US presidency Flashcards
How many formal powers does the constitution give the president?
10
formal powers
Propose legislation
often used the annual stage of the union address to congress
EXAMPLE Trump 2018 announced to spend $1.5 trillion on infrastructure
This power also includes submission of annual budget
Formal powers
Sign legislation
May hold bill signing ceremony to claim credit
EXAMPLE trump tax cuts (2017)
Formal powers
Veto legislation
Even the threat of a veto is a significant power
When used the president usually prevails
EXAMPLE trump won 9 of his 10 vetoes
Formal powers
Act as Chief Executive
In charge of running the executive branch
Is head of government
Assisted by cabinet: department and agency heads
EXOP
Formal powers
Nominate executive branch officials
Department and agency heads
EXAMPLE Trump appointed Mike Pompeo as SOS 2018
Formal powers
Nominate federal judges
Including Supreme court justices
For Example Trump Appointed Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett
Formal powers
Act as a commander in chief
has overall control over the armed forces-this was especially important from the nineteen forties to the 1980s during the Cold War hostilities with the Soviet union
EXAMPLE Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of Kosovo in 1999 and Barack Obama presided over extensive bombing in Libya which led to the downfall of the Gadhafi regime
Formal powers
Negotiates treaties
Symbolises the peace making role alongside the commander in chief role
Formal powers
Pardon and commutation of prison sentence
controversial power, especially when used to benefit close friends and supporters.
EXAMPLE
Bill Clinton made a total of 140 pardons while in office, Barack Obama 212 and Donald Trump 237
formal powers
act as head of state
is the public face or representative of the nation, both internationally and in domestic policies
Define executive branch
The branch of government that has responsibility for exercising authority across the governed territory and for implementing and forcing the laws created by the legislative branch.
Define domestic policies
The decisions and policies that the executive and the legislature make that are specifically to do with issues or events within a country
How is the vice president elected?
In conjunction with the the president
EXAMPLE Donald trump and Mike Pence in 2016
And Joe Biden and Kamala harris 2020
How many powers does the constitution give the vice president?
5
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Presiding officer of the senate
Chairs debates (but usually this is done by junior members of the majority party)
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Voting in the case of a tied vote in the senate
Vice president Mike Pence voted 13 times in the senate, more then all expect 6 of the 36 vice presidents
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Counting the electoral college votes after the presidential election
Mike Pence presided over the counting of the electoral college voted in January 2021 following the 2020 election
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Becoming president in the event of the death, resignation or the removal of the president
Has occurred on 9 occasions
Vice president Gerald Ford became president when Nixon resigned
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Becoming acting president if the president is declared or declared himself disabled
25th amendment
Vice president Dick Cheney twice became acting president while George Bush underwent exploratory surgery
Where do informal powers come from?
From sources not mentioned in the constitution as well as outside factors the president has limited control over
Informal source of presidential power
The cabinet
an advisory group set up by the president to aid in making decisions and coordinating the work of the federal government
informal sources of presidential power
EXOP
Contains the top staff agencies in the White House that assist the president in carrying out the major responsibilities of the presidential office.
informal sources of presidential power
White House office WHO
Part of EXOP, the WHO is the personal office of the president containing the staff who facilitate the presidents communications with congrats, department and agency has, the press and public
informal sources of presidential power
National Security Council NSC
 part of EXOP, the NSC is the presidents official forum for deliberating national security and foreign policy.
informal sources of presidential power
Office of management and budget OMB
The office within EXOP that reviews budget requests, legislative initiatives, and proposed rules and regulations from the executive departments and agencies
informal sources of presidential power
Powers of persuasion
The president uses personal influence, authority of office and political capital, and makes deals to obtain the support of key political actors.
informal sources of presidential power
Executive Orders
issued as a form of direct authority. They are often used by presidents frustrated by congressional assistance to their agenda as an alternative to legislation
informal sources of presidential power
Executive agreements
agreements between the president and a foreign nation, often used as alternatives to formal treaties
informal sources of presidential power
Signing statements
statements issued by the president on signing a bill which may challenge specific provisions of the bill on constitutional or other grounds
informal sources of presidential power 
Electoral mandate
The larger the presidents electoral mandate, the more likely they are to achieve the legislative agenda
informal sources of presidential power
Public approval
The presidents public approval rating can affect their ability to get things done
informal sources of presidential power
National events
National events can affect presidential power, enhancing or weakening their position in relation to Congress, the states and the presidents personal approval ratings. For example, the aftermath of the 911 terrorist attacks increased the popularity of George W Bush, whereas the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and negatively affected Donald trumps approval rating.
Define informal power
political rather than constitutional powers
Define powers of persuasion
using personal influence to convince others to provide support
Define electoral mandate
The size of the majority won by the president at the election-the higher the majority, the bigger the electoral mandate
Define cabinet
The advisory group selected by the president to assist in making decisions and coordinating the work of the federal government
Is the cabinet mentioned in the constitution?
No
Article ll states that the president may require the opinion in writing of the heads of each executive department
It is an advisory and coordinating group, not a decision making group
How many heads of executive departments are there?
15
What are the heads of executive departments traditionally?
Members of the cabinet but some some others are who the president designates as having cabinet rank
eg US trade representative
Why’s it difficult to recruit cabinet members from incumbent members of congress?
They then must resign from congress
Where are cabinet members mainly drawn from?
Former members of congress, state governors, big city mayors, academia etc
Tend to be policy specialists
Appointments of cabinet members must be approved by whom?
A majority vote in the senate
How does the cabinet often look like the cabinet
In terms of gender, race, region age and ideology
Should be balanced
Trumps cabinet mainly white, male, older, wealthy, business executives
Good exam quote for cabinet
‘the cabinet had become institutionalised by usage alone’
What’s the correct term for cabinet people in the USA
Cabinet officers
Cabinet ministers in the UK
How do cabinet meetings vary?
Frequency of meetings depends on President
Trump held 9 well above recent average
What happens to cabinet meetings as presidency progresses?
They hold fewer
Trump only held 2 in his final year
Is the presidents cabinet important?
Yes Important people
it contains some of the most important people in the executive branch eg secretary of state
Is the presidents cabinet important?
yes President chairs
The president chairs all the meetings
Is the presidents cabinet important?
yes fulfills important functions
cabinet meetings can fulfil a number of important functions for both the president and cabinet officers
Is the presidents cabinet important?
yes frequent meetings
some home frequent meetings
eg reagan
Is the presidents cabinet important?
No constitution
Article ll vests ‘all executive power in the president’
Is the presidents cabinet important?
no, responsibility
no collective doctrine of responsibility
Is the presidents cabinet important?
no, presidents equals
Members are neither presidents equals nor political rivals
Is the presidents cabinet important?
No, president suspicious
Presidents often view members of their cabinet with some suspicion because of their divided loyalties
Is the presidents cabinet important?
No EXOP
Exop is main source of advice giving for the president
When was EXOP established?
1939
How many offices does EXOP have now?
13
4 when it was establish
Why has the number of EXOP offices increased?
Because the number of policy areas that president must address has increased
Where do key EXOP personnel work?
In the west wing
What are the 3 most important offices within the EXOP?
White House Office WHO
The Office Of Management And Budget OMB
National Security Council NSC
Define EXOP
The umbrella term for the top staff agencies in the white house that assist the president in carrying out the major responsibilities of office
what does EXOP stand for?
Executive Office Of The President
Who does the WHO include?
The presidents most trusted aides
More than 30 different offices such as the office of cabinet affairs
What does the WHO act as a liaison between?
The white House and vast federal bureaucracy
How are staff of the WHO meant to act?
As neutral ‘honest brokers’ not partisan policy makers
Who heads the WHO?
And duties:
The white house chief of staff:
The door keeper of the the Oval office
Decided who the president sees, what the president reads, speaks to the president on the phone
Should act as someone who sometimes takes the blame for the president is things go wrong
Who struggled to fulfill the white house chief of staff role?
All 4 of trumps chief of staff did given trumps way of operating
The White House Chief of Staff is arguably what?
Potentially the most powerful person in the white house after the president
Who heads the OMB?
The OMB director
What does the OMB director appointment require?
Senate confirmation
What’s the OMBs 3 principal function?
- to advise the president on the allocation of federal funds in the annual budget
- To oversee the spending of all federal departments and agencies
- To act as a clearing house for all legislative and regulatory initiatives coming from the president
what’s the main function of the NSC?
Is to help the president coordinate foreign, security and defence policy
Who heads the NSC?
The national security advisor
The NSC coordinates information coming to the president from:
- the state department
- the defence department
- the central intelligence agency (CIA)
- the join chiefs of staff
- US ambassadors from around the world
It’s important to note that the NSC acts as an not a
Acts as an ‘honest broker’ , a facilitator, not a policy promoter
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
Geographic location
EXOP members work in or near the west wing, cabinet members often work some geographic distance from the white house
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
President meetings
Some EXOP members may see the president on a regular basis, some members of the cabinet rarely get to see the P, and certainly not one on one
Therefore while EXOP members often know what the president wants from day to day, cabinet members may feel out of the loop
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
Cabinet divided loyalties
while EXOP work only for the president, cabinet members have divided loyalties - to the president but also to congress, to their bureaucracy and to client interest groups
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
EXOP staff regard cabinet members as?
Disloyal
In the modern era of party polarisation the presidents powers of persuasion are what?
Less effective than they were in the postwar period when the bipartisan politics was more common
A presidents power to persuade is usually greater when there is what?
A unified government
Define unified government
When both houses of congress and the presidency are controlled by the same party
What is the president trying to get congress to do, power of persuasion?
Pass the presidents legislative proposals
sustain the presidents vetoes
Confirm the presidents executive and judicial nominations (senate only)
Ratify the presidents treaties (senate only)
Why does the president need to persuade congress to give its support?
The presidents powers are checked by congress
The presidents party may control only one of the houses or none
Members of congress have other loyalties to their constituents and powerful lobbyists
Members of congress are elected separately from the president
The president has few ‘sticks and carrots’ Disincentives and incentives to encourage members of congress to offer their support
Powers of the president: Propose legislation
checks by congress:
Amend, delay, reject the presidents legislative proposals
Powers of the president: veto legislation
checks by congress:
override the veto
Powers of the president: nominate executive branch officials
checks by congress:
Senate has the power to confirm or reject
Powers of the president: Nominate federal judges
checks by congress:
senate has the power to confirm or reject
Powers of the president: negotiates treaties
checks by congress:
Senate has the power to ratify or reject
Powers of the president: commander in chief of the armed forces
checks by congress:
Declare war/power of the purse
Powers of the president: Act as chief exec
checks by congress:
Investigation, impeachment, trial, removal from office
Who does the president use to help get congress’s support?
The vice president
The office of legislative affairs (part of the WHO)
Cabinet officers
Party leadership in congress
What perks can the president use to help win the support of members of congress?
- phone calls to members of congress to request support directly
- support legislation important to a member of congress
- invitations social or political to the white house
- campaign for them (only of the Ps own party)
- go on tv and appeal directly to voters to contact members of congress and tell them to support P
What success have recent presidents enjoyed in congress?
Success can be measured by the presidential annual support score
What was obamas presidential support score?
2009 96% Both houses democrats
2016 39%
What usually happens in a presidents second term?
They become ‘lame ducks’
The average first year support score for presidents from reagan to obama is 83% whereas in the last year the score is around 48%
What was trumps approval score?
Ranged from 47% at its highest and at its lowest at 34% at the end of his term
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
Yes Formal disciplinary
The president hold no formal disciplinary over members do congress
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
Yes Party discipline
Party discipline in Congress, though tighter than it used to be, cannot guarantee votes for the president
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
Yes Party majorities
the president may be faced one or both houses controlled by the other party
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
Yes president dependant
The president is dependant upon members of congress for legislation, confirmation of appointments and treaty ratification
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
Yes direct authority
The presidents direct authority has limited use
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
Yes President support
The president can offer support for things members of congress regard as important
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
No Partisanship
In an era of partisanship, few, if any, members of congress from the opposition party are open to presidential persuasion, especially on big ticket items
Partisanship also makes persuasion a less useful tool for the president trying to persuade voters to support him and then pressurise recalcitrant members of congress to do likewise
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important? approval ratings
Presidents nowadays tend to have low approval ratings and high disapproval ratings and therefore their persuasion is much less effective
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
no 2nd term presidents
2nd term presidents have found their persuasive power to be very limited
How many types of direct authority are there?
4
Direct authority
Executive order
And executive order is easy for a president to issue but equally easy for a subsequent president to rescind
Obama made increasing use of them after the democrats lost control of congress
Trump also made significant use of them during his first few months, also facing an uncooperative congress
How did george bush use signing statements?
he increasingly used them to challenge constitutionality of some part of a bill he was signing
What do critics claim about signing orders?
They are a abuse of power over legislation, the the correct and constitutional course of action would be for the president to either veto the bill or to await a ruling on the law’s constitutionality from the SC
What do supporters say about signing orders?
They are a way in which a president can get their way over legislation even when congress is uncooperative
When’s a recess appointment used?
Gridlock in the senate over confirmation of appointments
Bill Clinton and George Bush increasingly use them over their terms in office
Obama lost a supreme court decision about them in 2014 which resulted in their curtailment
Define executive order
An official document issued by the Executive branch with the fact of the law, through which the president directs federal officials to take certain actions
Define signing statements
A statement issued by the president on signing a bill which may challenge specific provisions of the bill on constitutional or other grounds
Define recess appointment
A temporary appointment of a federal official made by the presidency to fill a vacancy while the senate is in recess
When does the president use an executive agreement?
To circumvent the senates power to ratify treaties
Hence there is strong opposition to them from congress
Define executive agreement
an agreement reached between the president and a foreign nation on matters that do not require a formal treaty
Imperial presidency
term first used by arthur Schlesinger
Associated most with president Nixon
Characterised by abuse of power, secrecy and illegality
Imperilled presidency
Term first used by Gerald Ford
Associated most with presidents ford and carter
Characterised by congressional reassertiveness and presidential weakness
Post imperial presidency
Term first used in 1980
Often used to refer to presidents from reagan to trump
Characterised by presidential re-assertiveness but power that is often limited by a new era of hyper partisanship
Define imperial presidency
A presidency characterised by the misuse of presidential powers, especially excessive secrecy particularly in foreign policy - and high handed was in dealing with congress
define imperilled presidency
A term coined by president gerald ford to refer to a presidency characterised by ineffectiveness and weakness, resulting from congressional over assertiveness
Bill clinton
Imperial presidency
1994 clinton prepared to launch an invasion of Haiti without congressional permission
George W Bush
Imperial Presidency
Bush’s unilateralism accelerated dramatically after 9/11
Barack Obama
Imperial Presidency
Obama launched ten times as many strikes in the middle east and asia as george bush, likewise sanctioned military intervention in Libya without seeking congressional approval
Most controversially be sanctioned the death of Anwar Al Awlaki, an alleged terrorist by a drone attack in yemen 2011
Donald Trump
Imperial presidency
Bombing ISIS fighters 2017
Air strike assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani without authorisation from congress
Argued in 2020 he could use twitter to inform congress of future airstrikes
What powers does the constitution give the president in foreign policy?
To act as a commander chief in the armed forces
To negotiate treaties with foreign powers
To make certain appointments
What powers does the constitution give to congress in foreign policy?
To declare war, not used since 1941
Control of the budget (military spending)
Ratify treaties (senate only)
Confirm appointments (senate only)
Does the president control foreign policy?
Yes Cic
The president is commander in chief
Does the president control foreign policy?
Yes treaties
the p has the power to negotiate treaties
Does the president control foreign policy?
Yes appointments
The p has the power to make appointments
Does the president control foreign policy?
Yes tone
The president can set the time for foreign policy
Does the president control foreign policy?
Yes, Nuclear monopoly
The president has access to the nuclear ‘button’ (the ‘football’)
The president has the facts in a crisis
Does the president control foreign policy?
No Money
Congress controls the purse strings
Does the president control foreign policy?
No declaring war
Only congress can declare war
Although largely redundant now
Does the president control foreign policy?
Ratification No
The senate has ratification power for treaties
Does the president control foreign policy? No appointments
The senate has confirmation power of appointments
Does the president control foreign policy? No Investiagtion
Congress has the power of investigation
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Electoral Mandate
The electoral mandate is the percentage of popular vote won in the previous election
No the the difference between obama winning 52.9% and Trump winning 46%
Bush and Trump both lost the popular vote
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Public approval
The higher the presidents public approval rating, the more political clout they are likely to have
Note the difference between George Bush 62% approval average in the first year
Donald trump had 38%
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
First/Second term
The president is likely to be more successful in the first 2 years of their first term than in the last 2 years of their second
George Bush bad an approval rating of 62% during his first term and only 37% during his second term; Obama had a rating of 67% in his first term, falling to 40% in his second term
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Unified/divided
They are likely to be more successful if their party controls both houses of congress
For example, Clinton 1993 - 95 and obama 2009-11
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Crises
In a crisis, the nation tends to rally around the flag and look to the president for leadership
But if the president is seen to mishandle the crisis, it can have the opposite effect, (eg Trump and covid 19 pandemic)
Bill clinton Aims
Economic Growth
The economic recovery of the 1990s led to his presidency being remebered for a booming economy
Bill clinton Aims
Affordable healthcare
His proposed healthcare reforms were too divisive in congress and ended up not even being voted on
Bill clinton Aims
Expanding Civil rights
Successfully increased representation of ethnic groups and women in government during his presidency and bad some success in advancing gay rights in the military
Bill clinton Aims
Foreign policy
Clinton was successful in his foreign policy in both Russia and Yugoslavia as well as playing a crucial part in negotiating an end ‘The troubles’ In Northern Ireland
George Bush aims and effectiveness
‘war on terror’ post 911
Bush was successful in creating a homeland security department that increased mass surveillance to prevent another attack of the magnitude of 911
George Bush aims and effectiveness
Education Reform
The ‘no child left behind policy’ Saw a 2% increase in spending for inner city schools and the most vulnerable children in US society
George Bush aims and effectiveness
Major Tax Cuts
Succeeded in his aim of making $1.35 trillion worth of tax cuts
George Bush aims and effectiveness
Social Security Reform
Bush underestimated the difficulties he would face in passing his bill, talking the support of congress for granted.
His reform was not acted upon by congress
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness Healthcare Reform
Passing healthcare reform was a considerable achievement, Obamacare saw the number of adults uninsured for healthcare drop considerably
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
Stimulating the economy
He successfully saw the USA through the 2008 economic crisis
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
Ending the war in Iraq
the obama administration was successful in engineering an exit strategy that ended the war in Iraq
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
Ending the war in Iraq
The obama administration was successful in engineering an exit strategy that ended the war in Iraq
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
Immigration reform
Obama failed to achieve an immigration reform which he hoped would lead to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
Taxes and jobs
The tax and jobs act 2017
was the biggest overhaul in the nations tax codes for 30 years, slashing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 22%
2019 US unemployment rates fell to the lowest level since 1969
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
Repeal and replace the Obamacare
The Trump administration lacked a clear vision of what replacement for Obamacare would look like and this lack of clarity resulted in a Republican senate failing to back the administration’s plans
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
Build The wall
Trump failed to build a wall across the USA - mexico border. He claimed to have built around 450 miles of wall, but at least 350 miles of this replaced wall that already existed
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
Successfully managed the covid 19 crisis
The trump administration was slow to recognise the danger of the virus and failed to communicate a national response.
The USA was the worst affected country in the world in terms of total fatalities
