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