Transcript Chapter 12

Chapter 12
THE PRESIDENCY
Learning Objectives
• 1) List the constitutional requirements for
becoming president.
• 2) Explain the roles that a president adopts
while in office.
• 3) Indicate the scope of presidential
powers.
Learning Objectives
• 4) Describe advantages enjoyed by
Congress and by the president in their
institutional relationship.
• 5) Discuss the organization of the
executive branch & the role of cabinet
members in presidential administrations.
Who Can Become President?
• Formal Requirements: (Article II, Sec. I)
– Must be 35 years old
– Must be a natural-born citizen
– Must have resided in the U.S. for 14 years
• Informal Requirements:
– White, Male, Protestant (except three)
– All manner of professions, but mostly political
ones (former state governors, for example)
Roles of The President
Table 12-1 pg. 262
The President’s Many Roles
• Chief Executive: (Article II)
– The head of the executive branch of
government.
– In the United States, the president is the head
of the executive branch of the federal
government.
• Executive Branch unique among the branches of
government because it is headed by one person.
The President’s Many Roles
• Commander in Chief:
– The supreme commander of the military forces
of the United States.
• Power to deploy armed forces
The President’s Many Roles
• Head of State:
– The person who serves as the ceremonial head
of a country’s government & represents that
country to the rest of the world.
• U.S.= President of the United States
• Great Britain = Queen of England
The President’s Many Roles
• Diplomat:
– A person who represents one country in dealing w/
representatives from another country.
• Chief Diplomat:
– The role of the president in recognizing & interacting
w/ foreign governments.
• Constitution doesn’t explicitly reserve this role to
the president, yet president’s have assumed role
based on constitutional power to recognize foreign
governments.
The President’s Many Roles
• Chief Legislator:
– Absent from language of Constitution
– However, Constitution does require that the
president, “from time to time give to the
Congress Info. Of the State of the Union,
– & recommend to their Consideration such
Measures as he shall judge necessary &
expedient.”
The President’s Many Roles
• Chief Legislator cont’d:
– The president has become key player in
shaping the congressional agenda
• The set of measures that actually get discussed &
acted on.
• President’s are expected to develop a legislative
program & propose a budget to Congress every
year.
The President’s Many Roles
• Political Party Leader- Patronage:
– Not mentioned in Constitution
– However, as party leader president wields
substantial powers.
• ie. Chooses chairperson of party’s national
committee
– Patronage: The practice of giving gov. jobs to
individuals belonging to the winning political
party.
Presidential Powers
The President’s Constitutional Powers
• To serve as
commander in chief
of the armed forces &
state militias
• Appoint, w/ Senate’s
consent, heads of
executive depts.,
ambassadors, justices
of the Court, & other
top officials
• Grant reprieves &
pardons, except in
cases of impeachment
• Make treaties, w/
advice & consent of
the Senate
• Deliver annual State
of the Union address
to Congress & send
messages to Congress
Presidential Powers
The President’s Constitutional Powers
• Call either house or
both houses of
Congress into special
sessions
• Receive ambassadors
& other reps. from
foreign countries.
• Commission all
officers of the U.S.
• Ensure that the laws
passed by Congress
“be faithfully
executed.”
• Article I, Section 7
power to veto
Proposal & Ratification of
Treaties
• Treaty:
– Formal agreement between the governments
of two or mores countries.
• President has sole power to negotiate & sign
treaties w/ other countries.
• Senate must approve by 2/3 vote
Power to Grant Reprieves &
Pardons
• President’s power to grant pardon servers
as a check on judicial power.
• Pardon:
– Release from punishment or the legal
consequences of a crime;
– Restores a person to the full rights &
privileges of citizenship.
– Pardons for any federal offense except
impeachment
The President’s Veto Power
• Veto:
– A Latin word meaning “I forbid”; the refusal
by an official, such as the president of the
United States or a state governor, to sing a bill
into law.
• President Clinton signed a line-item veto bill in
1996. The Supreme Court concluded in 1998 that it
was unconstitutional.
Expansion of Presidential Powers
Expansion of President’s Legislative Powers
• Power to Persuade
• Going Public
• Power to Influence the Economy
– Since FDR & Great Depression, Americans
have expected the president to be actively
involved in economic matters & social
programs.
Presidential Success Records
Figure 12-1 pg. 272
Increasing use of Executive
Orders
• Executive Orders:
– A presidential order to carry out a policy or
policies designed in a law passed by Congress.
• Inherent power of the president
• Orders are the force of law
Unprecedented Use of Signing
Statements
• Signing Statement:
– A written statement,
– appended to a bill at the time the president
signs it into law,
– indicating how the president interprets that
legislation.
• Allows a president a means to avoid being
constrained by legislation.
The President & Foreign Affairs
• George Washington:
– Establishes precedent of presidents taking
military action & making foreign policy w/o
consulting Congress.
• Power to make Executive Agreements:
– Binding international agreement, made bwtn
the president & another head of state which
doesn’t require Senate approval.
• Utilized more than treaties
The President & Foreign Affairs
• Presidential Military Actions:
– U.S. Constitution give Congress the power to
declare war
– Congress had only declared war 5 times in
U.S. history
– However, U.S. has engaged in 200+ activities
involving armed services.
War Powers Resolution (1973)
• In Response to Vietnam War: pg.285
– Constitution gives Congress the power to
declare war, but the president can commit
troops and equipment in conflicts
– War Powers Resolution was intended to limit
the president’s use of the military- but may be
unconstitutional (legislative veto)
War on Terrorism
• Congress invoked War Powers Resolution
along w/ joint resolution authorizing the
president to use
– “all necessary & appropriate force against
those… the terrorist attacks that occurred on
9/11/01.”
• Congress also passes joint resolution
authorizing the use of U.S. armed forces
against Iraq.
Nuclear Weapons
• 1945 Harry Truman drops atomic bombs
on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima &
Nagasaki
• Today, the president travels with the
“football”-briefcase containing the codes
used to launch a nuclear attack.
• President only one responsible for difficult
military decision of using nuclear weapons.
Congressional & Presidential
Relations
• Advantage: Congress
– Legislative Authorization
– Regulation of foreign & interstate commerce
– Some budgetary matters
• However presidents spend much of their
time courting public opinion
Congressional & Presidential
Relations
• Divided Government:
– With at least one house of Congress controlled
by a different party than the white house.
• Much more difficult for a president to pass his
legislative agenda.
Congressional & Presidential
Relations
• Different Constituencies: At odds
regarding policy preferences
– Congress: Regional Focus
• State or Local District
– President: National Focus
• Furthermore due to election cycle
variances both branches at odds over sense
of urgency about policy implementation.
Congressional & Executive
Relations
• Advantage: The President
– National Crisis
• Presidency most crucial institution, representing
the nation to the world.
– Setting Foreign Policy
– Influencing Public Opinion
Executive Privilege
• Inherent executive power claimed by
presidents to withhold information from, or
to refuse to appear before, Congress or the
courts.
– Can also accord privilege to other executive
officials.
• Invoked by Nixon during Watergate Scandal
Watergate Scandal (1972)
• Scandal involving illegal break-in at the
Democratic National Committee offices by
members of Nixon’s reelection campaign
staff.
• Before Congress could vote to impeach
Nixon for his participation in covering up
the break-in, Nixon resigned from office.
The Organization of The
Executive Branch
• Cabinet:
– Advisory group selected by the president to
assist with decision making.
– Traditionally, the cabinet has consisted of four
heads of the executive dept. & other officers
whom the president may choose to appoint.
• Today, the cabinet includes 14 secretaries & the
attorney general
The Major Executive Departments
Table 12-2 pg. 277
The Organization of The
Executive Branch
• Kitchen Cabinet:
– Name given to a president’s unofficial
advisers.
• Term coined during Andrew Jackson’s
Presidency
The Organization of the
Executive Branch
• Executive Office of the President (EOP):
– A group of staff agencies that assist the
president in carrying out major duties.
• FDR established the EOP in 1939 to cope w/
the increased responsibilities brought on by the
Great Depression.
Staffing the Presidency
• Executive Office of the President: (EOP)
– Made up of several policymaking & advisory
bodies
• i.e. White House Office (WHO)
– Three principle groups:
• The Office of Management & Budget (OMB)
• The National Security Council (NSC)
• The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
The Executive Office of the
President
Table 12-3 pg. 278
The Organization of the
Executive Branch
• White House Office:
– The personal office of the president.
– White House Office personnel handle the
president’s political needs & manage the
media.
The Organization of the
Executive Branch
• Chief of Staff:
– The person who directs the operations of the
White House Office & who advises the
president on important matters.
• Press Secretary:
– A member of the White House staff who holds
news conferences for reporters & makes
public statements for the president.
The Organization of the
Executive Branch
• Office of Management & Budget (OMB):
– Agency in the Executive Office of the
President that assists the president
– in preparing & supervising the administration
of the federal budget.
The Organization of the
Executive Branch
• Council of Economic Advisers (CEA):
– A three-member council created in 1946 to
advise the president on economic matters.
• National Security Council (NSC):
– A Council that advises the president on
domestic & foreign matters concerning the
safety & defense of the nation
– Established in 1947
The Role of Vice Presidents
• The Vice President: (EOP)
– Basically just “waits” for things to do
– Recent presidents have given their VPs
important jobs
Presidential Succession
• 25th Amendment (1967): pg. 292
– V.P. takes over when president expresses in
writing to Congress that he or she is incapable
of carrying out necessary duties while in
office.
– When president is unable to communicate, a
majority of the cabinet, including the V.P., can
declare that fact to Congress. V.P. takes over
in the meantime.
The Line of Succession to the
U.S. Presidency Table 12-4