoke on behalf of the USA as the head of state
what does being head of government involve
- signing, vetoing and executing legislation
- appointing his cabinet
- delivering their state of the union address
when did George Bush lose congress
2006
what major events happened under Obama’s presidency
9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq war, Financial Crisis
what was Obama’s focus on foreign policy
ending wars
what election promise could Obama not fulfil
closing GITMO
what act passed through Congress during Obama’s first two years
Obamacare
what has ObamaCare been compared to in terms of the magnitude of change
FDR’s new deal, LBJ’s civil rights act (1964)
when was there a vote to pass the American health act
May 4th 2017
what was the intention of the American Health Act
to repeal the ACA
what was the vote on the AHA in the House
217-213 in favour
what was the vote in the Senate on the AHA
51-49 defeat (opposed by Republicans like Susan Collins and John McCain)
What was the Dodd-Frank Act
it changed the regulation of the financial sector in the wake of the 2008 crash
what was the fiscal stimulus
it injected $787 billion into the ailing US economy
what hindered Obama’s second term
a divided government and bitter Republican hostility
how are the limits on Obama’s premiership best shown
with his attempt to appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court
who was Merrick Garland supposed to replace
Antonin Scalia
when did justice Scalia die
February 2016
when was the Iran Nuclear Deal
2015
what did the Iran Nuclear Deal involve
the conversion and reduction of Iran’s nuclear facilities while at the same time lifting the sanctions that had been imposed on the country
when was the Paris climate change agreement
December 2015
when was it announced that the Obama administration and Chinese government would ratify the Paris Agreement
September 2016
what did Obama make a 180 degree turn on
Cuba
what was the strategy of Obama’s foreign policy
over the horizon strategy
what did Krugman say in 2014 about Obama
‘On overall foreign policy, Obama has been essentially a norman post-Vietnam president, reluctant to commit US ground troops and eager to extract them from ongoing commitments, but quite willing to bomb people considered threatening to US interests, And he has defended the prerogatived of the NSA and the surveillance state in general’
what did Obama achieve a rare victory over in July 2015
the renewal of the trade promotion authority
What is the TPA
trade promotion authority
what did Congress agree to by allowing the TPA
that it would consider trade bills on an ‘up or down’ basis without amendments delays through filibuster
what was the TPP
trans-pacific partnership
what did the TPP do
it opened a free trade area between the USA, Canada and Pacific Rim countries including Japan, BUT NOT CHINA.
what was the TTIP
transatlantic trade and investment partnership
what happened to the TTIP
it never passed
what did Obama have to use extensively due to divided gov and partisanship
executive orders and presidential memoranda
how many presidential memoranda did Obama issue as of mid-December 2014
198
if presidential memoranda and executive orders were added together, which president was the last to be as active as Obama
Jimmy Carter
what did Obama announce in January 2016
a raft of measures including tougher background checks on gun purchasing online and at gun shows.
what did Obama’s administration sanction in January 2016
an increase in the minimum wage for those employed by federal government contractors
what is the problem with using presidential memoranda
they are not entrenched in law so are vulnerable, so future presidents could easily change them.
what did Obama attempt to pass which would be found unconstitutional
the dreamer’s act
what was Obama’s second term a key example of
the increasingly creative and expansive use of the unilateral instruments available to a President
how is an electoral mandate an informal source of power
a president who wins the election convincingly can often exercise more power than someone who scrapes a win
what is an example of a President and an electoral mandate
Obama won with 52.9% whilst trump won 46%, so trump struggled to pass legislation
how are executive orders an informal source of power
they are directives to a department on how to carry out a new law.
how did Trump use executive orders
to restrict abortion, attack Obamacare and institute a travel ban, signing 49 executive orders in 266 days
how is the VP and the cabinet an informal source of power
the individuals in the cabinet can lend the president power if they have popularity
what is an example of the VP and the cabinet being beneficial
VP Biden’s popularity and connections were of huge importance to Obama’s foreign policy, while Hilary Clinton, as secretary of state, played a big role in negotiating the START treaty of 2010
how can national events be an informal source of power
in times of national crisis, the president often gets a popularity bump. This could be due to a national tragedy, natural disaster or global event
what is an example of a president benefitting from national events?
Goerge W Bush gained a huge popularity bump the day after 9/11, which allow him considerable personal control over the national response to this crisis
what did President Truman comment about the newly elected President Eisenhower in 1953
“he’ll sit there all day saying ‘do this, do that’, and nothing will happen. Poor Ike, won’t be a bit like the military. He’ll find it very frustrating”
what is an example of successful powers of persuasion
Obama campaigned on healthcare reform throughout the 2008 electoral campaign. With a clear electoral mandate gained in November 2008, he was able to get Obamacare passed in 2010.
what is an example of unsuccessful powers of persuasion
Trump campaigned on repealing Obamacare, but his repeal and replace never got through. This was partly due to a lower electoral mandate, meaning that Trump’s party had less reason to work with him so his powers of persuasion were lower.
What is EXOP
the executive office of the president
what does EXOP consist of
those staff and bodies that immediately surround the president and which help him carry out his duties
why was EXOP created
following the Brownlow Committee’s recommendation in 1937 that ‘the President needs help.’
where are the components of EXOP commonly found
in the West Wing of the White House, or in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door,
what does EXOP include
the National Security Council (NSC)
the office of management and Budget (OMB)
the white house office (WHO)
when was the NSC established
1947
what does the NSC do
coordinates military, foreign policy and security information and policy for the president
who heads the NSC
the national security adviser (NSA)
what does the NSC do with the president
briefs them daily
what does the NSC’s importance vary based off of
it depends on the president and whether they want to rely on the NSC, defence or state departments
whats an example of the NSC
Susan Rice was interviewed as Obama’s NSA in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack
when was the OMB established
1970
what does the OMB do
advises the president on the budget and oversees federal department spending
who heads the OMB
the senate-confirmable OMB director
what does the OMB ensure
that all presidential legislative initiatives are budgeted and fit into the presidential policy goals
whats an example of the OMB
Trump’s OMB director Mick Mulvaney commented that a ‘good shutdown’ might be needed in 2017
what does the WHO include
the most trusted presidential advisers who work in direct proximity to him in the White House
who heads the WHO
the white house chief of staff, and including the press secretary
what does the WHO act as
a link between the president and cabinet members and their departments
what does the WHO do for the president
control access to the president and acts on their behalf, giving interviews on his behalf, briefing the press and organising access to him
whats an example of the WHO
Stephen miller defended Trump’s actions in a ‘State of the Union’ interview with Jake Tapper
Who was controversially appointed to the NSC
Steve Bannon
when was Steve Bannon appointed
January 2017
why was Bannon’s appointment deemed unusual
Bannon was a chief strategist for Trump, ideologically very right-wing and with almost no national security experience
what did Bannon’s appointment lead to
some accusing Trump of politicising the NSC when traditionally EXOP is seen as ‘honest brokers’.
what had happened to the NSC by April 2017
Bannon had been removed and traditional roles were restored, seen by some as the influence of Trump’s second NSA, Lieutenant General McMaster
how do elections influence presidential relationships
not only does Congress have its own mandate from the people, but it also has more frequent elections and must therefore look to its constituents, as well as to other presidents. For example, the veto override of 97-1 (in the Senate) of the 9/11 victim’s bill 2016
how does persuasion influence presidential relationships
if the president is popular, he might find it easier to persuade Congress to act with deference; but the opposite can be true, too. For example, Obama failed to persuade Congress to act on gun control, despite mass shootings
how does divided government influence presidential relationships
the majority party in Congress might be different to the president’s, straining the relationship. For example, Obama’s failure to get immigration reform through a divided Congress. Sometimes, even in a unified government, the president and his party do not always agree and have a differing legislative agenda
how does presidential action influence presidential relationships
executive orders and recess appointments can often cause tension as the president is seen to usurp Congressional roles. For example, Obama used executive orders to get limited immigration reform
how does the media influence presidential relationships
some justices have had an increasing tendency to speak out about political events, often causing political tension. For example, Justice Alito spoke out against the ruling in Snyder v Phelps (2011)
how does judicial review influence presidential relationships
as the final interpreter of the Constitution, the SC can thwart the president by ruling against him. For example, the Supreme Court struck down Obama’s DAPA executive order in Texas v US (2016)
how do appointments influence presidential relationships
a fortunate president may get a chance to shape the court with an appointment that reflects his own ideology. For example, George W Bush was able to replace Sandra Day O’Connor (a centrist justice) with Samuel Alito (who was more conservative)
how does separation of powers influence presidential relationships
the president is utterly dependent on Congressional agreement for money, war, legislation and much more. For example, Trump’s failure to pass ‘repeal and replace of Obamacare
How does presidential popularity affect presidential power
a president who experiences high popularity is more likely to be successful in his policy proposals than an unpopular president
what is the coat-tails effect
if a congressional politician’s constituents support the president, then by supporting the president the politician is likely to also be more popular
how does the election cycle influence presidential power
with fixed-term elections, a president has to always have one eye on the electoral calendar. Midterms might deliver a divided government, which will make passing their legislative agenda more difficult.
why does the president have to be careful about their actions in their first term
re-election for their second term
when does the president’s power inevitably wane
once the invisible primary begins at the end of his second term, his power inevitably wanes as the public look to the next president
how can national events affect presidential power
the crises a president’s faces and his reactions to them can have a hugely limiting effect on the president. The response to a terrorist attack, mass shooting or natural disaster can not only knock the president’s popularity, it can also derail his legislative agenda by making the response more important than any other goals or considerations
what happened in 2017
Hurricane Maria hit and devastated Puerto Rico
what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria
Trump sent a Tweet criticising the leadership of the Puerto Rican mayor, saying that the Puerto Ricans wanted ‘everything done for them’.
what else was trump criticised for when it came to hurricane maria
he was criticised for the video of him throwing out kitchen rolls to a population that had not yet restored running, cleaning water
what did hurricane maria lead to for trump
a 20 point drop in his ratings concerning handling national disasters, a key role of the president. However, the effect on his popularity rating more generally was negligible
what happened to America in 2012
a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 20 schoolchildren and six staff.
what did Obama do in response to the Sandy Hook shooting
Obama acted as ‘mourner-in-chief’ for the nation, before suggesting changes that were needed to gun laws n the USA
what was Obama unable to do when it came to Sandy Hook
Despite the scale of the tragedy, Obama never managed any meaningful change to gun control, and other tragedies such as the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016 and the 2017 Las Vegas shooting continued to occur.
why could Obama not get any gun laws through
he was unable to battle the Constitution, the cultural attachment to guns, the NRA and the Republican Party, despite these tragic circumstances
