Ch. 14 - The Presidency (Overview)

8/7/2019 Ch. 14 - The Presidency (Overview)

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The PresidencyChapter 14

Key questionsDid the founders expect the presidency to be the most important political institution?How important is the president¶s character in determining how he governs?



The Presidents

G reat ExpectationsAmericans want a president who is powerful and who can do

good: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy.But at the same time, they don¶t want the president to get too

powerful since we are individualistic and skeptical of authority.



The PresidentsWho They Are

Formal Requirements:M ust be 35 years old

M ust be a natural-born citizenM ust have resided in U.S. for 14 years

Informal ³Requirements´ which most tend to beWhite, M ale, Protestant

All manner of professions, but mostly political ones (former state governors, for example)



The Presidents

H ow They G ot ThereElections: The Normal Road to the White H ouse

O nce elected, the president gets a term of four years.In 1951, the 22 nd Amendment limited the number of terms to two.M ost Presidents have been elected to office.



The PresidentsH ow They G ot There

Succession and I mpeachmentV ice-President succeeds if the president leaves office due to death,

resignation, or removal.Impeachment is investigated by the H ouse, and if impeached,tried by the Senate with the Chief Justice presiding.O nly two presidents have been impeached: A. Johnson & Clinton- neither was convicted.

The 25 th Amendment clarifies what happens if the president becomes disabled.



The Presidents



Presidential Powers

From Table 13.3



Presidential PowersThe Expansion of Power

Presidents may develop new roles for the office

Presidents may expand the power of the office

Perspectives on Presidential Power Through the 50¶s & 60¶s a powerful President was perceived asgood.

From the 70¶s on, presidential power was checked and

distrusted by the public.



Ru nning the Government:

The Chief Execu tiveThe V ice PresidentO versees the Senate

Basically just ³waits´ for things to do

Recent presidents have given their V Ps important jobs

The CabinetPresidential advisors, not in ConstitutionIs made up of the top executives of the Federal Departments,confirmed by the Senate



Ru nning the Government: The ChiefExecu tive



Ru nning the Government:

The Chief Execu tiveThe Executive O fficeM ade up of several policymaking and advisory bodiesThree principle groups: NSC, CEA, OM B

Figure 13.1





Presidential Leadership of

Congress: The Politics ofShared Powers

Chief Legislator V eto: Sending a bill back to Congress with his reasons for rejecting it. Can be overridden.Pocket V eto: Letting a bill die by not signing it - only workswhen Congress is adjourned.

LineItem

Veto: The ability to veto parts of a bill. Somestate governors have it, but not the president.

V etoes are most used to prevent legislation.





Party Leadership

The Bonds of PartyThe psychological bond of being in the president¶s partySlippage in Party Support

Presidents cannot always count on party support, especiallyon controversial issues

Leading the PartyPresidents can offer party candidates support and punishment

by withholding favors.Presidential coattails occur when voters cast their ballots for congressional candidates of the president¶s party because theysupport the president.





Public SupportPublic Approval

O perates mostly in the backgroundPublic approval gives the president leverage, not command

M andates

Perception that the voters strongly support the president¶scharacter and policiesM andates are infrequent, but presidents may claim a mandateanyway





Legislative SkillsV ariety of forms: bargaining, making personal appeals,consulting with Congress, setting priorities, etc.M ost important is bargaining with Congress.

Presidents can use their ³honeymoon´ period to their advantage.

Nation¶s key agenda builder



The President and National

Sec u rity PolicyChief Diplomat

Negotiates treaties with other countriesTreaties must be approved by the Senate

Use executive agreements to take care of routine matters withother countriesM

ay negotiate for peace between other countriesLead U.S. allies in defense & economic issues




Sec u rity Policy

Commander in Chief Writers of the constitution wanted civilian control of themilitary

Presidents often make important military decisions

Presidents command a standing military and nuclear arsenal -unthinkable 200 years ago



The President and NationalSec u rity Policy

War PowersConstitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but

presidents can commit troops and equipment in conflictsWar Powers Resolution was intended to limit the president¶s useof the military - but may be unconstitutionalPresidents continue to test the limits of using the military inforeign conflicts




Sec u rity PolicyCrisis M anager

A crisis is a sudden, unpredictable, and potentiallydangerous event.The role the president plays can help or hurt the

presidential image.With current technology, the president can act much faster than Congress to resolve a crisis.

Working with CongressPresident has lead role in foreign affairs.Presidents still have to work with Congress for supportand funding of foreign policies.



Power from the People:

The Pub lic Presidency

G oing PublicPublic support is perhaps the greatest source of influence a

president has.

Presidential appearances are staged to get the public¶s attention.

As head of state, presidents often perform many ceremonialfunctions, which usually result in favorable press coverage.




The Pub lic PresidencyPresidential ApprovalReceives much effort by the White H ouseProduct of many factors: predispositions, ³honeymoon´Changes can highlight good / bad decisions

Figure 13.3




The Pub lic PresidencyPolicy Support

Being an effective speaker is important.

The public may still miss the message.

M obilizing the PublicThe president may need to get the public to actually act bycontacting Congress.

Difficult to do since public opinion and political action areneeded.



The President and the PressPresidents and media are often adversaries due to differentgoalsM any people in the White H ouse deal with the media, butthe press secretary is the main contact personM edia are often more interested in the person, not the

policies

News coverage has become more negative



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Ch. 14 - The Presidency (Overview)