HOW POWERFUL IS THE PRESIDENT?

PATTERNS TO PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL?

The modern President’s role (Gene Healy “The Cult of the President”) The chief executive of the United States is no longer a mere constitutional officer charged with faithful execution of the laws. He is a soul nourisher, a hope giver, a living American talisman against hurricanes, terrorism, economic downturns, and spiritual malaise. He—or she—is the one who answers the phone at 3 a.m. to keep our children safe from harm. The modern president is America’s shrink, a social worker, our very own national talk show host. He’s also the Supreme Warlord of the Earth.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MANY PARADOXES OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER? We want a powerful president but usually will not create a powerful presidency We believe that the presidency is both too strong and too weak… depending on the circumstances and whether our side is in control We want common but perfect presidents We want compassionate but ruthless presidents We want non-partisan presidents for an office whose only powers derive from being political We want a unifying president, yet one who will take stands We want a powerful president who is not arrogant and yet who is decisive What it takes to be a good president differs from what it takes to be elected

HOW STRONG WERE PRESIDENTS SUPPOSED TO BE (WHAT DID THE FOUNDERS GIVE THEM)? How did presidents used to act? The veto (?); line-item veto? Court and cabinet appointments with Senate advice and consent What does it really mean to be “commander and chief”? Recognizes foreign diplomats and makes treaties Control over federal lands Grants pardons

WHAT POWERS DO MODERN PRESIDENTS HAVE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF DELEGATION AND EXTRACONSTITUTIONALISM? How do Presidents represent us internationally? How do other countries do this? Why is recruiting and personnel management (for the cabinet and bureaucracy) so important? How do other democracies do this? How do elections, television, & the State of the Union allow the president to set the policy agenda? Why does it matter that Presidents are also the leaders of their party? Do Presidents uphold all law or just the part they like? Statutory interpretation, selective enforcement, and public law suits Why do we allow executive orders to be “decrees” that allow Presidents to make major foreign and domestic policies?

WHAT POWERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO PRESIDENTS BY CONGRESS? Why Congress give their powers away (again): Expertise, the blame game, to overcome coordination issues, presidents and national mandates, & so they can focus on elections Managing the economy: Budgets and the OMB Why do weak presidents always seem to turn to foreign policy? Crisis management & The War Powers Act Regulatory discretion: EPA, OSHA, and trade certification for example Fast track trade powers Foreign affairs and embedded discretion for presidents: Example drugs and terrorism

WHAT MAKES A PRESIDENT GREAT… OR NOT?

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER? What makes some presidents great? Individual variables Elite persuasion and management skills The rhetorical presidency & “going public” Rhetorical skills and political capital Benjamin Barber’s typology of pres. personalities: Active/Passive (energy); Positive/Negative (attitude) Contextual variables The rise of the imperial presidency in the 20 th C. State thickening over time Political time, crises, and realignments Institutional variables Who controls Congress and how much power are they willing to give away? What do the Courts look like?

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