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Politics Paper 2 > Presidency > Flashcards

Presidency Flashcards

1
Q

Define presidency

A

Chief office of USA

Powers set out in Article II

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2
Q

What are the powers of the president?

A 
Power to sign/veto 
Commander in Chief
Ask for written opinion of cabinet
Convene/adjourn Congress
Grant pardons
Receive Ambassadors
Make treaties
Appoint officers and judges
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3
Q

Who created the Imperial Presidency thesis?

A

Arthur Schlessinger

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4
Q

Year of ‘Imperial Presidency’

A

`1971

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5
Q

Areas of ‘Imperial Presidency’

A 
Impoundment 
Selective use of laws and agencies
Executive privilege
Address to the Nation
Gatekeepers
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6
Q

Define impoundment

A

Act of withholding federal funds from a certain policy or department

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7
Q

Evidence of impoundment

A

Thomas Jefferson- $50,000 for gunboats
Nixon- environmental agencies
Line-item veto- Bill Clinton

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8
Q

Why’s impoundment imperial?

A

Means that president rules on what is spent- which is meant to be a power of the Congress (Power of the Purse)

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9
Q

What worked to control impoundment?

A

Impoundment Control Act (1974)

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10
Q

Evidence of selective use of laws

A

Nixon- regs on certain groups

Obama- IRS scandal

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11
Q

Why’s selective use of laws bad?

A

Goes against pluralism- not all equal

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12
Q

What stops selective use of laws?

A

Increased scrutiny

Independent departments

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13
Q

How has scrutiny increase?

A

1963=8.2% of meeting were scrutiny

1983=25.2%

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14
Q

Define gatekeepers

A

People who allow access to and from POTUS

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15
Q

Evidence of gatekeepers

A

Nixon- HR Haldeman
George W Bush- Dick Cheney
Obama- William Daley

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16
Q

Weakened presidents

A

Carter

Ford

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17
Q

What style of govt did both Carter and Ford have?

A

Collegiate
More meetings with cabinet- 3 times every two months
Campaign promise of Carter

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18
Q

Which piece of legislation set of an independent committee to scrutinise POTUS?

A

Ethics and Government Act of 1978

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19
Q

Why is address to the nation bad

A

Bypasses the Congress

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20
Q

Why isn’t criticising address to the nation that effective

A

Chief legislator

Only allowed to veto or sign though

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21
Q

Define executive privilege

A

View that the presidency should have some sort of privileged position, because he is the presidency

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22
Q

Evidence of executive privilege

A

Nixon- smoking gun tapes
Clinton- Lewinsky

Normally ends up finding truth

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23
Q

Is the term Imperial Presidency overused?

A

Yes

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24
Q

What did Neustadt say about the presidency?

A

Fragmented, compromised and dispersed

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25
Q

Where does the presidency have power

A

Foreign affairs
Congress
Bureaucracy

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26
Q

How does president influence foreign affairs

A

Commander-In-Chief

Signs treaties

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27
Q

Uses of American military

A 
Grenada 1983
Libya 1986
Bay of Pigs Invasion 
Korean War
Gulf of Tonkin Incident ==> Vietnam
28
Q

Treaties

A

Versailles (1920)

Nuclear Test Ban (1990s-ignored Congress)

29
Q

Constraints on presidential power in foreign affiars

A

Case Zablocki Act (1972) forces the president to let Congress know the commitments of the USA
War Power Act (1973) forces president to get declaration of war from Congress to send in troops

30
Q

Define veto

A

Refusal to sign bill so it won’t become law

31
Q

Define pocket veto

A

Veto at the end of Congressional session

32
Q

Define line-item veto

A

Certain parts of bill are vetoed

No made into law in 2006 BUT used by Clinton

33
Q

Methods of persuasion by president

A 
BBQs
Bully pulpit
Offer support
Telephone calls
Air Force 1
Meetings
Cinema
34
Q

What dis David Mayhew say about the composition of Congress and the presidency?

A

‘Doesn’t make that much of a difference’

35
Q

Which acts give president power in the bureaucracy

A 
Reorganisation Act (1949)
Civil Service Act (1978)
36
Q

In 1971 what did Nixon attempt to do to the bureaucracy

A

Shrink from 8 to 4 mega departments

37
Q

Define the ‘spoils system’

A

President appoints people so loyalists will get positions

38
Q

How many people does the president appoint?

A

5,200

39
Q

What is the overall percentage of bureaucracy appointed by President?

A

1%

40
Q

How many people are employed in ExOP

A

1,600

41
Q

What did the 1936 Brownlee Committee say?

A

The ‘President needs help’

42
Q

4 reasons to use ExOP

A

Close
Presidents people
Personal loyalty
Cabinet is preoccupied

43
Q

Limits of cabinet

A 
Independent 
No formal role
Gatekeepers
Depends on president- Carter and Ford= collegiate
Lack of authority
44
Q

Reasons to use cabinet

A 
Check up on legislation
Sees cabinet
Team talks
Forum for discussion
Team spirit
Superficial reasons
45
Q

Use of cabinet by JFK was….

A

once a month

‘boring waste of time’

46
Q

Use of cabinet by LBJ was….

A

once a month

‘dull affairs’

47
Q

Use of cabinet by Nixon

A

once every 2 months

nothing substantial

48
Q

Use of cabinet by Ford was…

A

1 every 3 weeks

Relaxed

49
Q

Use of cabinet by Carter

A

Election promise

Too bureaucratic

50
Q

Use of cabinet by Reagan

A

Nothing useful

51
Q

Use of cabinet by George HW Bush

A

Not used

Taken from ideas of Ronald Reagan

52
Q

Use of cabinet by Clinton

A

2 in 1998

53
Q

Use of cabinet by Bush and Obama

A

Team talks

54
Q

Define iron triangles

A

Relationship between legislative branch, bureaucracy and interest groups
Symbiotic relatioship

55
Q

Examples of iron triangles

A

Military Industrial Complex

Agriculture

56
Q

Issues with iron triangles

A

Elitism
Agency Capture
Highly undemocratic

57
Q

Define Vice-President

A

Deputy to president

Running mate

58
Q

Roles of VP

A

Presiding officer- Tie break vote; Calls results of EC

Becomes acting President

59
Q

Evidence of Acting President

A

George HW Bush

Dick Cheney

60
Q

What did John Adams say about the role of the Vice President

A

“I am nothing, but I could be everything”

61
Q

Define federal agencies

A

Independent bodies which carry out specific roles in the departments

62
Q

How many federal departments are there?

A

15

63
Q

Examples of agencies

A

EPA
NASA
FBI

64
Q

Who leads the agencies?

A

Directors

65
Q

Who leads the departments?

A

Secretaries

66
Q

Other parts of Executive

A

Independent Regulatory Agencies

Government corporations

Politics Paper 2 (2 decks)

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