1. Chapter Nine
The Presidency

2. Does presidential character influence how he does his job?
Enduring Questions
Did the Founding Fathers want the president to be stronger or weaker than Congress?
Does presidential character influence how he does his job?
Should we abolish the Electoral College?
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3. Presidents and Prime Ministers
Characteristics of parliaments
Differences between presidential and parliamentary systems
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4. Powers of the President
Formal powers listed in Article II
Greatest source of power in politics and public opinion
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5. Evolution of the Presidency
Delegates feared both anarchy and monarchy
Establishing the legitimacy of the presidency required three things
The Jacksonian Period (1829–1837)
Reemergence of Congress (1837–1930s)
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6. Executive Office of the President The Cabinet
The Modern Presidency
The White House Office
Executive Office of the President
The Cabinet
Independent agencies, commissions, and judgeships
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7. Table 9.1: The Cabinet Departments
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8. Who Gets Appointed? President knows few nominees personally
Most nominees have had federal experience
President considers important voting blocs and interest groups
Tension or rivalry between department heads and White House staff
Popularity and influence
The decline in popularity
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9. Figure 9.1: Presidential Popularity
Source: Thomas E. Cronin, The State of the Presidency. Copyright © 1975 by Thomas E. Cronin. Reprinted by permission of Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc. Updated with Gallup poll data,
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10. Figure 9.2: Percentage of Roll-Call Votes in Congress in Which the Side Publicly Favored by the President Won
Source: Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, various years.
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11. Presidential Character
Personality affects White House organization and public judgment
Presidential personalities: Eisenhower to George W. Bush
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12. Washington to Clinton, less than 4% of vetoes overridden by Congress
The Power to Say No
Washington to Clinton, less than 4% of vetoes overridden by Congress
Executive privilege
Impoundment of funds
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13. The President’s Program
Putting together a program
Measuring success
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14. Presidential Transitions
Few presidents serve two terms; Twenty- Second Amendment (1951) limits terms to two
The vice-president
Problems of succession
Impeachment
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15. The President and Public Policy
The president and foreign affairs
Four foreign policy agencies support president
President does have foreign policy constraints
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16. The President and Public Policy
Has Congress been “usurping” foreign policy powers since the early 1970s?
Strongest check on president continues to be public opinion
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17. The President and Economic Policy
Public more critical of president’s economic policy than foreign policy
President has less control over economy than foreign affairs
Key economic advisers to president
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18. The President and Economic Policy
Federal Reserve Board
Budget process
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19. Reconsidering the Enduring Questions
Did the Founding Fathers want the president to be stronger or weaker than Congress?
Does presidential character influence how he does his job?
Should we abolish the Electoral College?
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