The Cabinet Flashcards
What is the cabinet?
it is an advice giving group selected by the President to aid him in making decisions
What two things determine Cabinet membership?
1) Tradition
2) presidential discretion
How does tradition determine cabinet membership?
15 heads of executive departments
How does presidential discretion determine cabinet membership?
Others can be a given a cabinet rank such as ambassador to the UN
What does the President not have in waiting like we do in the UK?
Shadow cabinet
Unlike the UK, what does the separation of powers mean for the cabinet members?
They cannot be serving members of the legislature
Between which two dates, fewer than what proportion of cabinet members had previous experience in congress?
1961 and 2013 fewer than 1/5
In Obama’s first term cabinet, what proportion of figures had congressional experience?
4/15
In Obama’s first term cabinet, what number of figures had to resign their congressional seats to become a part of the cabinet?
3 of the 4 with previous congressional experience
Give an example of a former member of congress who was apportioned to the Cabinet?
Ray LaHood
Give an example of a former member of congress who was apportioned to the Cabinet and then had to reign their seat as a result of that?
Kerry
Give an example of a state governor who was appointed to the cabinet?
Janet Napoltiino became Secretary of Homeland Security in 2009
Give an example of a city mayor who was appointed to the cabinet?
Obama’s secretary for transport in 2013 was former Mayor of Charlotte, NC Anthony Foxx
Give an example of an academic who was appointed to the cabinet?
Ernst Moniz was Obama’s 2nd term Energy Secretary and previously had been physics professor at MIT
Give an example of an expert in a field who was appointed to the cabinet?
Arne Duncan was Education Secretary from 2009 and had been CEO of Chicago Public Schools 2001-2009
How did Clinton in 1993 talk of having a balanced Cabinet?
He spoke of having a Cabinet that ‘looked like America’
Who had the most diverse cabinet ever?
Obama
What kind of race is Ray LaHood
Lebanese American
What kind of race is ken Salazar?
Hispanic
What kind of race is Eric Shinseki?
Japanese american
What kind of race is Eric Hodler?
African American
How are appointments to the cabinet confirmed?
Simple majority in the Senate
When was the last time that the Senate rejected an executive department appointment?
1989 with John Tower, Bush’s nominee to the defence department
How often are cabinet meetings generally held?
Once a month
How often did Clinton hold Cabinet meetings?
2-3 times a year
In their first year in office, how many cabinet meetings did Carter and Reagen fit in?
36
what are the three reasons that the number of meetings decline as the presidency wears on?
1) Some functions of the cabinet no longer applicable
2) Increasing time constraints especially when they have to run for re-eleciton
3) Disillusion with cabinet ministers, believing them to be disloyal
Though Carter managed 36 cabinet meetings in his first year, how many did he manage in his last?
6
What are the 8 functions of the Cabinet for the President?
1) debate policy
2) present did picture ideas such as budgets, tours, campaigns and initiatives
3) check up on legislation passing through congress in which he has an interest
4) engender team spirit
5) See minister he would not otherwise see
6) look collegial and consultative
7) give information to Cabinet ministers
8) Glean information from Cabinet ministers
What are the 5 functions of Cabinet from its members’ perceptive?
1) Get to know you sessions for potentially total strangers
2) Sort out inter-depcrmental disputes
3) Catching up with other members
4) Opportunity to see the president who they may not otherwise see
5) Gain prestige back at their department with first hand news of what the President wants
What are the three reasons why the principal job of the Cabinet is not to act as Prudential advisors?
1) not based in the white house
2) hue departments to run
3) loyalties to people other than the president
Though members of EXOP serve the president exclusively, what three things must the Cabinet Ministers also consider?
1) Congress
2) Departmental bureaucracy
3) Interest groups that have links with their department
why must cabinet members consider congress when making decisions?
Because it is their votes that decide their departmental budget
The extra considerations that cabinet embers have to make beyond the President often can lead to what kind of accusations from EXOP?
Disloyalty
What does Richard Neustadt say about the relationship between EXOP and the Cabinet?
That an incoming President must prepare Cabinet members against the discovery that they are not the principal advisors to the President
What two reasons mean that Cabinet members are individually very important?
Run huge departments and spend vast budgets
Which article means that the cabinet has no coonsittuional standing?
Article 2 of the constitution which states that “all executive power shall be vested in the president”
What doctrine do we have in the UK that they don’t which makes the cabinet as a whole less important?
CCR
Rather than primus inter pares, what is the President?
first
What does Professor Anthony King say about presidential power relating to the Primus inter pares, or the absence of that idea?
The president does not have to sum up at the end of the meeting, he is the meeting
What are Cabinet officials not in relation to the President which they are in the UK?
His rivals, they’re not looking to become president
What are the 6 things that mean that cabinet collectively is never going to be that important in the USA?
1) Article II
2) No CRR
3) Not primus inter pares just first
4) Cabinet officials are not his rivals
5) Divided loyaltuies, lack of collective influence, lack of proximity
6) EXOP always near the president
