Presidency Flashcards
where does CinC come from in constitution?
article II, section II
what does CinC mean?
- president is head of US armed forces - Army, Navy, Air Force, coast guard and Marines
- has power to decide where troops will be stationed, ships positioned and how weapons used
give an example of Trump using his power as CinC
- Trump launched air strikes on Syria in April 2018 targeting Syrian chemical weapon sites
- tweeted “mission accomplished”
how does this show CinC as powerful
- Demonstrates power of president as they can launch such a major attack without consulting congress
- Shows the president to be strong in foreign policy - leading to the idea of an ‘imperial’ presidency
give example pres being limited as CinC
President Obama in is Rose Garden speech August 2013 asked Congress for permission to take military action against Syria
what did Obama do in 2011?
Libya 2011, Obama ordered air strikes w/out consulting congress
what check does congress have on pres in foreign policy?
power to declare war
when was the last time Congress declared war?
WW2
why are congress unlikely declare war w/out pres?
Unwilling to undermine president or show division and weakness
where does veto come from?
article I, section 7
what is the veto?
Gives the president authority to veto legislation passed by congress
how many vetoes did Clinton make and how successful?
Clinton made 36 vetoes and had success rate of 94%
how does the veto give pres power?
Gives president power in enabling change and controlling congress in times of divide govt
how many vetoes did bush and Obama use?
12
why are Congress unlikely to force a veto?
- Congress reluctant to force a veto if there is perception that electorate feels they are risking national interest for local interest
- Congress wouldn’t want had work to be overturned
what happens if pres uses veto too often?
- If used too often risks alienating congress
- Pres needs to congress to carry out policy goals
- Congress can rally together to form 2/3 supermajority needed for veto override
give an example of a veto override
Sept 2016, Congress overrode Obama’s veto, allowing families of those killed in 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia
what happens to power of veto if used too often?
if overused can be seen as an empty threat
give an example of Trump overusing veto
- Trump threatens to veto March 2018 $1.3 trillion spending bill
- Signs it 3hrs later
when is veto used most often?
towards end of presidency - 2nd term
how do national events effect presidential power?
Events can reduce the time president has to devote to other policies, as they have to focus directly on the matter in hand and dealing with that
how do events affect presidential popularity?
If a president deals with the event well it can boost their public approval, conversely, if they handle it poorly it can have a detrimental effect to their public approval
what major event affected Obama and how?
- The 2008 banking crisis and economic collapse meant that Obama had to prioritise an economic stimulus package, before pushing his flagship health care policy
- Opposition to his health care policy increased, forcing Obama to water it down - which he might have had to do if he could of introduced it earlier
give an example of an event boosting presidential power?
- George W. Bush’s power surged dramatically after democrats 9/11 as the unity of pubic support for the president increased. The spirit of unity dampened any Democrat opposition to the president - strengthening his power.
- This allowed Bush in the following years to exert huge control of both domestic politics and foreign policy
