Presidency Flashcards
The American presidency is a unique office with elements of gret strength and profound weakness built into it by its _______
Constitutional origins
How many countries have directly elected presidents?
16
Of the 16 countries that directly elect their president, how many are in north and south America?
13
How many nations with purely presidential systems are in Europe?
None
In a parliamentary system, why site chief executive?
Prime minuster
The prime minister remains in power as long as _____
His/her party has majority seats in the legislature
True or false:
Presidents are often from Washington DC
False
Presidents are often outsiders
Who chooses cabinet level department heads and how/why?
President usually chooses close personal Friends or campaign aids; chosen outside it congress
True or false:
Presidents have guaranteed majority in the legislature
False
Presidents have no guaranteed majority in the legislature
True or false:
Framers of the constitution expected conflict between the branches.
True
Framers of the constitution expected conflict between the branches.
What is divided government?
A government in which one party controls the White House and a different party controls one or both houses of congress
What is a unified government?
Same party controls the White House and both houses of congress
True or false:
It is not clear that divided government produces a gridlock any worse that that is a unified government
True
It is not clear that divided government produces a gridlock any worse that that is a unified government
Even if gridlock does exist, is it a bad thing for the country?
It may not be a bad thing
What is gridlock?
The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government
A constitutional procedure by which federal judges and
civil officers can be removed from office before
their terms expire
impeachment
Legislation that specifies the conditions and order of
succession to the presidency and vice presidency
when the president leaves office before completion
of his term
Twenty-fifth Amendment
People who alternate between jobs in the federal
government and employment in the private sector
“in-and-outers”
Presidential staff who oversee the policy interests of the
president
cabinet
A statement sent to Congress by the president giving the
reasons for vetoing a bill
veto message
The president’s use of his prestige and visibility to guide
or enthuse the American public
bully pulpit
The chief executive in a parliamentary system who is
chosen by the legislature
prime minister
Reveals what the president thinks about a new law and
how it ought to be enforced
signing statement
The presidential assertion of the right to withhold certain
information from Congress
Executive privilege
The organization responsible for preparing the federal
budget and for central clearance of legislative
proposals from federal agencies
Office of Management and Budget
Agencies headed by appointees who serve for fixed terms
and can be removed only “for cause”
independent agencies
A presidential refusal to spend money appropriated by
Congress
impoundment of funds
Term used to describe the early months of the presidential
term when popularity ratings tend to be relatively
high
honeymoon
Agencies that perform staff services for the president but
are not part of the White House
Executive Office of the President
View of presidential decision-making which stresses what
the public wants
delegate
The power of some governors (and the president in a
limited way between 1996 and 1998) to veto
portions of a bill instead of having to veto the
entire bill
line-item veto
Andrew Jackson’s view of his role as president of the
United States
Tribune of the People
A legal system by which states select electors who then
vote for the president and vice president
electoral college
A statement that defines the constitutional powers of the
president
Article II
Term used to express concern over inefficacy in
government which might result from Congress and
the Presidency being controlled by members of
different parties
gridlock
A method of organizing a president’s staff in which
several task forces, committees, and informal
groups deal directly with the president
ad hoc structure
A president’s council of advisers
White House Office
A method of organizing a president’s staff in which
several presidential assistants report directly to the
president
circular structure
View of presidential decision making which stresses what
the public interest requires
trustee
A political system in which all or most citizens
participate directly by either holding office or
making policy
direct democracy
A government in which one party controls the White
House and another party controls one or both
houses of Congress
divided government
A politician who is still in office after having lost a
reelection bid
lame duck
The rejection of a presidential or administrative action by
a vote of one or both houses of Congress without
the consent of the president
legislative veto
The fringe benefits of holding an office
perks
A form of veto in which the president fails to sign a bill
passed by both houses within ten days and
Congress has adjourned during that time
pocket veto
A method of organizing a president’s staff in which most
presidential assistants report through a hierarchy to
the president’s chief of staff
pyramid structure
A political system in which leaders and representatives
acquire political power by means of a competitive
struggle for the people’s vote
representative democracy
A government in which the same party controls the White
House and both houses of Congress
unified government
Democratic president Jimmy Cater could not get the Democratic-controlled Senate to
ratify his strategic arms limitation treaty.
true
The popularly elected president is an American invention
true
Divided government has been the result of most national elections since 1952.
true
Research suggests divided governments do not ratify significant treaties or pass
important laws.
FALSE
Research suggests divided governments ratify important treaties and pass important
legislation about as much as any other kind of government.
We may have had a truly unified government in 1933 and 1965.
__________________________________________________________________
true
In a typical presidential election, one half of all voters will vote for one party’s
candidate for president and the other party’s candidate for Congress.
FALSE
It would be more accurate to say that about 1/4 of voters will do this.
The general assumption of the Framers of the Constitution was that George
Washington would be the first president.
true
Presidential elections have never been decided by the House of Representatives
FALSE
They have gone to the House twice, 1800 and 1824
George Washington limited himself to two terms
true
George Washington was a strong supporter of political parties.
FALSE
Washington opposed the formation of political parties and condemned them often.
Congress decided no president’s image would appear on currency until after his death
true
The Nation’s early presidents made extensive use of the veto power.
FALSE
The nation’s early president used the power rarely, and only when they thought a law
violated the letter or the spirit of the Constitution.
Although he had been elected as a military hero, Andrew Jackson had also been a
member of both the House and the Senate.
true
Abraham Lincoln praised Andrew Jackson’s exceptional use of executive authority.
FALSE
Ironically, Lincoln condemended Jackson’s use of the war power.
Lincoln raised an army and spent money without prior approval of Congress
true
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation Act without prior congressional
approval.
true
From the Eisenhower years through the Reagan administration, Congress often took the
lead in setting the legislative agenda.
true
The Clean Air Act (1990) and the Welfare Reform Act (1996) were both bills deigned
by Congress, not by the president.
true
Grover Cleveland used federal troops to break a labor strike in the 1890s.
true
President Carter employed the pyramid structure for organization of personal staff.
FALSE
Carter employed the circular structure
Typically, senior White House staff members are drawn from the ranks of the
president’s campaign staff.
true
There are ten major executive departments headed by cabinet officers
FALSE
There are 14 major cabinet departments
A president rarely knows more than a few of the people that he appoints.
true
According to the text, much of Eisenhower’s bumbling, incoherent manner of speaking
was a strategic “public disguise.”
true
Richard Nixon thrived on personal confrontation and face-to-face encounters with
other politicians.
FALSE
Nixon disliked persona confrontations and tended to shield himself behind an elaborate
staff.
Presidents have made fewer and fewer impromptu remarks in the years since Franklin
Roosevelt held office.
true
President Roosevelt failed to “purge” members of Congress who opposed his program
true
Some presidents have not experienced a “honeymoon” in the sense of initially high
levels of public support and congressional compliance.
true
Most state governors possess the power of the line-item veto.
true
In 1996, Congress effectively gave the president the power of the line item veto with
the introduction of the “enhanced rescission.”
true
The Supreme Court upheld the power of the president to carve up legislation, retaining
only those parts with which he is in agreement.
FALSE
The Supreme Court struck down the enhanced rescission created by Congress in 1996.
The Constitution specifically requires the president to divulge private communications
between himself and his principal advisors if a congressional investigation demands
such information.
FALSE
The Constitution does not address this topic at all.
For most of our nation’s history, there was no serious challenge to the claim of
presidential confidentiality.
true
The Constitution specifically requires the president to spend money that is appropriated
by Congress.
FALSE
The Constitution is silent on whether the president must spend the money that Congress
appropriates.
Signing statements were the creation of presidents in the early 1900s
FALSE
Signing statements date back to at least the administration of James Monroe.
Members of Congress have encouraged presidents to accompany legislation with
signing statements.
FALSE
Members of Congress oppose such statements suspecting they can amount to a veto that
cannot be formally overridden.
The text suggests that a sixty-hour workweek is typical for a president.
false
A 90 hour week is typical.
The Supreme Court has declared so-called legislative vetoes unconstitutional.
true
Presidents routinely complain of what they feel is the limited scope of their power.
true
In 1841, John Tyler became the first vice president to become president because of the
death of his predecessor.
true
The only official task of the vice president is to preside over the Senate and to vote in
case of a tie.
true
The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution addresses the problem of presidential
succession.
true
Only two presidents have ever been impeached.
true
