Transcript Who has the power to enforce laws?

Who has the power to enforce
laws?
President (Executive Branch)
Which branch of government
must approve the President’s
decision to deploy troops?
None (trick question)
Although the 1973 War Powers Act
places limits on the President’s
ability to do this
What is the chief difference
between a President and a Prime
Minister?
The President is an independent
executive power (potential divided
government), the PM always comes
from the majority party in the
legislature
Identify three key types of
federal officials that are
appointed by the President.
SC Justices, ambassadors, cabinet
members
How long is a President’s term in
office? How many terms can one
president serve?
nd
(22
4 years, 2 terms
Amendment
established this in 1951)
What are three of the
Constitutional requirements for
being President?
35 years of age, natural born citizen
of the U.S., resident for 14 years
What two types of government
offices are held by people who
later become President?
senator & governor
What typically happens to
Presidential candidates who are
either very liberal or very
conservative? Give an example.
they are defeated, Goldwater or
McGovern
What religious background have
all but one of our Presidents
come from? Who was the
exception?
Protestant (non-Catholic Christian),
JFK
When you have more votes than your
competition, but not a majority, you
have a _____ of the votes. Name two
presidents who won this way.
Plurality; Truman in ’48, Nixon in
‘68, Clinton in ‘92
Identify 5 constitutionally
designated roles of the
President.
Commander in Chief, Head of State,
Present State of the Union,
Negotiate treaties, Chief Executive
(oversee Cabinet & Bur)
What are the primary roles of
the White House staff?
Advise President on policy, handle
relations with Congress and
bureaucracy (cabinet), public &
press relations (speech writing,
etc.)
What term describes the process in
which various interest groups come
together to work towards a common
goal (pass legislation, defeat a
nomination, etc.)?
coalition building
What government entity is
charged with determining voter
eligibility requirements?
individual state governments get to
decide the requirements for their
respective states
Name three activities PACs
engage in to gain access to
legislature.
make campaign contributions, run
issue ads, lobby, research
Which cabinet member is
effectively the CEO of the
Department of Justice?
Attorney General
How is the president chosen if
no candidate wins a majority of
the electoral vote?
the House chooses based on a
majority vote of its state
delegations (each state gets one
vote)
What is a federal mandate? Give
1-2 examples.
A law in which the state governments
must follow rules established by the
federal government; Americans with
Disabilities Act, No Child Left Behind,
etc.
What is political efficacy?
What demographics define
voters who have it?
A citizen’s belief that they
understand politics, and that their
political participation matters;
efficacy increases with age and
education
What are “inherent powers” of
the president? Give an example.
Powers exercised based on the
authority granted be Article II, not
specifically listed; Louisiana
Purchase, internment of Nisei, half
of the New Deal 
Name three traditional reasons
for low voter turnout.
registration requirements, weak
party affiliation, weekday
elections, frequent local and state
elections
What are 4-5 factors that play a
role in how likely someone is to
vote?
Their age, gender, education level,
race, marital status, and whether
or not they belong to a union
What is the “mandate theory of
elections”? Do political scientists
support this theory?
It’s the idea that voters “send a
message” when they vote – so
that those elected have their
mandate to make change; pol scis
do not support mandate theory
Since 1972, voters in presidential
elections have been less tied to
party loyalties and more
interested in what?
the characteristics and positions of
individual candidates
What are the three biggest
influences on how someone
decides to vote?
Party identification, their
evaluations of the candidates,
their views on specific policies
What are “motor voter” laws?
What is their intent?
Laws that allow you to register to
vote at the same time you apply
for a drivers license; designed to
increase voter registration
What religious group has
enjoyed increasingly greater
influence in the Republican Party
since the early 1980s?
Evangelical Christians
What types of party members
attend their party’s presidential
nominating convention?
“strong” party voters, very
ideological in their approach and
dedicated to the party
What is a “pocket veto”? What
effect does it have?
President takes no action on a bill
for 10 days while Congress is not
in session; it effectively kills the
bill
What are four of the most
common political actions of
interest groups?
filing lawsuits, sponsoring advocacy
ads, lobbying, testifying before
Congress, issue related fundraising
How did the framers handle their
fears regarding the abuse of
executive power?
Put many legislative & judicial
checks on the executive in place
How did historians feel about the use of
Presidential power in the two decades
following WWII? How and why did that
change in the 1960s & 1970s?
They favored a powerful Presidency,
but LBJ, the Vietnam War, Nixon, and
Watergate made the public more
fearful of Presidential power
Identify two major legislative
checks on Presidential power.
Veto override, impeachment,
approval of appointments
Who are the first two people in
line to succeed the President?
the VP and then the Speaker of the
House
Identify two ways the role of the
VP has expanded since
Eisenhower.
represent U.S. to foreign countries,
serve on the NSC, play a larger
policy shaping role
Since Lady Bird Johnson, how
have most First Ladies chosen to
define their role?
By focusing on one issue
(beautification, literacy, healthier
diet & exercise, etc.)
Who officially elects the
President? How do you earn
votes in this system?
the electoral college, if you win the
popular vote in a state you win all
of the electoral votes
What is the group of the
President’s advisors called?
Cabinet (14 advisors plus the
Attorney General
Identify four Cabinet
Departments.
Justice, State, HUD, Health and
Human Services, Defense, Treasury,
Interior, Labor, Commerce,
Transportation, Education, VA,
Homeland Security
Who approves cabinet
appointees, do they generally
accept or reject them?
the Senate, accept
What are the two key factors
that limit the role of the cabinet?
conflicting loyalties with the
President and maintaining secrecy
with a large group (14 of them)
What committee is comprised of
the President’s key foreign and
military policy advisors?
The National Security Council (NSC)
What is a power many governors
have that the President would
love to have? Why?
Line Item veto, gives power to veto
individual parts of laws or budget
items
What law, passed under the
Johnson administration, set out
to guarantee the provisions of
the 15th Amendment?
Voting Rights Act of 1965, which
solidified the right to vote
regardless of race
What Office has responsibility for
developing and administering the
federal budget? How is it most
impactful?
The Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), develops cost
analyses for various proposals
Who is the highest ranking White
House staff member? Identify two
things Presidents count on receiving
from their top level staffers.
Chief of Staff; Information, analysis,
policy options, and … loyalty! 
Why is party support so important to
a sitting President? How much
consistent support can a President
actually count on?
Needs full backing of party to
pursue legislative agenda; twothirds at any given time
What causes this gap in party
loyalty to the President?
The views of the various
constituencies represented by
members of Congress
What typically happens to the
number of seats the President’s
party holds in Congress as the
result of a midterm election?
The Party of the President typically
loses seats in Congress during the
midterms
What is the primary reason the
Electoral College has not been
reformed?
Would require constitutional
amendment, needing support of
¾ of state legislatures – many
states don’t want to give up their
power
What are two proposals for
reforming the Electoral College?
Straight popular vote, by
congressional district, percentage
allocation in each state
Identify three ways the President
tries to influence Congress.
State of the Union, political favors
and patronage, use media to sway
public opinion
Identify two types of legislative
skills important to the success of
the President.
Bargaining, exploiting the
honeymoon period, building
Congressional coalitions &
structuring votes
Describe the correlation between
Presidential approval ratings and
the President’s ability to
influence Congress.
Strong approval ratings (and
electoral mandates) make it much
easier for the President to
influence Congress
Identify two ways the President
directs national security policy.
Treaties and executive agreements,
Commander in Chief, War Powers
(use of troops without
Congressional approval),
International Crisis management
Why is the presidency is referred
to as the “Bully Pulpit?”
Presidents can use the spotlight of
the office to try and influence or
sway public opinion
What is the fundamental reason
there is ongoing tension
between the President and the
Press?
President wants to control flow of
information to his advantage,
Press wants all info immediately
Is press coverage of the
President usually negative or
positive? Why?
Negative; easier for the press to
generate negative stories +
tension over information
Who can bring charges of
impeachment? For what
reasons?
House of Reps, “Treason, bribery,
or other high crimes and
misdemeanors”
Who acts as the jury in an
impeachment trial? What is the
required vote for a “conviction”?
The Senate, two-thirds
Which two Presidents have been
impeached? Were either of
them found guilty?
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, no
What are the two chief
provisions of the 25th
Amendment?
Allows the VP to step in temporarily
for the President if the President is
disabled, and establishes a
procedure for replacing the VP
What was the spoils system?
the idea that the President could
appoint all of his supporters to
government posts
Roughly how many government
posts are appointed by the
President? Out of how many
total federal employees?
3,000; over 4 million
What did the Pendleton Act do?
it started the Civil Service system &
therefore put an end to the spoils
system
Give two examples of
government corporations.
FDIC, TVA, and the Postal Service
Give two examples of
government agencies.
CIA, NASA, EPA
What President oversaw the
largest expansion in the federal
bureaucracy? Why?
FDR, New Deal (Great Depression),
& response to WWII
What name is given to the
extremely tight relationship
between Gov’t agencies, their
client/interest groups, and
Congress? Why?
The Iron Triangle; because it is
difficult for those outside the
triangle to influence policy
New gov’t agencies are often
started in response to changing
needs, how quickly are these
agencies eliminated when no longer
needed?
Not very quickly, often continue to
exist for own sake
Describe the role the
bureaucracy plays in the
legislative process.
Very active, new laws often
originate in the bureaucracy,
bureaucrats often consult with
Congress
Identify two major factors that
have led to the growth of the
federal bureaucracy.
International crises, economic
problems, demands of citizens,
national growth and changing
technology
What is deregulation? What is
the most recent example of
deregulation gone bad?
lessening the amount of power a
regulatory commission has over an
industry, Enron, subprime
mortgage crisis
Identify three roles of political
parties.
Pick candidates, run campaigns,
provide cues to voters, articulate
policies, coordinate policy making
Over the history of American
politics, how far do successful
parties usually stray from the
political center?
Not far at all
Is the control and leadership of
American political parties highly
centralized?
No; more fragmented and
decentralized – history of party
machines running local politics
What is the difference between a
closed and an open primary?
Closed primaries require voters to
register ahead of time for the
party’s primary they wish to vote
in, open primaries allow voters to
make that choice on election day
Which party represented the true
entrance of the common man
into American politics? Who was
its leader?
The Democrats, Andrew Jackson
What issue brought about the
rise of the Republican Party?
What year did they first capture
the White House?
Slavery, 1860
Which party controlled most of
American politics for the ~60
years following the Civil War?
What brought that control to an
end?
Republicans, FDRs New Deal
Coalition of Democrats in 1932
Provide two examples of
instances where 3rd parties had a
major influence on a Presidential
Election.
Bull Moose in 1912 (TR), American
Independent in 1968 (Wallace),
Reform in 1992 (Perot), Green in
2000 (Nader)
What are two reasons third
parties are significant?
They allow for non-revolutionary
expression of discontent (a vent),
they impact elections by drawing
votes away from major party
candidates, they allow for discussion
outside the mainstream discourse
How are the two major political
parties organized?
They have separate, independent
organizations at the national,
state, and local levels
What proportion of registered
voters usually votes in national
elections?
Less than half
What role do PACs play in
campaigns?
They work outside the official
campaign structure to try and
influence the result by running
ads, staging events, etc.
What two SC decisions greatly
increased role of PACs?
Buckley v Valeo essentially gave
PACs free speech rights, Citizens
United removed limits on
donations to PACS and led to
creation of “super PACs”
What are three of the main
provisions of the Federal Election
Campaign Act?
Established the FEC to regulate
campaign finance, established
hard limits on the amount of $$
donated to candidates, established
Pres Election Campaign Fund
What does education level help
us predict about voting behavior
in the U.S.?
College graduates are more likely to
vote than those without a college
degree
What are three types of funding the
federal government provides to
states? Which of these gives the
state the most control?
Categorical grants, matching
grants, formula grants, block
grants; block grants
What is an unfunded mandate?
When the federal government
requires states to perform certain
tasks without providing needed
funding
What type of programs represent
the largest portion of mandatory
government spending?
Entitlement programs (e.g. Social
Security, Medicare, etc.)
th
26
Who did the
Amendment
add to the voting rolls? What
happened as a result?
18-21 year olds, they actually voted
in lower percentages than any
other age group
What is the single most
important factor in the political
socialization of children?
Their parents and family
Is Senate confirmation required
for members of the White House
staff?
No, the President is able to choose
his own staff without interference
from Congress
What is the nickname for an
Executive department, Congressional
committee, and interest group all
working on public policy?
“Iron Triangle”
Why do Presidents make
extensive use of executive
orders (EOs)?
EOs allow Presidents to direct
actions of the federal gov’t without
approval of Congress