Transcript Presidency

THE PRESIDENCY
۩ Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution sets forth the
qualifications to be president.
۩ Must be 35, a natural-born citizen, and 14 year residency.
States in the Nation
2008 Presidential Election
The White House
www.whitehousemuseum.org
The Expanding Presidency



Presidential responsibilities, burdens, power, and
impact have increased dramatically since the
nation’s founding.
The Founders’ conception of the office of
President was much more limited than what we
see in the modern Presidency.
The vague language of the Constitution has been
flexible enough to include the great expansion of
the Presidency that has occurred.
The Dormant Presidency



Until the end of the 19th century, the Presidency
conformed basically to the designs and intentions
of the Founders.
The nation did not often require a very strong
Presidency prior to the 20th century.
Structural changes since the end of the
nineteenth century: America becomes a world
power with a corporate-dominated economy

Important early Presidents





Washington
Jefferson
Jackson
Polk
Lincoln
Twentieth-Century Transformation

In the 20th century, new structural conditions made an expanded
Presidency both possible and necessary.
 Theodore Roosevelt
 Woodrow Wilson
 Franklin Roosevelt





World War II
Since FDR’s time, all U.S. Presidents have administered a huge
national state with large standing armed forces, nuclear weapons, and
bases all around the world.
Harry Truman
John F. Kennedy
Ronald Reagan
The Many Roles of the President

The many “hats” that presidents wear simultaneously
 Chief of State
 Chief Executive
 The Powers of Appointment and Removal
 The Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons
 Commander in Chief
 Wartime Powers
 War Powers Resolution
 Joint Chief Legislator
 Getting Legislation Passed
 Saying No to Legislation
 The Line-Item Veto
 Congress’ Power to Override Presidential Vetoes
The Many Roles of the President


More “hats” that presidents wear simultaneously
 Manager of the Economy
 Chief Diplomat
 Diplomatic Recognition
 Proposal and Ratification of Treaties
 Executive Agreements
 Head of the Political Party
 Other Presidential Powers
 Powers that Congress has bestowed on the president by statute
(statutory powers) and those that are considered inherent powers.
Each of the Presidential functions or “hats” is demanding; together, they
are overwhelming.
The President’s Staff and Cabinet

White House staff

Key aides who are the President’s closest and most trusted
advisors




Chief of Staff
National Security Adviser
The exact shape of the White House staff changes from one
Presidency to another and is used by different presidents in
various ways.
Typically the White House staff has more influence over the
president than the Cabinet.

Executive Office of the President (EOP) —a group of
permanent Presidential staff organizations that perform
specialized functions



Office of Management and Budget
Council of Economic Advisers
National Security Council

Vice-Presidency





Originally, the vice-president was the runner-up in the
electoral college vote
The 12th Amendment (1804) encouraged two candidates
to run together as a presidential ticket
No constitutional powers or duties except to serve as
President of the Senate, a ceremonial function of no real
power
Beginning in the 1950s, the role of vice president became
more important
Presidential succession

The Cabinet —not mentioned in the Constitution, but all
Presidents have had one; the cabinet is a highly visible
symbol of the executive branch, but Presidents have usually
not relied upon it as a decision-making body.
A new administration taking shape
The President and the Bureaucracy




Presidents have significant controls with regard to the
bureaucracy, but the President’s ability to give orders
and to gain bureaucratic acquiescence is limited.
Many people erroneously assume that the President has
firm control over the executive branch of government.
To a large extent, Presidents must persuade other
executive branch officials to take certain actions.
“Presidential power is the power to persuade.”
Going Public




By the beginning of the twentieth century, the presidency
had undergone a basic transformation: presidents began to
speak directly to the public.
Woodrow Wilson created a new constitutional theory
advocating close connections between the president and the
public.
All presidents now attempt to respond to public opinion,
and all try to speak directly to the people about policy.
Contemporary presidents frequently go public by using
television to bypass Congress and the press.
Using the Media





Modern Presidents have used television to
enhance their power to shape public opinion.
Leading public opinion
Responding to the public
Quiet influence
Listening to the public
The President and the People: An Evolving
Relationship





Early Presidents: seen as an elite leader, relatively
distant from the public
Quickly evolved into a more democratic system, in
which the people played a more direct role.
By 1880, the two-party system had begun to develop.
Early in the 19th century, state legislatures began to turn
the power to choose Presidential electors over to the
people through direct election.
The base of suffrage broadened.
How Democratic Is the Presidency?


Determining how democratic the Presidency is
becomes an extremely difficult task.
However, the office is considerably more
democratic than envisioned by the authors of the
Constitution.
The Powers of the Presidency
Divided Powers
Presidential Powers
•Commander in Chief of the armed forces,
but Congress is charged with declaring wars
“Presidential prerogative” versus War Powers Act
•Diplomat in Chief





Appoint & Receive ambassadors
Negotiate Treaties
Executive Agreements
Fast-track trade authority
Meet with foreign leaders to forge
ties and make formal alliances
The Powers of the Presidency
•Administrator in Chief
•Additional Executive Powers




Appointment
Veto and pocket veto
Pardon
“Take care” power



Article II, Sec. 3: Presidents take care that the laws are
faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of
those laws
Sometimes used by presidents to claim inherent powers
(powers that grow out of the very existence of government)
Inform and convene Congress

State of the Union address
The War Power
 Presidents
have defended their power to engage American
military troops
 In 1973, Congress enacted the War Powers Act in order to
limit the ability of the president to commit the armed forces
of the United States; however, presidents have generally
ignored it
 In Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama,
 Iraq (twice), Kosovo, and Afghanistan, the president did not
ask Congress for a formal declaration of war
Executive Orders


Formal directives that are just as strong as laws and can be
challenged in the courts
Used frequently throughout American history
Executive Orders
Presidents have
issued nearly
14,000 executive
orders since
Washington. The
average number
of the executive
orders has
declined over the
past six decades
because
presidents are
using other
tools.
Executive Privilege
 The
courts have recognized that presidents have the power
to keep secrets; however, some experts argue that executive
privilege has no constitutional basis
 Richard
Nixon and George W. Bush created controversy by
invoking executive privilege
 United States v. Nixon limited executive
privilege
 Clinton’s Attempted
Use of Executive
Privilege
Boxes of newly released files from
Richard M. Nixon's presidential papers
The Structure of the Presidency
Presidential Succession:
•Twentieth Amendment
•Twenty-second Amendment
•Twenty-fifth Amendment
* Impeachment
• Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton: Charged by
House, acquitted by Senate
* Resignation
• Richard Nixon: Resigned while House was
drafting charges
* Reelection defeat
* Retirement
* Death
Abuses of Executive Power and
Impeachment
Click the icon to open the movie
Roles Assumed by the President
Presidents as Crisis Managers
• Emergency Powers
• Executive Orders
Presidents as Morale Builders
Presidents as Recruiters
Presidents as Priority and Agenda Setters
• National Security Policy
• Economic Policy
• Domestic Policy
Roles Assumed by the President
(continue)
Presidents as Legislative and Political
Coalition Builders
Presidents and the Public
Presidents as Party Leaders
Holding Presidents Accountable
Reelection and Legacy
Congress and the President
The Supreme Court and the President
The Media and the President
Public Opinion and Presidential Accountability
Judging Presidential Greatness
Presidential
Greatness
۩ So many opinions.
۩ Your educated opinion
counts too.
Presidential Mandates



A president’s claim of broad public support
for the president or a policy issue
Depends in part on public approval, which
generally falls over time
Presidents also benefit from rally points,
spikes in public approval following a crisis
The Role of Presidential Popularity



The public’s influence works through Presidential
popularity or unpopularity.
Presidents have strong incentives to anticipate public
reactions and to do things that will please the public.
Determinants of Presidential popularity



Time
The economy • History tends to judge wars as the most
significant test of a president’s leadership.
War
• Presidents also are judged by their ability to
promote a distinctive vision of where the
nation should go.
• Corruption and inability to deal with
economic problems are sure paths to failure.

What makes a President successful with
Congress?





Party and ideology
Foreign policy and
national security issues
Presidential vetoes
Presidential popularity
Legislative skills
2008
2010
Democrats
S – D, H - D
Barack Obama, Democrat
Presidential Popularity
The President
& Congress:
Perpetual Tug-of-War

Conflict by constitutional
design
 Separate elections
 Competing constituencies
 Competing calendars
 Competing campaigns
 Shared powers
 Potential for divided
government and “gridlock”
Presidential Vetoes