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Politics (USA) > The presidency > Flashcards

The presidency Flashcards

1. Formal sources of power 2. Informal sources of power (persuasion, EXOP)

1
Q

What are the formal powers of the presidency? (11)

A
  1. Propose legislation
  2. Submit budget
  3. Sign bills
  4. Veto bills
  5. Appoint executive branch officials
  6. Nominate federal judges
  7. Commander-in-chief
  8. Negotiate treaties
  9. Pardon
  10. Chief executive
  11. Head of state
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2
Q

Describe the president’s power to propose legislation. Example?

A

President can propose bills during the State of the Union address or to congress at any time
Eg. President Obama announced policy proposals on gun control and immigration reform during the 2013 State of the Union address

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3
Q

How significant is the president’s power to propose legislation? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- allows president to further their agenda
Limitations:
- requires Congress’s approval to pass the bill
Eg. President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was heavily water-downed during its passage through Congress

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4
Q

Describe the president’s power to submit the budget.

A

President’s input is taken into heavy consideration when the Office of Management and Budget draws up the budget

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5
Q

How significant is the president’s power to submit the budget? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- the budget is perhaps the most significant piece of legislation (can restrict the effectiveness of certain bills if proper funding is not given)
Limitations:
- requires Congress’s approval
Eg. 20 government shutdowns since 1976
Eg. Longest ever government shutdown occurred in Dec 2018-Jan 2019 when Democrats in Congress and President Trump disagreed over funding for the American-Mexican border wall (35 days)

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6
Q

Describe the president’s power to sign bills.

A

President signs bills that he strongly supports

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7
Q

How significant is the president’s power to sign bills? What are the limitations? (1 + 0)

A

Significance:
- not much significance, just gives publicity to bill + allows president to gain some credit for the bill
Eg. President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

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8
Q

Describe the president’s power to veto bills.

A

President possess two types of vetoes - pocket veto and a regular veto.
Pocket veto occurs when the president has not approved of a bill by the end of the congressional session (the bill must repeat its passage through Congress again)
Regular veto occurs when the president blocks the bill from becoming law, and it is returned to Congress for amendments.

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9
Q

How significant is the president’s power to veto bills? What are the limitations? (3 + 2)

A

Significance:
- threat of a veto can be used as a bargaining tool for the President
- President is able to block bills that have been passed by Congress
- pocket vetoes disrupt the entire legislative process of the bill
Limitations:
- Congress can override a President’s veto (however a two-thirds majority is required in both houses - quite difficult to achieve, especially with increasing partisanship)
Eg. Less than 10% of vetoes are overridden
Eg. Congress overrode President Obama’s veto on the Justice Against State-Sponsored Terrorism Act (Obama knew that it would be overturned as it received nearly unanimous support, but vetoed it to keep in line with diplomatic interests)
- pocket veto is used quite rarely
Eg. President Clinton and President Bush only used 1 pocket veto each

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10
Q

Describe the president’s power to act as chief executive.

A

President is in charge of running the federal bureaucracy

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11
Q

How significant is the president’s power to act as chief executive? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- federal bureaucracy can be utilised to further the president’s agenda
Limitations:
- most day-to-day tasks are delegated to officials within the bureaucracy

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12
Q

Describe the president’s power to nominate executive branch officials.

A

President can hire and fire almost anyone in the executive branch

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13
Q

How significant is the president’s power to nominate executive branch officials? What are the limitations? (2 + 1)

A

Significance:
- president can ensure officials in the federal bureaucracy are supportive of his interests and agenda
- most firings are unchecked by Congress
Limitations:
- nomination is subject to Senate’s approval (simple majority required)
Eg. President Trump pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions and fired FBI director James Comey when the two were leading an investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia

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14
Q

Describe the president’s power to nominate federal judges.

A

President nominates judges for all federal courts (including the Supreme Court)

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15
Q

How significant is the president’s power to nominate federal judges? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- Supreme Court nominations allow president to leave behind a legacy as SC justices have life tenures (president can influence the political makeup of the SC, which can impact future rulings)
Limitations:
- subject to Senates’ approval (simple majority required)
Eg. Senate refused to hold a hearing for President Obama’s SC nominee Merrick Garland

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16
Q

Describe the president’s power to act as commander-in-chief.

A

President is in charge of the army, navy and air force. President also has authority over the nuclear ‘football’

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17
Q

How significant is the president’s power to act as commander-in-chief? What are the limitations? (1 + 2)

A

Significance:
- utilised in large-scale foreign policy operations
Eg. Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.
Limitations:
- Congress officially holds the power to declare war (BUT this has not been utilised since 1941 - all wars have been overseen by Presidents instead)
- Congress’ approval must be given within 60 days of deploying troops (BUT they virtually always give approval in practice)
Eg. Congress passed authorising solutions in 2002 to grant President Bush full authority over the invasion of Iraq

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18
Q

How significant is the president’s power to negotiate treaties? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- President is able to lead the country into major global agreements
Limitations:
- subject to Senate’s approval to ratify or withdraw from a treaty (requires a two-thirds majority) (BUT increasing use of presidential executive agreements to circumvent this - over 90% of international agreements are done through executive agreements, not treaties - though this can be easily repealed by the next president through another executive agreement + most of these still are congressional-executive agreements - which still require a simply majority in both chambers of Congress - or are based upon a treaty previously ratified -> so most executive agreements still do not escape congressional input)
Eg. Senate has vetoed only treaties 21 times (some twice - the Treaty of Versailles) out of over 1500 treaties
Eg. President Trump has confirmed that the USA will withdraw from the INF nuclear weapons treaty with Russia

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19
Q

Describe the president’s power to pardon.

A

President can grant immunity from prosecution and punishment to anyone

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20
Q

How significant is the president’s power to pardon? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- president can utilise pardons to send a political message
Eg. President Obama pardoned hundreds of people facing heavy sentences for petty crime
Limitations:
- can be controversial
Eg. President Clinton pardoned fugitive Mark Rich, who had donated huge sums to Clinton’s presidential campaign and had donated expensive personal gifts to Hillary Clinton

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21
Q

Describe the president’s power as head of state.

A

President is seen as mourner-in-chief during times of national crisis

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22
Q

How significant is the president’s power as head of state? What are the limitations? (1 + 1)

A

Significance:
- president may experience a rise in approval ratings during time of national crisis
Eg. President Bush began his presidency with about 60% approval ratings, but they increased to over 85% for a few months following the 9/11 terror attacks
Limitations:
- president may be criticised if they respond inappropriately
Eg. President Trump was criticised for politicising the Pittsburgh mass shootings and focusing on gun laws during his speech

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23
Q

What is the EXOP?

A

Executive Office of the President - the collective term to refer to all major presidential staff agencies

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24
Q

Why has the EXOP expanded in recent decades? (2)

A

Increase in the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy following the Great Depression and

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25
Q

What is the White House Office? How many offices does it contain?

A

Staff agency containing the president’s closest aids and advisors.
Contains over 30 offices within.

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26
Q

What is the function of the White House Office? (3)

A
  1. Policy advice
  2. Liaison
  3. Administration (coordinates the efforts of the federal bureaucracy)
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27
Q

How does the White House Office provide policy advice to the president?

A

Staff act as ‘honest brokers’ who present a breadth of opinions to the president to aid his decision-making

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28
Q

How does the White House Office perform the function of liaison for the president? Example (in terms of congressmen and cabinet members)?

A

Staff approve and schedule meetings with the president (congress members wishing to meet the president would have to go through the Office of Legislative Affairs; cabinet members would have to go through the Office of Cabinet Affairs)

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29
Q

Who is the White House Chief of Staff?

A

President’s closest aide and advisor

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30
Q

What is the role of the White House Chief of Staff? (4)

A
  1. Policy advice (must ensure that a suitable breadth of opinions are presented to the president; advisor to president on any matters)
  2. Liaison (vets and approves of meetings with the president, sometimes screens through reports and telephone calls)
  3. Staff management (disciplines and instructs staff members within the White House Office)
  4. Crisis management (tries to take the blame away from the president in times of crisis - lightning conductor)
31
Q

What is an example of a White House Chief of Staff following their own agenda rather than the presidents?

A

Chief of Staff John Sununu was criticised for following his own conservative agenda rather than President Bush, who later fired him

32
Q

Who was President Obama’s Chief of Staff? What were his strengths and weaknesses? (1 + 1)

A

Denis McDonough.
Praised for his ability to liaise with Senators (as he had previously served in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and worked as foreign policy advisor to several Senators), in particular Republican Senators -> able to garner support for Obama’s agenda in the Senate + facilitates communication between the Senate and the president
Criticised for limiting the breadth of opinions presented to Obama -> hinder his ability to make well-informed decisions

33
Q

Who was President Trump’s Chief of Staff? What were his strengths and weaknesses? (0 + 1)

A

Reince Priebus.
Criticised for poor crisis management due to lack of experience and knowledge of how the federal bureaucracy operates (Eg. Accusations during the inauguration ceremony; failed to persuade Trump to utilise the press rather than tweet; failed to dissuade Trump from firing FBI director James Comey - Trump had listened to Jared Kushner’s advice instead) BUT chief of staff are limited in their ability to persuade the president as they are meant to execute the president’s orders.

34
Q

What is the function of the Office of Management and Budget? (3)

A
  1. Draw up the budget
  2. Oversee departmental spending
  3. Checks the budgetary implications of any proposals or regulations initiated by the federal bureaucracy (+ ensures that they are compliant with the president’s agenda)
35
Q

What is the role of the OMB director? (2)

A
  1. Gives advice to the president on budgetary matters

2. Acts as spokesperson on budgetary matters on behalf of the president

36
Q

What is the only position in the EXOP that requires Senate approval?

A

The OMB director

37
Q

Who was President Clinton’s OMB director? What were his strengths and weaknesses? (1 + 0)

A

Leon Panetta.

Praised for his ability to convince Congress to pass Clinton’s budget in 1993

38
Q

Who was President H.W Bush’s OMB director? What were his strengths and weaknesses? (1 + 0)

A

Richard Darman.
Criticised for persuading Bush to break his ‘no new taxes’ pledge in order to have his budget passed through the Democrat-controlled Congress -> lost the 1992 election

39
Q

What is the process of making the budget?

A
  1. OMB presents an overview of the economy and projections of the economy to the president
  2. President gives the OMB his budgetary guidelines
  3. OMB drafts a budget according to these guidelines
  4. OMB presents the recommended funding allowance to departmental agencies
  5. Departmental agencies inform OMB of their suggested funding requirements
  6. OMB advises president on his response to these suggestions
  7. Departments meet with president and then submit formal request proposals
  8. OMB holds hearings on these requests and advises president on funding allocation
  9. President informs departments of their allocated funding
  10. OMB presents budget to Congress to be passed (given in February, should be passed by October)
40
Q

How long is the process of drafting the budget?

A

2 years

41
Q

What is the function of the National Security Council?

A

Focus on defence, foreign policy, and security issues
Coordinates efforts by the State Department, Defence Department, Central Intelligence Agency, Joint Chief of Staffs, ambassadors,

42
Q

Who is the National Security Advisor?

A

President’s personal advisor from the National Security Council

43
Q

What did President Trump do regarding the NSC? (3)

A
  1. Removed the Joint Chief of Staff and the director of national intelligence from permanent status
  2. Placed his chief campaign strategist Steve Bannon on the NSC (though he later removed him after a few months)
  3. NSA Michael Flynn served for the shortest record time as he faced accusations of misleading the VP that he had made a call with a Russian Ambassador during Obama’s last few days in office
44
Q

What are some factors that lead to a cabinet-EXOP rivalry? (3)

A
  1. Proximity to president
  2. Divided loyalties
  3. Policy czars
45
Q

How might proximity to the president lead to a cabinet-EXOP rivalry?

A

EXOP offices are physically located closer to the Oval Office -> EXOP staff have more opportunities to directly influence the president + stronger relationships with the president may mean that the president lends more weight to their advice
Eg. NSC is located 30 seconds away from the Oval Office whilst the State Department and the Pentagon are 10-20 minutes away
Eg. NSA Condoleezza Rice was said to have been more influential than other NSC members due to her close relationship with President Bush

46
Q

How might divided loyalties lead to a cabinet-EXOP rivalry?

A

EXOP staff only have one loyalty - to the president
Cabinet members have multiple loyalties (some of which may be conflicting) - the president, their department, interest groups associated with their department, congress committees (who hold them accountable and approve of their budgetary allowance)
President may be more trusting of EXOP staff as he has more confidence in their advice + President often appoints campaign staff into the EXOP
Eg. President Bush informed Putin to contact NSA Condoleezza Rice in the event of any problems rather than the State Department

47
Q

What are policy czars?

A

Policy czars is a media term used to refer to EXOP staff who have been unofficially appointed to hold responsibility over a particular policy area

48
Q

How might policy czars lead to a cabinet-EXOP rivalry?

A
  1. Cabinet members may feel undermined by policy czars who may have less experience over the policy matter
  2. Cabinet members may worry that policy-making is becoming too centralised in the White House (with unelected, unaccountable policy czars)
    BUT policy czars do not hold any power to implement policy change, unlike cabinet members
49
Q

What is an example to illustrate policy czars leading to EXOP-cabinet rivalry?

A

President Obama was criticised for appointing a climate and energy czar (Carol Browner) when there was already a Secretary of Energy (Stephen Chu).
However, Obama claimed that this was appropriate as certain issues cut across different departments, thus a policy czar would be able to facilitate coordination between the departments

50
Q

Why is the president’s power of persuasion important?

A

Congress checks almost everything the president does -> president must be able to persuade Congress to support him in order to achieve his agenda

51
Q

Who might the president utilise when persuading Congress? (4)

A
  1. Vice president
  2. Cabinet members
  3. EXOP staff
  4. Party leaders in Congress
52
Q

How might the president utilise the vice president when persuading Congress? Stats?

A
  1. VP has an office in the Senate -> close proximity allows VP to build personal relationships with Senators + more opportunities to influence Senators
  2. VP tends to have served in Congress prior to becoming VP -> personal relationships with Congressmen
    Eg. All VPs of the last 40 years have been former congressmen
53
Q

Which VP served as a Senator for the longest time? How long did he serve for?

A

Joe Biden (36 years)

54
Q

How might the president utilise cabinet members when persuading Congress? Example?

A

President can send cabinet members to the relevant committee to persuade them
Eg. President Bush send Secretary of State Colin Powell to Congress to persuade them to authorise the invasion of Iraq in 2002. It was successful - Congress passed an authorising solution which gave the executive full authority over all matters relating to the Iraq invasion

55
Q

How might the president utilise EXOP staff when persuading Congress?

A

EXOP staff can associate themselves with a Representative/Senator or their top staff -> builds a personal relationship -> more open to their influence + EXOP staff may find it more effective to influence Representative/Senator indirectly through their top staff (as they may be more open to their influence)

56
Q

How might the president utilise party leadership in Congress when persuading Congress?

A

President can meet with the House Speaker, majority and minority leaders, party whips, and committee chairs -> these leaders have significant influence in Congress

57
Q

What might affect the president’s ability to utilise party leadership when persuading Congress?

A

It is easier if the House Speaker/majority leader is of the same party as the president

58
Q

What is an example of a party leader in Congress undermining the president’s attempts at persuasion?

A

Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked President Bush’s attempts at privatising Social Security

59
Q

Why might congressmen be more open to VP Joe Biden’s influence of persuasion?

A

Joe Biden campaigned for the election of many congressmen -> they owe their political career to him

60
Q

What perks might the president offer when persuading Congress?

A
  1. Invitation to a meal with president at the White House
  2. Meeting with president at Capitol Hill
  3. President may look more favourably upon the nomination of a federal officer/judge
  4. President may support legislation that is beneficial to a district/state
  5. President may support their re-election (if they are from the same party)
61
Q

How did President Bush persuade Congress to pass his budget in 1993?

A

President Bush made a personal phone call to a House Democrat, who later cast the deciding vote to pass his budget in 1993.

62
Q

How did President Obama persuade Congress to pass his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? (3)

A
  1. He attended the Republican House Issues Conference
  2. He addressed the House Democrat Caucus on Capitol Hill
  3. He held a bipartisan health reform meeting
63
Q

What are some restraints on the president’s power to persuade?

A
  1. Party links
  2. Partisanship
  3. Outsider status
  4. Length of presidency
64
Q

How might party links restrain the president’s power to persuade? (2)

A
  • Presidents tend to experience lower presidential support scores during a divided government (though not always the case)
  • a unified government may not necessarily support the president’s agenda
65
Q

How many years of the last 26 has the government been divided (ie. different parties control the White House and Congress)

A

10.5

66
Q

What is an example of presidential support scores falling under a divided government?

A

President Clinton experienced a 50% fall in his PSS, from 86% in 1994 with a united government, to 36% in 1995 with a divided government

67
Q

What is an example of presidential support scores increasing under a divided government? Why might this have occurred?

A

President Bush’s PSS fell by 10%, from 88% in 2002 under a divided government, to 78% in 2003 under a united government.
This may be due to greater bipartisanship during the time of the Iraq invasion

68
Q

What is an example of a united government blocking a president’s legislation?

A

Democrat-controlled Congress rejected President Bush’s Healthcare Reform Act in 1993

69
Q

How might partisanship restrain the president’s power to persuade?

A

Congressmen vote increasingly along party lines -> more difficult to opposing party congressmen

70
Q

What are 2 examples illustrating Congress voting heavily along party lines?

A
  1. President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2015) received no Republican votes at all
  2. President Obama’s economic stimulus package received no Republican House votes and only 3 in the Senate
71
Q

What is an example of bipartisanship cooperation regarding passing a bill?

A

President Obama’s reauthorisation of President Bush’s Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) received 64 votes in the HoR and 12 in the Senate (HOWEVER this was a former Republican bill - same level is not probable if it was a purely Democratic bill)

72
Q

How might outsider status restrain the president’s power to persuade?

A

Increasingly, presidents are Washington outsiders (eg. Bush, Clinton, Trump; Obama served less than 4 years) -> lack of personal relationship with congressmen

73
Q

How might length of presidency restrain the president’s power to persuade? Stats?

A

President’s support scores fall over the course of their presidency
Eg. All 4 presidents began their presidency with PSS over 90% (or close) and ended with PSS under 50% (or close)

74
Q

Why should we be cautious when analysing presidential support scores? Example?

A

They do not take into account whether the victory was on an important or trivial matter
Eg. President Clinton enjoyed a high PSS of 86% in 1993, yet he failed to pass his flagship Healthcare Reform Bill

Politics (USA) (3 decks)

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