pres o' dent Flashcards
6 roles of the president
- chief executive
- leader of party
- commander in chief
4.shaper of public policy
5.chief legislator - head of state
the 2 main duties of heading the executive branch
- enforce federal laws
- manage federal buraucracy
cabinet heads
people who run beaucratic agencies and their aids
who can the president appoint?
- cabinet heads
- Independent commissioners ( leaders of independant agencies like EPA or FCC)
- dipolmats and ambassadors
- judicial/ justice
who must confirm ALL presidential appointments?
senate ofc.
removal power
president can remove most appointed official. if he wants them to resign they will
who can’t the president remove from appointment?
federal judges ( judical branch is independant)
commissioners ( once confirmed they are independant)
how many civilians does the beuacracy employ?
2/3
how many beauracratic departments are there?
15
who are the cabinet heads loyal to?
the president
their department
what problems can a president experience in terms of controlling cabinet departments?
- interest groups for close ties with cabinets
- long careers mean that they seen many presidents so their loyalty is more to the department
- congress will compete for influence of cabinets departments and will conduct oversight.
key presidential assistants
white house staff who provide pres with policy options and analysis.
what does chief of staff do?
highest ranking member who manages the flow of people into the oval office
what is required of all white house staff above all else?
loyalty to the president
OMB
office of budget management
- largest office within the executive branch
-assists president with preparing the federal budget.
NSC
national security council
- comprised of foreign and military advisors
- also includes VP secretary of state, secretary of defence + more
CEA
council of economic advisors
- made up of 3 leading economists
- prepares annual economic report for the president
state of the union
recommend measures and issues that congress should adress
party leader
sets the agenda for their party, and has a strong influence over what the party will try to achieve in congress.
how does the president influence legislation?
- party leader sets the agenda
- national leader (in times of crisis his powers of recommending on what congress should do grow)
- agenda setter (ex. state of the union)
strategies to influence congress:
-use legislative liaisons ( members of the whitehouse who lobby)
-work with leadership in congress
- “bully pulpit” attracts media attention
- popularity, congress is pressured to do what he wants
- offer pork to legislators
consequences of divided government
increased partisan ship
gridlock
unpopularity (public trust goes down bc inaction)
overcoming divided government
- bully pulpit to generate public support
- veto threat to opposite party legislation
- make deals
- alliances
bully pulpit
the president’s power to to attract media attention can be used to focus the public’s attention on particular issues that the president wants to adress
legislative liaison’s
president has members of the white house staff whose job is to lobby congress
how does a treaty become law?
- president negotiates it with foreign leaders
- senate ratifies it
advantages of a treaty
permanent arrangement with broad support of the congress and the public
disadvantages
difficult to get approved by senate
what is the advantage of an executive agreement
no senate needed.
what is an executive agreement
executive agreement, an agreement between the United States and a foreign government that is less formal than a treaty and is not subject to the constitutional requirement for ratification by two-thirds of the U.S. Senate.
disadvantages of an executive agreement
- not official US law ( treaties are laws)
- can be overturned by future president
reprieve
postponement of a sentence and usually results in a pardon
pardon
presidential act that forgives a crime
checks on the judicial system
reprieve
pardon
what does a president look for in someone when picking them to serve on the court
judicial philosophy
diversity ( reflect America as a whole)
what can increase presidential approval ratings ( 4 things)
honey moon period
rally around the flag
economic growth
positive press coverage
factors that decrease presidential approval ratings
scandals
poor performance
long foreign wars
economic down turn
what advantages does president have in media compared to congress
reps entire nation
more powerful than any one member of congress
speaks with one voice
bully pulpit
formal powers as commander in chief
deploy troops
recognize nations
receive ambassadors
federalist no 7
“we need a strong executive leader and a single president”
can the president declare war?
no- only congress
war powers act
notify congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and get approval within 90 days or bring the troops home.
what is a bureaucracy
large and complex organization of appointed officials
hierarchy authority
a chain of command in which power and authority flows from the top down to the bottom
job specialization
every employee has specific duties and responsibilities
Pendleton act
created the federal civil service. workers are selected according to merit instead of party loyalty
the # of state and local gov employees has _________ in recent decades
increased
why has the state and local governments increased?
block grants
devolution places more responsibility on to states
independent regularity agencies
protect the public by regulating important parts of the economy
government cooperation
provide a service that theocratically could be provided by private sector
independent executive agencies.
resemble a full cabinet department but have smaller areas of responsibility
administration discretion
when congress passes a law to create a new program, it doesn’t establish all the details f how to carry it out so THE PRESIDENT DECIDES HOW IT IS IMPLIMENTED
administration adjudication
-some executive agencies function like courts : they hold hearings in which a party presents an argument and then the agency settles dispute
- party can appeal this ruling to a court if they disagree
what can go wrong with administrative discretion, rule making, regulations, and adjudications
conflicting goals
lack of funding
bad design
FRAGMENTATION OF RESPONISIBLITIES –> slough
executive privilege
a president can claim executive privilege over information or conversations within the executive branch so as to withhold that information from congress or the public
what is each department headed by?
a secretary of that department
ex; secretary of state
the department of justice is headed by
the attorney general
what does the treasury have the authority to do?
responsibility to print money handles all of the financial shit like financial and tax policy
department of state
handles foreign affairs and relationships with other nations, speaks for the united states.
department of home land security
prevents threats from within, like terrorism.
department of the interior
oversees national conservation efforts and is responsible for most nationally owned public lands
department of justice
enforces and defends the federal laws by preventing and controlling crime, seeking those who are guilty of crime and unlawful behavior
eop
executive office of the president.
helps carry out day to day tasks.
22 amendment
can’t be elected more than twice
powers that are actually in constitution
formal powers
veto,
appointment
commander in chief
invests power of executive branch to a single person
shall receive foreign ambassadors
