Relationship between the presidency and congress Flashcards
What can this relationship arguably be seen as?
The most important political relationship within the constitution
What did the Founding Fathers shape the constitution to ensure in terms of these two branches?
That they would share power in equal measure
What does the struggle between congress and the presidency shape?
Foreign and domestic policy
What do both branches feel they have the right to do?
Govern
Why can congress claim a stronger mandate?
Due to the frequency of congressional elections
What does a state of unified government mean for this relationship?
The president can work through the party leadership in Congress; the house speaker, the majority and minority leaders in both houses; the party whips; the committee chairs and ranking minority members
How does Duncan Watts caveat this idea?
He says that party identification does not guarantee support in congress
Explain how Clinton and Trump both discovered this when trying to enact healthcare reform
They found that members of their own party were more concerned with how their states or districts would react than what the president wants
Why is divided government so detrimental in the modern era?
It makes passing legislation extremely difficult given the polarisation between the two parties
When does bipartisan cooperation appear today?
During times of crisis
Give an example of this
A divided congress passing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in March 2020 in response to COVID, providing $2.2 trillion to stimulate the economy
What do we notice if we look at presidents and congress since 1993?
Their relationship with congress ebbs and flows depending on whether their is a state of unified or divided government
How is the president’s power connected to congress?
All presidents have seen the nature of their personal power and autonomy wax and wane depending upon congressional election results
Why is overriding a presidential veto a poor check in practise?
Because it is rarely achieved, requiring a 2/3 majority in both houses
What has happened to American politics since 1993?
It has become increasingly polarised and so it is increasingly difficult for the president to persuade congress to pass legislation that the president would like to pass
Why was Biden in a strong position after being elected?
Because he enjoyed a unified government
Give some statistics to show how overriding vetoes are not an effective check
- Clinton used 36 regular vetoes and had 2 overriden
- Bush 12 and 4
- Obama 12 and 1
- Trump 10 and 1
What can presidents quickly become in their second terms?
Lame ducks
Give some statistics to show this
- The average first year presidential support score from Reagan to Obama is 83%, while the average last year score is around 48%
- W Bush’s approval rating averaged 62% during his first term but just 37% during his second
- Obama’s highest approval rating during his presidency was 67%, recorded during his first week in office. His low point was 40%, just after his second midterm elections in 2014
What do president’s do as a result of this?
They try to enact their top policy priorities early in their first term when they are usually most popular
Why did Clinton waste his period of united governement?
Because he only had two years of it during his presidency and failed to pass healthcare reform, he knew he had no chance of achieving his policy aims once the Ds lost control of congress
How did Obama learn from this?
He made the most of his first two years, passing all of his key legislation, he also had to cope with 6 years of divided government but made the most of the period when he was at his most domestically powerful
How did Bush jr have a relatively easy ride?
He enjoyed 6 years of unified government and his personal popularity and that of his party grew considerably post 9/11 and he took advantage of this to pass legislation on homeland security and job creation
How did Trump fare similarly to Obama and Clinton?
He faced divided government after the midterms
How was his period of unified government a mixed bag?
He managed to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 but he failed to repeal Obamacare while his party had control of both houses
What else can effect a president’s power?
Events
Which president’s are good examples of this?
W. Bush and Trump
What was the consequence of Hurricane Katrina for Bush?
The Ds took advantage and won both houses of congress. They were uninterested in passing his legislation and more concerned with holding him to account
How did Bush respond to this?
- He was only able to prevail on big occasions by deploying a combination of procedural and concessional clout (Watts)
- He passed bipartisan legislation where he had to compromise, like the America Completes Act in 2007
Explain the negative impact COVID and BLM had on Trump
His personal popularity among voters dropped to 49% in Feb 2020 and 38% by June 2020
Explain how the success of the CARES Act was only achieved through bipartisan compromise
The Ds were able to shape a stimulus package that was to their satisfaction just as much as it was Trump’s
