Longman PoliticalScienceInteractive Magleby & Light Government by the People Chapter 12 The Presidency Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Structure and Powers of the Presidency: Separate Powers The United States is one of the few world powers that is neither a parliamentary democracy nor a wholly executive-dominated government Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Structure and Powers of the Presidency: Defining the Presidency At the constitutional convention, the Framers debated whether the president should be elected via a direct election or through an electoral college Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Running for Office Originally, the vice president was the runner-up in the electoral college vote The Twelfth Amendment (1804) encouraged two candidates to run together as a presidential ticket Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The Vice Presidency Benjamin Franklin: Vice president should be addressed as, “your Superfluous Excellency” Beginning in the 1950s, the role of vice president became more important Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidential Succession Twenty-second Amendment Presidential term limits Twenty-fifth Amendment Presidential succession Impeachment Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton: Charged by House, acquitted by Senate Richard Nixon: Resigned while House was drafting charges Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The First Presidency Precedents set by Washington Presidential title Two-term limit White House staff Department secretaries President as sole authority in supervising executive branch Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The First Modern Presidency Franklin D. Roosevelt New Deal program ideas came from his “Brain Trust” Policy Achievements: FDIC, SEC, Nat. Labor Relations Act, Social Security, minimum wages, maximum working hours, mortgage protections FDR inspects some Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the Shenandoah Valley Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidential Power and Limitations Congress often hesitates to curtail presidential powers, especially in times of war Example: In 2002, George W. Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on phone conversations When the policy became public, Congress placed legislative limits on the authority When concerns arose that these limits exposed the U.S. to a greater terrorism threat, Congress reversed the limits Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidents as Morale Builders ("Cheerleader-in-Chief") The President performs important ceremonial functions, in both good times and times of crisis At its finest, presidential leadership radiates national self-confidence and helps unlock the possibility for good that exists in the nation Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Formal 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) Grants tremendous implied (elastic) powers to the President Inform and convene Congress State of the Union address Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidential Powers: Diplomat-in-Chief Foreign policy tools: Appointing ambassadors Receiving ambassadors Treaties Executive agreements Fast-track trade authority Meeting with foreign leaders to forge ties and make formal alliances Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Executive Agreements Less formal than an international treaty Made between the President and another head of state No Senate approval necessary Considered politically binding, but not legally binding Used frequently throughout American history Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Executive Orders Formal directives that are just as strong as laws and can be challenged in the courts Used frequently throughout American history Executive Order 9066 might be the most famous one issued (FDR) Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

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 Boxes of newly released files from Richard M. Nixon's presidential papers Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Budget and Spending Power Congress appropriates, presidents spend Impoundment Line-item veto (ruled unconstitutional) Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidential Powers: Commander-in-Chief President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but Congress is charged with declaring wars “Presidential prerogative” versus War Powers Act Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

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. Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidents as Agenda Setters National Security Policy Economic Policy Social Policy Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

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 Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidents as Persuaders Instead of persuading lawmakers face-to-face, presidents can use their “bully pulpit” to sway public opinion Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Presidential Approval Ratings Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Judging Presidents History tends to judge wars as the most significant test of a president’s leadership 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 Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Three models for running the White House staff Competitive Hierarchical Collegial Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The Executive Office of the President Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

Departments of Defense, Justice, State, and Treasury The Cabinet The Cabinet Advisory council for the president, consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president The Inner Cabinet Departments of Defense, Justice, State, and Treasury Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman

The Cabinet President, vice president, heads of the 15 executive departments, and several others chosen by president Has always been loosely designated Typically does not have as much influence over the president as does the White House staff Copyright 2009 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman