The Executive

Question 1

Give 3 formal powers of the President.

Answer 1

1. Appointment - federal gov. and judiciary - e.g. Justice Kennedy - appointed by Raegan - served for 30 years.
2. State of the Union - set the tone for the legislative agenda - Bush referred to an ‘axis of evil’ in 2002 - hinting at the ‘war on terror’ that would prevail.
3. Veto - e.g. used by Obama 12 times in 8 years - Reagan vetod a bill that would have imposed sanctions on appartiated SA (1986)

Question 2

Give a way in which the president can directly legislate.

Answer 2

• Executive orders - e.g. executive order 10925 - Kennedy required all companies to implement affirmative action (positive dicrimination)

Question 3

Define imperial president.

Answer 3

A powerful president

Question 4

Give some examples of an imperial president.

Answer 4

• Truman sent 14,000 troops Lebanon - with little congressional impediment.
• Kennedy’s attack on the Bay of Pigs in Cuba - leading to the Cuban missile crisis - both of which saw little congressional scrutiny.

Question 5

Define an imperilled president.

Answer 5

A president characterised by an oppressive Congress with congressional overassertiveness in abundance.

Question 6

Give three ways in which the president could be referred to as imperilled.

Answer 6

• The Case Act 1972 - requires that presidents inform Congress of any executive agreements they make.
• The War Powers Act 1973 - requires Congress to declare war before the president can mobilise troops.
• Congress has power of the purse -foreign assistance act (1974)

Question 7

Define a ‘bifurcated’ president.

Answer 7

A president that is imperial regarding foreign policy but imperilled regarding domestic policy.

Question 8

Give a ways the president can influence foreign policy.

Answer 8

Set the tone of foreign policy - e.g. Bush in his 2002 state of the union address, he referred to the ‘axis of evil’ alluding to the subsequent ‘war on terror’.

Question 9

Give three limitations on presidential power.

Answer 9

• Congress can override the presidential veto - e.g. Nixon’s veto of the War Powers Act 1973 was overridden
• Congress has to ratify international treaties - Congress rejected Wilsons proposal to join the League of Nations + sign treaty of versailles
• Confirmation process by the senate - Bork, harriet miers

Question 10

Give three roles of the Vice President.

Answer 10

• Policy influence - e.g Dick cheney
• Can break a tie in the Senate - e.g. March 2021 - Harris for the American rescue Plan Act 2021.
• Can become president when president dies - occurred 9 times so far - e.g. Calvin Coolidge following the death of Warren Harding.

Question 11

Give three factors that determine presidential success.

Answer 11

• The size of the electoral mandate - Raegan was more successful after 1984 with 59% of the popular vote
• Crises - ‘Rally around the flag effect’ - Bush after 9/11 - increased by 39% in two weeks - able to push his education reforms because of the rise in approval
• Unified/divided government - Obama faced great difficulty in passing ‘Medicare’ due to the Republican controlled Congress.

Question 12

3 ways cabinet is important

Answer 12

1. Policy advisory - Cabinet members are responsible for advising the president - e.g secretary for Health (Kathleen Sebelius) influenced shaping healthcare poilicy (Afordable care act)
2. Administration - sec for education (Miguel Cardona) oversees budgets and programmes etc
3. representation and accountability - The attourney general heads the department of justice (Merrick Garland) - also represents the government on legal matters