Transcript Document

The President of the United States is
the leader of the United States and the
free world, and the “most powerful
person on earth.”
Students, this chapter
is about my 43
predecessors and me.
To start, what specific
unitary powers of
the presidency have I
used?
CinC: shift military attention from Iraq to
Afghanistan
Executive orders to reverse several Bush
policies
continued
Here are a few more examples.
Ordered the Department of
Transportation to allow states to
impose emissions requirements that
exceed federal standards
Overturned the ban on government
contributions to international organizations
that offer family planning services that
include abortion
Here are some interesting
facts about the office of the
president.
Qualifications:
35 years of age
Native born citizen
U. S. resident for the last
14 years
To date, all presidents have been white,
male Christians. Most have been highly
educated
Today the President presides over:
Budget: $2.7 trillion
Federal establishment: 2.7 million
civilian employees
Military: 1.5 million personnel (active)
10,000 deliverable nuclear warheads
2,600 of which are operational
313 million people
$14 trillion GDP
3.8 million square miles of land mass
Bully!! The president’s
term in office is 4-years
and, since the
ratification of the 22nd
Amendment in 1951, he
or she can run for reelection once.
President’s salary:
$400,000 per year plus a tax free
$50,000 allowance for performing
official duties
I am the third President,
Thomas Jefferson. What
is presidential succession
and what is the current
order?
Presidential succession:
who should fill the presidency and in what order
Vice President; Speaker of House;
Pres. Pro. Tem of Senate; Sec State;
Sec Treasury; Sec Def.; Attorney Gen;
The Founders wanted a president of
limited powers—above parties & factions,
to conduct foreign policy & enforce laws
Several of my predecessors
have helped define or have
transformed the presidency.
Let’s discuss some of them.
Washington—solidified the
prestige of the presidency
Affirmed primacy of president
in foreign affairs
Fashioned a domestic
legislative program
Jefferson: added territory through
treaty
Jackson: helped transform the
presidency into a popular
institution
Polk: exercised powers of CinC;
war with Mexico and acquired
land as a result of that war
Lincoln: used emergency powers
based on broad interpretation of
the Constitution; raised/spent
money and deployed troops on
own initiative; temporarily
suspended habeas corpus;
allowed citizens to be tried in
military courts; unilaterally freed
slaves
TR: vigorously pushed the
prerogatives and enhanced the
powers of the office of the
presidency as no president since
Lincoln; strong CinC and chief
diplomat; strong domestic policies:
broke trusts, established parks,
regulated business and industry;
“created the modern presidency”
(Alan Brinkley)
Wilson: expanded the federal
government beyond the
scope of Theodore Roosevelt;
Progressive domestic program,
the New Freedom; regulated
the economy with the Federal
Reserve Act of 1913 and the
Federal Trade Act of 1914;
tremendous powers as CinC
during World War I
FDR: most significant expansion of
presidential functions and activities;
changed American expectations
about the presidency; New Deal;
independent commissions to
regulate business; social programs
such as Social Security; showed
leadership in reaching out to
workers (Wagner Act); vast military
powers
JFK: used modern technology
(television) to enhance his
presidency
Reagan: conservative agenda;
tax cuts, cut back regulations; cut
domestic social programs; major
military and foreign affairs
initiatives; restored the people’s
confidence in the presidency
I would like to be considered a
President who transformed the
presidency. What factors determine
such a thing?
Mixture of a president’s personal qualities
(personality and character) and deeper
structural factors (existence of crises)
The presidency is the preeminent office in
American government
Chief of State
The president engages in diplomacy.
The Founders wanted to combine the
roles of head of state (ceremonial) and
chief executive of government
The president is the chief priority-setter
of the United States government—he sets
the legislative agenda, often through
the submission of the budget each
January
Chief Agenda Setter of the U. S. Government
President Obama giving the State of the
Union Address. What is the State of the Union
Address?
State of the Union Address: A speech
that the president gives each January
before a joint session of
Congress, which sets forth
the programs, policies,
and legislation that he or
she wants Congress to
enact.
This speech coincides with
the submission of the
President’s Budget (Budget
Act of 1921).
The President’s Roles
The Chief Executive
President G. H. W. Bush in Oval Office
Controls a huge executive branch of
millions of people, but shares power with
Congress
The president recruits the best people
possible to serve in his cabinet—those
people who run the executive agencies
of the Federal Government.
Executive Powers include carrying out
the laws and appointing officials
One way the president enforces laws is
through executive orders. What are they?
Executive orders are
detailed instructions,
regulations, and rules
that state how to carry
out and enforce
legislation. They have
the force of law. In
1957, I signed an
executive order that
sent federal troops to
Little Rock, Arkansas to
enforce desegregation
of Central High School.
Students, both my
daddy and I served as
president. I revived a
long-dormant
constitutional theory
known as the unitary
executive. What is
that?
Based on Article II of the Constitution:
“The executive Power shall be vested in a
President. . .” and “The President shall
take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”
Under the unitary executive doctrine, the
president has the sole authority to do
certain things, such as direct the actions
of the CIA and the NSA and the armed
forces in defense of the nation. He alone
can interpret, in his signing statements,
the meaning of laws passed by Congress
for executive branch personnel. He alone
can determine the degree to which
departmental and agency personnel
cooperate with Congress.
Not broadly accepted by scholars
Presidents usually provide
Congress with information
that body requests. But
sometimes, presidents
refuse to do so, as
Richard M. Nixon did
in 1973. In that case,
Nixon invoked executive
privilege.
Executive privilege: the president’s right
not to hand over documents or to testify
regarding matters that he or she believes
are his/her confidential business
Judicial Powers
In addition to nominating federal
judges, including Supreme Court
justices,
presidents can
issue reprieves,
pardons and
commutations.
What do each
of those terms
mean?
Reprieve: postpones the carrying out
of a person’s sentence in order to
gather more evidence or to appeal for a
new trial.
Before I left office, I issued
many pardons: forgiveness
to a convicted criminal. It
frees that person from
serving out his or her
sentence.
Commutations lessen the
severity of a convicted
person’s sentence
Foreign policy leader: our plans for dealing
with other countries. The goals of U. S.
foreign policy are to promote trade and
friendship with other countries while
maintaining the security of the United
States.
Diplomacy: the art of conducting
negotiations with foreign countries.
The president’s foreign policy role
includes making treaties that include
peace agreements, trade agreements and
forming alliances.
Alliances: agreements
between 2 or more
countries to help
each other for
defense, economic,
scientific or other
reasons
Presidents, such as
Lyndon B. Johnson, right,
also can make executive
agreements. What are
they?
More informative
understandings between
an American president
and the leader of a
foreign government
Presidents can also establish
diplomatic recognition.
Determining whether or not
the U. S. officially recognizes
a government as the proper
representative of a country’s people.
Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces
Article II, Section 2 of Constitution
With the help of the
“football,” the
president controls a
massive nuclear
arsenal
With the Secretary
of Defense and the
Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff,
commands the U. S.
military
A key part of the president’s job as
Commander-in-Chief is crisis management.
This photo shows the Kennedy
Administration’s meetings during the
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
It is crucial that during times of crisis
the president appear to be a confident,
take-charge leader
Military powers:
Committing troops—such as when
President Bush committed troops to
Fight in Iraq.
Rule of thumb: Congress—offensive;
President--defensive
Limited by the War Powers Act of 1973
soldiers sent abroad by the president
must be brought back within 60 days
unless Congress approves the action
(Congress approved the war against
Iraq)
Party Leader
Aids candidates, raises money, campaigns
Representative of the Nation
President Bush represents the American
people at World Trade Center Ruins
The president should be a person who
builds the morale of the nation through
inspirational actions and symbolic
functions
Well hi you Columbians.
Elle here with, of course,
my best friend Bruiser.
I’m going to help my
good friend, Mr.
Simoncini, tell you about
how the Executive
Branch of our
government works.
HOOAH!!
The Office of the
President is made up
of several separate
organizations. Here
are some of them.
Today, the White House Office serves as
the president’s personal staff and close advisers.
Because they are considered the president’s
personal staff, they can be appointed by the
president without Senate confirmation being
necessary.
Here are some of the key members of the
president’s personal staff.
The Chief of Staff manages all of
the White House staff and controls
access to the president. President
Obama’s Chief of Staff is Jack Lew
The White House Press Office, led by the
Press Secretary, provides key
information to the media and
conducts press briefings.
President Obama’s Press
Secretary is Jay Carney.
The president’s personal
staff also includes speech
writers, pollsters, schedulers,
and advance people.
Mrs. Simoncini is sooo
lucky ‘cause her husband
is hecka HOT! Psssst.
A second important office in
the Executive Office of the
President is the National
Security Council.
The National Security Act of 1947 established
the National Security Council (NSC) to
improve coordination among the government
departments that deal with national security
issues. The NSC includes the
Director of Central Intelligence
(from the CIA) and the Secretaries
of State and Defense. The NSC
staff is headed by the National
Security Advisor, appointed by
the president. President Bush’s
National Security Advisor is
Thomas Donilon.
The Executive Office of the President also
includes the Office of Management and
Budget, which, among other things, writes
the President’s Budget. The Director of the
OMB holds cabinet rank. President Obama’s
Director is Jeffrey Zients.
The Executive Office of the
President also includes the
Council of Economic Advisers
and the National Economic
Council.
Another important member of
the Executive Branch is the Vice
President, who, today, is Joe
Biden.
For many years, it
was a do nothing
job.
John Nance Garner:
“It’s not worth a
pitcher of warm piss.”
In recent years, presidents have
used the talents and skills of their
vice presidents to the benefit of the
nation.
That’s right Elle. For
example, I gave my
vice president, Al
Gore, several
responsibilities.
What were some?
That’s right. I formulated
environmental policy and
led the effort to “reinvent
government.” But political
scientists consider one
other vice president to
have had the most
significant policymaking
role. Who was that?
Dick Cheney, VP for George
W. Bush, was a very
influential vice president:
advisor on domestic and
foreign policy; long range
planning; selection of
Supreme Court justices;
main liaison to Republicans
in Congress.
12th Amendment: VPs on party tickets
Students, I am President
Lyndon B. Johnson. During
my presidency, we ratified the
25th Amendment to the
Constitution. How did that
amendment change the rules
of presidential succession?
25th Amendment (1967):
Succession in case of temporary or
permanent inability of the president to
discharge the office
If vice presidency becomes vacant, the
president can nominate a new VP, subject
to confirmation by both houses of Congress
Gerald Ford
Nelson Rockefeller
The president’s wife, today
Michelle Obama, is called the
First Lady of the Land. In recent
years, presidents’ wives have
taken an active role in politics.
The most active was Hillary
Rodham Clinton.
In addition to the Executive Office of
the President there are 15 cabinet
departments led by secretaries or, in
the case of the Department of
Justice, The Attorney General
On the next few pages, we will look at
President Obama’s present cabinet. For
more information go to
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html
Secretary of Agriculture:
Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce:
John E. Bryson
Secretary of Defense:
Leon Panetta
Secretary of Education:
Arne Duncan
Secretary of Energy:
Steven Chu
Secretary of Health &
Human Services:
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Homeland
Security: Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development:
Shaun Donovan
Secretary of the Interior:
Ken Salazar
Attorney General:
Eric Holder
Secretary of Labor:
Hilda Solis
Secretary of State:
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of
Transportation:
Ray LaHood
Secretary of the
Treasury:
Timothy Geithner
Secretary of Veterans Affairs:
Eric Shinseki
Cabinet’s recent power and influence
Presidents do not rely on the cabinet as
a decision-making body
Infrequently convened in recent years
Government has grown large and
specialized
Most department heads are experts in
their own areas, little to contribute
elsewhere
Factors that shape congressionalpresidential relations: conflict by design
Partisan & ideological makeup of Congress
Popularity & skills of the president
Strength of political parties
Nature of various shaping events
Hey! I know that less than 50% of
the measures I propose will become law.
Why?
Shared Powers as stated in the
Constitution
Congress may not agree with the
President on certain matters
Separate Elections
Other factors to consider
Constitutional ambiguities
Different constituencies
Varying terms in office
Divided government
The role of political parties
Fluctuating public support
At times, the need for supermajorities
So, my next question is: what factors tend
to make presidents successful with
Congress?
When the President’s party controls both
houses of Congress
More legislative success
Appointment approval (Senate)
Gentler oversight of Executive Branch
activities
Foreign Policy/National Security Prerogative
Vetoes difficult to override
Popular presidents tend to have more
success with Congress
Coalition Builders
Persuading—power to persuade is the
president’s chief resource (bargaining)
Molders of Public Opinion
Techniques used to shape public opinion
Franklin Roosevelt: fireside chats
John F. Kennedy: weekly press conferences
Recent presidents:
Nixon: prime-time television addresses
Reagan: prime-time television addresses
and weekly radio addresses
Clinton: more interactive
(radio & TV talk shows &
informal town meetings)
Obama: talk
shows, town
meetings,
speeches
Jay, my predecessors and
I tend to respond to public
opinion. What evidence
does the text provide?
Presidents and staffs carefully read
available public opinion surveys and have
full-blown polling operations of their own.
I was a very popular president.
What things tend to make
presidents popular or
unpopular?
Popular during times of good
news; unpopular during times of bad news;
successful military operations add to
presidential popularity; decisive presidents
during times of crisis are popular
The Federal Bureaucracy
Hey! Which one of you
can tell Bruiser the
definition of
bureaucracy?
A highly organized system
of people and their work.
What are some of the
advantages of
bureaucracy?
Bureaucracies have the
ability to organize large
tasks
The Federal Bureaucracy is merit-based
Another advantage is its hierarchical
structure and organization
Why is it difficult for the
Federal bureaucracy to
respond when it is
necessary to do so?
Surrounded by legal restrictions
Subject to intense legislative oversight,
compared to other nations
What is the difference in
respect accorded to civil
servants between the U. S.
and certain European
nations?
Other nations: the civil
service is highly respected and attracts
talented people. In France, the U. K.,
and Germany, civil service positions are
filled by top graduates of elite universities
Let’s discuss the various bureaus
and agencies in the federal
government.
The U. S. Government has
several independent agencies.
What are those?
Agencies created by Congress to help the
president carry out the work of the executive
branch. Independent means separate from
cabinet departments.
Examples include:
The Social Security Administration
The Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
NASA
The CIA
Some independent agencies are
government corporations. What are
they?
Non-profit businesses
The largest government corporation
is the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC), which
guarantees peoples’ bank deposits.
We also have quasigovernmental organizations.
What are they?
They are hybrids of public and private
organizations. A portion of the boards of
directors are appointed by the private
sector.
Examples include the Federal Reserve
Board and the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting
Also under the Executive
Branch are regulatory
commissions. What are
they?
Agencies that act with the least
direction from the White House;
they are independent agencies that have the
power to establish and enforce regulations.
Examples include the Securities and Exchange
Commission, the Federal Trade Commission,
and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
How are bureaucracies “unelected
policy makers?
Advise government officials
Make rules and regulations
Those regulations have force of law, but they
usually carry civil, not criminal, penalties for
violations
Such regulations are usually found in the
Code of Federal Regulations. For example,
Title IX required schools to give equal
athletic rights to females.
Congress cannot micromanage
every issue because it lacks the
time, resources and expertise.
Congress has given the
Executive branch some power
to adjudicate, or conduct
quasi-legal proceedings
In all of these Executive
Branch agencies, most of
the employees are civil
servants. Who can define
that term?
Appointed or non-appointed
people employed by the
federal government.
We have come a long
way from the system of
hiring those people
begun by Andrew
Jackson. What system
was that?
The spoils system
Today most civil servants
are selected through a
process started with the
passage of the Pendleton
Act of 1883: the merit
system. What is that?
Federal employees secure their
jobs through competitive exams
and stay on the job even after new presidents
take office. Today almost all non-appointed
civil servants get their jobs through testing.
So how are American civil
servants hired?
Agency merit services: many
agencies recruit people with
specialized training, i.e.
doctors for the Public Health Service
Excepted Services: positions are classified
by a schedule system that determines
specific requirements for filling each job
Appointed officials include
high level appointees that
must be approved by the
Senate and lower level
Senior Executive Service
(SES) employees that do
not require Senate
approval.
Most non-appointed employees are classified
as either General Management (GM) or General
Service (GS) and are paid on a scale based on
seniority and responsibility.
And women and minorities are
over-represented in the very lowest
civil service grades and are underrepresented in the highest.
So, what do presidents tend to
consider when they nominate
people for the 600 Executive
Schedule appointments?
Elle, we tend to reserve
important appointments for
people we trust and who
bring expertise and
experience. Candidly, we
also want to find places for
appointments for people
who played important roles
in our election, or possibly
their children, whether or
not they possess the
requisite skills for the job.
When I was president we
used the E.G.G. test to
create my cabinet.
Ethnicity
Gender
Geography
Top political appointees,
on average, stay in office
only 22 months. Why?
Most see government service as only a
short-term commitment
Most make financial sacrifices to become top
bureaucratic officials
Many don’t find public notoriety appealing
Some become targets of partisan attacks
As president, I am the
formal head of the executive
branch. But, presidents
often feel stymied by the
bureaucracy. Why?
The bureaucracy is huge
When presidents want action, they are
unlikely to get instantaneous acquiescence
Do not fear presidents because of hiring/
firing rules and because of agency
alliances with interest groups &
congressional committees
OK, then. So what tools can
presidents use to try to
control the bureaucracy?
Presidential prestige (bully pulpit)
Power of appointment
President controls the budget through OMB
therefore controls funding for agencies
Regulatory review and executive orders
How can we in Congress
control the bureaucracy?
Congress can create new agencies
Senate confirms presidential appointments
Advise and consent power per
The Constitution to shape policies
Budget appropriations
Oversight hearings
Office of the Inspector General in every
Executive branch department & agency