The Presidency

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The Presidency
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The Presidents

• Great Expectations
• Americans want a president who is powerful and
  who can do good
• Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and
  Kennedy.
• But at the same time, they dont want the
  president to get too powerful since we are
  individualistic and skeptical of authority.
• Nixon
• Clinton

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The Presidents

• Who They Are
• Formal Requirements
• Must be 35 years old
• Must be a natural-born citizen
• Must have resided in U.S. for 14 years
• Informal Requirements
• White, Male, Protestant (except one JFK)
• All manner of professions, but mostly political
  ones (former state governors, for example)

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• 22nd amendment established 2 terms/10 years
• Govnt experience (law)
• Moderate viewpoints
• Male
• Lonely job

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Salary and Benefits

• Determined by Congress
• 400,000 salary/50,000 expenses/120,000 travel
  entertainment
• Air Force One
• Free medical, dental, healthcare
• White House (132 room mansion) swimming pool,
  bowling alley
• 80 domestic staff
• Retirement Pension - 151,800 office staff -
  150,000 (former first ladies - 20,000)

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• 25th amendment (1967)
• Order
• VP
• Speaker of the House
• Pres. Pro-temp of the Senate
• Cabinet Offices (secretaries)
• Garfield, FDR, JFK, Harding all died in office
• Disability
• Pres informs Congress (vp takes over)
• VP and majority of Cabinet indicate if president
  is disabled

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Vice-President

• 2 duties
• President over Senate (vote in case of tie)
• Helps decide if pres is disabled and acts as pres
  should that happen
• Other duties vary
• Recently given more power and responsibility (ex
  Cheney)

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The Presidents
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The Presidents

• How They Got There
• Elections The Normal Road to the White House
• Once elected, the president gets a term of four
  years.
• In 1951, the 22nd Amendment limited the number of
  terms to two.
• Most Presidents have been elected to office.

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The Presidents

• How They Got There
• Succession and Impeachment
• Vice-President succeeds if the president leaves
  office due to death, resignation, or removal.
• Impeachment is investigated by the House, and if
  impeached, tried by the Senate with the Chief
  Justice presiding.
• Only two presidents have been impeached A.
  Johnson Clinton - neither was convicted.
• The 25th Amendment clarifies what happens if the
  president becomes disabled.

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The Presidents
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System of Electing the President

• Elector - a member of a political party chosen by
  a popular vote in each state to formally elect
  the pres and vp
• Electoral vote - official vote for pres and vp by
  electors in each state
• of electors per state of representatives
  of senators per state

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• Must win 270 of 538 votes (majority)
• Elections 2000
• If no one candidate wins majority than outcome
  determined by House of Rep. (ex 1800 -
  Jefferson, 1824 - John Quincy Adams)
• Winner take all system
• Widely debated
• Electoral votes vs. popular votes

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BUSH/ CHENEY 271 electoral vote 50,456,062 popular vote
GORE/ LIBERMAN 266 electoral vote 50,996,582 popular vote
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Presidential Office

• 20th amendment
• Changed the month the president takes office from
  March to January
• Noon on January 20th

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Presidential Powers
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PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP

• Head of State
• Represent nation
• Ceremonial duties
• Light tree
• Host dignitaries
• Meet public figures
• Chief Executive
• Carries out laws of Congress
• Executive orders - rules that have the force of
  law
• Grant reprieve
• Grant pardon
• amnesty

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• Chief Legislator
• Propose legislation to Congress
• State of Union address
• Work with members of Congress
• Veto power
• Economic Planner
• Employment Act of 1946 (annual economic report,
  council of Economic Advisors)
• Prepare federal budget

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• Party Leader
• Help in election of members
• Fund raising
• Appointing party members (patronage)
• Conflict of interest?
• Chief Diplomat
• Directs foreign policy
• Struggle with Congress over power
• Make treaties
• Make executive agreements
• Recognition of foreign governments
• Commander in Chief
• Power to make war
• Military operation and strategy
• Operations at home

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Limitations on power

• Congress - override veto by 2/3 vote (Ex War
  Powers Act - Nixons veto 1973)
• Congress - impeach pres (Andrew Johnson, Bill
  Clinton - acquitted)
• Supreme Court - Marbury v. Madison 1803
• Some of FDRs new deal legislation was ruled
  unconstitutional
• Schechter Poultry Corp vs. U.S.
• Richard Nixons White House Tapes
• Bureaucracy - intentional and unintentional
• Fail to provide info, misinterpret instructions
• Public opinion
• War, economic state, moral character
• Mass media

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Executive Privilege

• Right of pres to refuse to testify before, or to
  provide info to Congress or a court
• US v. Nixon (1974)
• Nixon secretly taped conversations with key aides
  about Watergate coverup
• SC ruled that Nixon had to surredner tapes to
  special prosecutor investigating scandal
• Question remains How far does executive
  privilege extend?

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Presidential Powers

• The Expansion of Power
• Presidents may develop new roles for the office
• Presidents may expand the power of the office
• Perspectives on Presidential Power
• Through the 50s 60s a powerful President was
  perceived as good.
• From the 70s on, presidential power was checked
  and distrusted by the public.

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Running the GovernmentThe Chief Executive

• The Vice President
• Basically just waits for things to do
• Recent presidents have given their VPs important
  jobs
• The Cabinet
• Presidential advisors, not in Constitution
• Is made up of the top executives of the Federal
  Departments, confirmed by the Senate
• Pres, VP, 14 secretaries (dept. heads), top
  officials
• President Bush's Cabinet

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Running the Government The Chief Executive
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Cabinet Secretary Characteristics

• Presidential advisors
• secretaries head each major executive dept
• Must please many (political party, Congress,
  interest groups)
• Experience in area
• Satisfaction of interest groups (ex education
  NEA)
• NEA About NEA

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• Administrative skills (large departments)
• Background (college grads, advanced degrees,
  leaders in field)
• Salary 161,200 (often sacrifice for public
  service)

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Nomination and Confirmation

• List made by pres
• Names may be leaked to assess views of public,
  Congress, interest groups
• Confirmation hearings before committee that
  oversees particular dept
• 2/3 vote of Senate

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Role of Cabinet

• Head of dept
• Advisor to pres
• Most Cabinets are sounding boards more than
  advisors
• Inner cabinet (state, defense, treasury, Attorney
  General) more influential

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Limits of Cabinet

• Conflicting loyalties (pres, career employees,
  Congress, interest groups)
• Internal disputes (between secretaries - fight
  for control disagree with pres)
• Secrecy and trust issues
• Pres often turns to Executive Office instead

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Running the GovernmentThe Chief Executive

• The Executive Office
• Made up of several policymaking and advisory
  bodies
• Three principle groups NSC, CEA, OMB

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Running the GovernmentThe Chief Executive

• The White House Staff
• Chief aides and staff for the president - some
  are more for the White House than the president
• Presidents rely on their information and effort
• The First Lady
• No official government position, but many get
  involved politically
• Recent ones focus on a single issue

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (EOP)

• Individuals and agencies that directly assist the
  pres
• Gather info advise pres help implement decisions

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Executive Office Agencies

• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
• Largest
• Prepares pres budget to Congress
• Reviews budgets of agencies
• Central clearance - review all legislative
  proposals

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• National Security Council (NSC)
• Created in 1974
• Coordinate military and foreign policy
• Pres, vp, sec of state, sec of defense, other
  advisors
• National security advisor directs staff
• National Security Council

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• National Economic Council
• Created in 1946
• Helps pres formulate natl economic policy
• 3 top economists - 60 other economists,
  attorneys, political scientists
• Assesses econ health, future econ conditions,
  aids other agencies
• Proposes solutions to problems
• Lawrence B. Lindsey

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Running the Government The Chief Executive

• Principal Offices in the White House (Figure
  13.2)

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White House Office

• Pres appoints (withOUT approval of Senate)
• Often long time personal supporters
• Inner circle
• Chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, White
  House counsel, press sec
• Press staff (headed by press sec)
• Handles relations with White House press corp
• Press conferences
• Public statements

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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers

• Chief Legislator
• Veto Sending a bill back to Congress with his
  reasons for rejecting it. Can be overridden.
• Pocket Veto Letting a bill die by not signing it
  - only works when Congress is adjourned.
• Line Item Veto The ability to veto parts of a
  bill. Some state governors have it, but not the
  president.
• Vetoes are most used to prevent legislation.

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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers
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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers

• Party Leadership
• The Bonds of Party
• The psychological bond of being in the
  presidents party
• Slippage in Party Support
• Presidents cannot always count on party support,
  especially on controversial issues
• Leading the Party
• Presidents can offer party candidates support and
  punishment by withholding favors.
• Presidential coattails occur when voters cast
  their ballots for congressional candidates of the
  presidents party because they support the
  president.

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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers
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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers
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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers

• Public Support
• Public Approval
• Operates mostly in the background
• Public approval gives the president leverage, not
  command
• Mandates
• Perception that the voters strongly support the
  presidents character and policies
• Mandates are infrequent, but presidents may claim
  a mandate anyway

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Presidential Leadership of Congress The Politics
of Shared Powers

• Legislative Skills
• Variety of forms bargaining, making personal
  appeals, consulting with Congress, setting
  priorities, etc.
• Most important is bargaining with Congress.
• Presidents can use their honeymoon period to
  their advantage.
• Nations key agenda builder

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The President and National Security Policy

• Chief Diplomat
• Negotiates treaties with other countries
• Treaties must be approved by the Senate
• Use executive agreements to take care of routine
  matters with other countries
• May negotiate for peace between other countries
• Lead U.S. allies in defense economic issues

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The President and National Security Policy

• Commander in Chief
• Writers of the constitution wanted civilian
  control of the military
• Presidents often make important military
  decisions
• Presidents command a standing military and
  nuclear arsenal - unthinkable 200 years ago

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The President and National Security Policy

• War Powers
• Constitution gives Congress the power to declare
  war, but presidents can commit troops and
  equipment in conflicts
• War Powers Resolution was intended to limit the
  presidents use of the military - but may be
  unconstitutional
• Presidents continue to test the limits of using
  the military in foreign conflicts

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The President and National Security Policy

• Crisis Manager
• A crisis is a sudden, unpredictable, and
  potentially dangerous event.
• The role the president plays can help or hurt the
  presidential image.
• With current technology, the president can act
  much faster than Congress to resolve a crisis.
• Working with Congress
• President has lead role in foreign affairs.
• Presidents still have to work with Congress for
  support and funding of foreign policies.

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Presidential Isolation

• Staff members are reluctant to voice criticism of
  the pres
• Disagreement with the pres can sometimes lead to
  limited access to the pres
• Top staffers control access to the pres

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Power from the PeopleThe Public Presidency

• Going Public
• Public support is perhaps the greatest source of
  influence a president has.
• Presidential appearances are staged to get the
  publics attention.
• As head of state, presidents often perform many
  ceremonial functions, which usually result in
  favorable press coverage.

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Power from the PeopleThe Public Presidency

• Presidential Approval
• Receives much effort by the White House
• Product of many factors predispositions,
  honeymoon
• Changes can highlight good / bad decisions

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Power from the People The Public Presidency

• Average Presidential Approval for Entire Terms in
  Office (Figure 13.4)

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Power from the PeopleThe Public Presidency

• Policy Support
• Being an effective speaker is important.
• The public may still miss the message.
• Mobilizing the Public
• The president may need to get the public to
  actually act by contacting Congress.
• Difficult to do since public opinion and
  political action are needed.

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The President and the Press

• Presidents and media are often adversaries due to
  different goals
• Many people in the White House deal with the
  media, but the press secretary is the main
  contact person
• Media are often more interested in the person,
  not the policies
• News coverage has become more negative

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Understanding the American Presidency

• The Presidency and Democracy
• There are still concerns over the president
  having too much power.
• Others argue there are too many checks and
  balances on the president.
• The Presidency and the Scope of Government
• Some presidents have increased the functions of
  government.