The Presidency (Facts)

Question 1

Obama’s flagship legislation?

Answer 1

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)

Question 2

Example of President deploying troops through Commander in Chief role?

Answer 2

Kennedy in Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

Question 3

Example of Presidential Pardon

Answer 3

Obama to Chelsea Manning 2017

Question 4

Powers of Vice President

Answer 4

Presiding officer of Senate; break tied vote in Senate; count and announce results of Presidential elections; be acting president

Question 5

Acting Presidents?

Answer 5

George H. W. Bush (13th July 1985); Dick Cheney (29th June 2002/ 21 July 2007)

Question 6

Features of Cheney’s Vice Presidency (2001-2009)

Answer 6

Interviewed and suggested supreme court replacement for Reinquist in 2005; was in situation room after 9/11 whilst Bush was in Florida; ordered air strikes on 5th plane of 9/11

Question 7

Features of Biden’s Vice Presidency (2009-2017)

Answer 7

Always last man in room with Obama; mediator to Congress for 2009 economic stimulus package; drew up gun control measures after 2012 Conneticut shooting

Question 8

What percentage of federal civil servants work in the Washington area?

Answer 8

11%

Question 9

Example of how federal bureaucracy executes laws?

Answer 9

United States Postal Service - delivers mail

Internal Revenue Service - collects taxes

Question 10

What did the Civil Service Reform Act (1978) do?

Answer 10

Established Office of Personal Management (OPM)

Question 11

How many political appointees did Kennedy have to make in 1961 and Clinton in 1993?

Answer 11

Kennedy: 451
Clinton: 2000

Question 12

Percentage of civil service that was female in 1961 and in 2010?

Answer 12

1961: 25%
2010: 44%

Question 13

What percentage of the federal civil service is made up of disabled war veterans?

Answer 13

21%

Question 14

What percentage of federal civil service are ethnic minorities?

Answer 14

33.1%

Question 15

Example of federal bureaucracy inefficiency

Answer 15

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005

Question 16

Policy specialists in cabinet

Answer 16

Education Secretary Rod Paige (2001-2005) had been a schools superintendent for 6 years; Secretary of HUD Shaun Donovan (2009-2014) had been a housing commissioner

Question 17

Rejected cabinet nomination by Senate

Answer 17

John Tower as defense secretary in 1989 (47-53)

Question 18

Confirmed cabinet nomination by Senate

Answer 18

Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State in 2017 (56-43)

Question 19

How many ethnic minorities were in Obama’s 2009 cabinet?

Answer 19

6 (including Holder in Justice)

Question 20

How many ethnic minorities in Trump’s 2017 cabinet?

Answer 20

2 (Labor and HUD)

Question 21

How many women in both Obama’s 2009 cabinet and Trump’s 2017 cabinet?

Answer 21

4 in each

Question 22

Number of cabinet meetings in first year of first term: Reagan vs Obama?

Answer 22

Reagan: 36
Obama: 5

Question 23

Examples of policy-specific cabinet councils

Answer 23

National Economic Council; Domestic Policy Council; National Security Council

Question 24

Why can the heads of departments be said to have no real power?

Answer 24

Article 2 of the Constitution vests ‘all executive power’ in the President

Question 25

Structure of Executive Office of President (EXOP)

Answer 25

11 Offices | Over 2,000 staff

Question 26

How many offices in the White House Office?

Answer 26

19

Question 27

Chiefs of Staff who were too powerful

Answer 27

Sherman Adams (Eisenhower), Don Regan (Reagan), John Sununu (H.W. Bush)

Question 28

Well-balanced Chiefs of Staff

Answer 28

Leon Panetta (Clinton) and Andrew Card (W. Bush)

Question 29

Example of EXOP and Cabinet disagreement

Answer 29

Carter's National Security Adviser Brzezinski and Secretary of State Vance about a rescue mission of 52 American hostages in Iran 1980

Question 30

Bush legislation support score 2001 (Republican congress) vs 2007 (Democrat congress)

Answer 30

2001: 87% 2007: 38.3%

Question 31

Party votes on 2009 Economic stimulus package in House (Yes-No)

Answer 31

Democrats: 246-7 Republicans: 0-176

Question 32

Republican vote on 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Yes-No)

Answer 32

House: 0-178 Senate: 0-40

Question 33

Example of Imperial Presidency action

Answer 33

Eisenhower sent 14,000 troops to Lebanon in 1958 without congressional authorisation or backlash

Question 34

Acts limiting Imperial Presidency

Answer 34

The Case Act (1972) and the War Powers Act (1973)