Week 10

Question 1

The Surge

Answer 1

-Major Players: Defense secretary Robert, Military officials, cabinet (Biden, Hillary), McCrystal 2 (Afghanistan) replaced Mcirnening (1), petraus 3 was the final one (commanding officer), Nanci Pelosi (congress).
Any cabinet and generals owe their position to their president
People who don’t owe their position is Nanci Pelosi, NATO,
-Information:
CIA, Karzai president of Afghanistan,
Techniques using the information (leaks, no electronic, copies)
Troops should be in sooner than out (A graph to explain decision of war). bell curve
Was there internal dissent? How did it manifest itself? Was it productive?
People were removed when they dissented

Question 2

The Surge

Answer 2

The changes in the Generals were unusual (3 different ones)
Leaks (If you don’t agree, to see public opinion, personal interests,)
Obama said that there could be debate but not division
Division once the decision is made
- EOP positions are elected but can be removed anytime

Question 3

Who are the major players in the administration involved in the
decision? Who among them owes their position to the President?
And to what extent does the adage “where you stand depends on
where you sit” apply?

Answer 3

-Members of Regulatory Commissions, His cabinet,ambassadors,

Cabinet Secretaries and Ambassadors: Individuals who hold these positions owe their positions directly to the President and are expected to align with the President’s agenda and priorities.

Members of Regulatory Commissions: Members of regulatory commissions are appointed by the President but are expected to act independently in carrying out their regulatory duties. However, their perspectives may be influenced by their understanding of the administration’s policy goals and priorities.

Question 4

What about information? Quality of … and perhaps equally as important, techniques using the information (e.g., leaks, no electronic
copies…)? And how about that implied data visualization image in in
Obama’s statement: “I want to move this to the left.”?

Answer 4

• ## The type of information fed to the president from his cabinet may be bias or tenured to what they expcet he wil like. They focus on leaks heavily and sometimes even leak things themsleves to see public appoval.

Question 5

Was there internal dissent? How did it manifest itself? Was it
productive?

Answer 5

• Yes there was internal dissent Obama would remove when they dissented
• ## There was dissent from Biden but he could not be removed .

Question 6

Newsstand and Nelson Chap 17

Answer 6

-Not only does the president have authority and status, but the offices who he tries to persuade have influence over him.
-You have to acknowledge the status and authority of both bargaining relationships.
-Power is something that comes with the presidency, “powers” (formal) is what is enumerated in the constitution and statues.

Question 7

Neustadt posits that a president’s persuasive power is tied to “status” and “authority.” He doesn’t formally define these two. Thinking about what Neustadt does write, offer definitions of both.

Answer 7

A president’s authority and status give him advantages in persuading and reinforce his logic and charm.

Status: Persuasiveness

Authority: Adds more than persuasiveness

Question 8

With Neustadt in mind, how – fundamentally – does the president’s bargaining advantage differ vis a vis congress, his party, international actors and the executive branch? Remember to factor in the bargaining advantage of the other actors. (Note, we’ll return to this question eventually this semester with respect to parties and to the exec branch.)

Answer 8

Depends on which side has more authority and status
The president has great bargaining power with his party
Least bargaining power is with congress (depends on who’s in power)

Question 9

HERSHEY
To what extent did Trump’s media use constitute a “power” (a la Neustadt)? And what about a “power” of presdients who followed him? How about power (i.e., no quotation marks)?

Answer 9

-Through his Twitter account, Trump bypassed traditional media channels and communicated directly with the public, often making controversial statements, attacking opponents, and shaping public opinion on various issues. This direct communication allowed him to set the agenda, frame debates, and rally his base.
Allowed trump to spread misinformation
- Trump used public opinion