1. The presidency
Chapter 13

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Learning Objectives
13.1 Outline the requirements to serve as president 13.2 Identify the powers of the president and explain how they are limited 13.3 Describe the growth of executive influence 13.4 Analyze why the president is so powerful during wartime 13.5 Summarize how the White House is organized 13.6 Assess presidential greatness
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3. Presidential Qualifications
Constitutional Eligibility and Presidential Succession
Natural-born citizen
At least 35 years old
Resident of U.S. for at least 14 years
Twenty-fifth/Twenty-second amendments
Lame duck
lame duck:
Term limited official in his or her last term of office.
The Twenty-fifth Amendment provided for replacement of vice-president and temporary transfer of power in case of incapacity of president. The Twenty-second Amendment limits the president to two elected terms
Key Questions
How do term limits make the president less responsive to public opinion?
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4. Presidential Qualifications
Background and Experience
Kennedy first non-Protestant
Obama first non-white
Most have military or legislative service
The Expansion of the Presidency
Imperial presidency
imperial presidency:
Power of the president to speak for the nation on the world stage and to set the policy agenda at home.
Key Question
Unlike members of Congress, presidents represent all the people of the United States. How can a president represent all the people?
Key Question
What defines an imperial presidency?
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5. Constitutional Amendments Pertaining to the Presidency
Figure 13.1
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6. Presidential Power: Constitutional Grants and Limits
Commander in Chief
Power to Pardon
Treaties and Recognition of Foreign Nations
With advice and consent of the Senate
Executive and Judicial Nominations
President nominates
Senate approves
commander in chief:
Leader of the armed forces of the United States.
pardon:
Full forgiveness for a crime.
Key Questions
Why is it important that the commander in chief of the U.S. military is a civilian?
Should the president have the power to pardon? What impact does this power have on citizen equality?
Consider the Senate’s power to check the president in making treaties and appointments. What are the costs and benefits of this power sharing in terms of government efficiency and responsiveness?
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Comparison Of Legislative And Executive Authority Under The Constitution
Table 13.3
While the Constitution grants specific legislative authority to Congress, it provides a general grant of authority to the president that does not require specific enumerated grants of power, nor is there an executive equivalent of Article 1, Section 9, which specifically limits congressional authority.
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8. Presidential Power: Constitutional Grants and Limits
Veto and the Veto Override
Pocket veto
Omnibus bills
Entitlement programs
Other Powers
State of the Union address
veto:
Authority of the president to block legislation passed by Congress. Congress can override a veto by a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
pocket veto:
Automatic veto that occurs when Congress goes out of session within ten days of submitting a bill to the president and the president has not signed it.
omnibus bill:
One very large bill that encompasses many separate bills.
entitlement programs:
Federal programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, that pay out benefits to individuals based on a specified set of eligibility criteria.
State of the Union address:
Speech on the condition of the country given by the president to Congress every January.
Key Questions
Have you watched a State of the Union address? What do you think its purpose was? What did you learn from it?
Key Question
How does the veto power give the president influence in the legislative process?
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9. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Presidential Vetoes
Table 13.4
* “President George H. W. Bush attempted to pocket veto two bills during intrasession recesses. Congress considered the two bills enacted into law because the president had not returned the legislation. These two disputed vetoes are not included in [this table].”
Source: Kevin R. Kosar, Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview, CRS Report for Congress, RS22188 (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service, November 18, 2010), 2–4, source for veto information is John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, “Presidential Vetoes: Washington–Obama,” The American Presidency Project, accessed May 1, 2014,
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10. Presidential Power: Constitutional Grants and Limits
Congress’s Ultimate Check on the Executive: Impeachment
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
Richard M. Nixon
Executive privilege
impeachment:
Process whereby the House brings charges against the president or another federal official that will, upon conviction by the Senate, remove him or her from office.
executive privilege:
President’s right to engage in confidential communications with his advisers.
When Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in August 1974, it was the first time in U.S. history that a president had relinquished his office. President Nixon left office under charges of abuse of power arising from a cover-up of the Watergate scandal, which forever changed the nation’s faith in the presidency as a trustworthy institution. Source: Bettmann/Corbis
Key Questions
Think about the impeachments and the near-impeachment described here. What was the basis for impeachment in each case?
What should happen when the president breaks the law?
In a democracy, should the president have executive privilege?
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11. The Growth of Executive Influence
Presidential Directives and Signing Statements
Executive order
Signing statements
Power to Persuade
Bully pulpit
Agenda Setting
Head of state
Key Question
What limits can Congress,
the courts, and/or the
American people place on
the president?
presidential directive:
Official instructions from the president regarding federal policy.
executive order:
Presidential directive that usually involves implementing a specific law.
signing statements:
Written remarks issued by the president when signing a bill into law that often reflect his interpretation of how the law should be implemented.
bully pulpit:
Nickname for the power of the president to use the attention associated with the office to persuade the media, Congress, and the public to support his policy positions.
Head of state
Title given to the president as national leader.
Key Questions
Should the president be subjected to civil lawsuits while he is in office? State the reasons for your answer.
What should be done about the growth of executive power? Is it a problem for checks and balances among the separate branches?
Does the bully pulpit serve as a communication gateway between the president and citizens?
How does the current president use the bully pulpit to generate public support for his ideas?
Has the increased emphasis on job approval ratings strengthened the power of the public to hold the president accountable?
How effective are the president’s agenda-setting tools?
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12. The Growth of Executive Influence
President Theodore Roosevelt was a larger-than-life figure who challenged corporate monopolies, sought to strengthen U.S. international power, and increased federal efforts at land conservation. He was known for using the office of the president as a bully pulpit to persuade the public to support his policies.
Source: Bettmann/Corbis
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13. The Growth of Executive Influence
President John F. Kennedy was completely at ease with the press and held sixty-four press conferences during his time in office. They were televised, and not only White House reporters but also the American public looked forward to the lively exchanges between the press and the president, who was known for his sense of humor and ready wit.
Source: AP Images
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14. The President in Wartime
Power Struggles between the President and Congress
Vietnam and the War Powers Act
The Iraq War
The Afghanistan War
Uprisings in Foreign Lands
War Powers Act:
The 1973 act which provides that the president cannot send troops into military conflict for more than a total of ninety days without seeking a formal declaration of war, or authorization for continued military action, from Congress.
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15. The President in Wartime
Power Struggles between the President and the Judiciary
Lincoln and suspension of habeas corpus
Roosevelt’s internment of Japanese Americans
Bush’s war on terror
Key Questions
What powers should the president have during wartime?
Think about the conduct of war. Who should be in charge? The president? Congress? The military?
How much responsibility should Presidents Bush and Obama assume for the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, respectively? Does Congress have shared responsibility for those conflicts?
What limits should the judiciary impose on presidential actions in wartime? Give examples.
How are acts of terrorism different from or the same as acts of war? How should the president, Congress, and the judiciary respond to terrorist attacks?
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16. The Organization of the Modern White House
The Executive Office of the President
Chief of staff
The Office of the Vice President
The Office of the First Lady
Public advocate on policy issues started with Eleanor Roosevelt
chief of staff:
Person who coordinates and oversees interactions among the president, his personal staff, and his cabinet secretaries.
Key Questions
How does the Executive Office of the President reflect individual management styles?
President Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk that read “The Buck Stops Here.” What did it mean?
What do Americans expect from the first lady? Does her office serve as a gateway for the expression of views on women’s issues?
Key Questions
What constitutional
responsibilities does the
vice president have? What authority should the office have?
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17. The Organization of the Modern White House
Michelle Obama is the first African American first lady, and like Hillary Clinton, she came to the White House from a career as a practicing attorney. She is also the mother of two daughters. The first lady has a wide range of duties as the wife of the president, including hosting dignitaries, overseeing White House events, and advancing important social causes.
Source: AP Images/Haraz N. Ghanbari
As first lady, Michelle Obama kicked off a series of events to promote physical activity and engage children in Let’s Move, a campaign to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. Here she is using a hula hoop to encourage fun exercise.
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18. Presidential Greatness
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933–45): The New Deal and World War II
Altered size and shape of federal government
Created job programs
Expanded government role in regulating economy
Invented the fireside chat
New Deal:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s program for ending the Great Depression through government intervention in the economy and development of a set of safety-net programs for individuals.
Key Questions
Who are two presidents you think should be called great?
What was one of Franklin Roosevelt’s successes and one of his failures?
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19. Presidential Greatness
Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced the worst economic crisis in the nation’s history during the Great Depression. He proposed a series of policies known as the New Deal to provide economic opportunity and financial security in old age for America’s workers. Here people line up for food provided for the unemployed by private organizations.
Source: PhotoQuest/Getty Images
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20. Presidential Greatness
Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963–69): The Great Society and Vietnam
Focused on race relations and ending poverty
Obligation to guarantee civil rights
Lacked communication skills
Relied on negotiation skills
Great Society:
Lyndon Johnson’s program for expanding the federal social welfare programs in health care, education, and housing and for ending poverty.
Key Question
What is one of Lyndon Johnson’s successes, and what is one of his failures?
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21. Presidential Greatness
Lyndon Baines Johnson proposed sweeping changes to the nation’s civil rights laws, as well as domestic health and welfare programs. Here he is seen signing the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964; Dr. Martin Luther King is seen standing behind him.
Source: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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22. Presidential Greatness
Ronald Reagan (1981–89): The Reagan: Revolution and the End of the Cold War
Scaled back federal entitlement programs
Taxes cut/economy would flourish
Tax revenue down/federal deficits created
Firm stand against Soviet Union
Known as the “Great Communicator”
Key Questions
What is one of Ronald Reagan’s successes, and what is one of his failures?
How would you rate the past two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama?
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23. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Here Ronald Reagan is seen at the Brandenburg Gate at the Berlin Wall which separated free West Germany from communist East Germany. It is at this spot that he uttered the famous words, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate; Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
Ronald Reagan was known for his tough foreign policy and pressuring the Soviet Union to withdraw from nations that it had controlled since World War II.
Source: Dennis Brack/Newscom
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24. The Presidency and Democracy
President influenced by voters and Congress
President less accessible to average voter
President considered the political party leader
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25. Gerald Ford's Pardon of Richard Nixon
Click picture to view video
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26. Video Discussion Questions
What were Gerald Ford’s greatest political assets as president?
Did Ford make the right move in pardoning Richard Nixon?
Ford’s public approval ratings were low during his presidency. How do you rank him as president?
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