Chapter 14 The Presidency AP Government

What have presidents relied more on since FDR? Why?

relied more and more on prepared speeches from which political errors can be removed in advance.

How did the clean water acts of 1979 and 1990 come about?

the 1990 Clean Air Act, like the 1970 Clean Air Act before it, was born and bred mainly by congressional, not presidential, action.

What president had the highest number of total vetoes? Specify the number. What presidents had the second and third highest number of total vetoes? Specify the number.

1) FDR with 635. 2) Cleveland with 413. 3) Truman with 250

How many presidential vetoes have been cast between Washington and Obama?

From George Washington to Barack Obama, more than 2,500 presidential vetoes were cast.

What happens to a bill which isnt signed or vetoed within 10 days while Congress is still in session?

A bill not signed or vetoed within 10 days while Congress is still in session becomes law automatically, without the president's approval.

How can Congress override a veto message?

A bill returned to Congress with a veto message can be passed over the president's objections if at least two-thirds of each house votes to override the veto.

What did a federal prosecutor seek in 1974? What did the Supreme Court rule in United States v. Nixon? What would not be "absolute?"

A federal special prosecutor sought tape recordings of White House conversations between President Nixon and his advisers as part of his investigation of the Watergate scandal. In the case of United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court, by a vote of 8 to 0 held that while there may be a sound basis for the claim of executive privilege, especially where sensitive military or diplomatic matters are involved, there is no "absolute unqualified Presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances."

Describe the "football" carried by a military aid to the president.

A military aide to the president carries a leather briefcase containing the classified nuclear war plan, popularly known as the "football," up the steps of Air Force One.

What is the difference between a prime ministers relationship to the legislative and the president's relationship to the legislative?

A prime minister's party (or coalition) always has a majority in parliament; if it did not, somebody else would be prime minister. A president's party often does not have a congressional majority; instead, Congress often is controlled by the opposite party, creating a divided government.

What did Congress do after lincoln's presidency,

After Lincoln, Congress reasserted its power and became, during Reconstruction and for many decades thereafter, the principal federal institution.

What did Alexander Hamilton call for? What was the reaction to this suggestion? What was James Wilson's plan?

Alexander Hamilton strongly urged the exact opposite: in a five-hour speech, he called for something very much like an elective monarchy, patterned in some respects after the British kind. No one paid much attention to this plan or even, at first, to the more modest (and ultimately successful) suggestion of James Wilson for a single, elected president.

Describe the view of the leading spokesman for Washington's first administration.

Alexander Hamilton was Washington's secretary of the treasury (and was sympathetic to the urban commercial interests), and Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state (and more inclined toward rural, small-town, and farming views).

In the 18th century, how did Americans view human nature, and what did they believe about govt and presidency?

Americans in the late 18 th century were sufficiently suspicious of human nature and sufficiently experienced in the arts of mischievous government to believe that a president, once elected, would arrange to stay in office in perpetuity by resorting to bribery, intrigue, and force.

What had been the state's of executive privilege for almost 200 years? How did the Supreme Court act?

For almost 200 years, there was no serious challenge to the claim of presidential confidentiality. The Supreme Court did not require the disclosure of confidential communications to or from the president.

What altered relations between the president and congress during Jackson's term (1829-1837)?

At a time roughly corresponding to the presidency of Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), broad changes began to occur in American politics. These changes, together with the personality of Jackson himself, altered the relations between the president and Congress and the nature of presidential leadership.

How can small populated states help in the elections vote count? Use South Dakota as an example.

But the electoral college can also help small states. South Dakota, for example, has 3 electoral votes (about 0.5 percent of the total), even though it casts only about 0.3 percent of the popular vote. South Dakota and other small states are thus overrepresented in the electoral college.

What did Congress decide about the president? What was Eisenhower given?

Congress decided that not until after a president was dead might his likeness appear on a coin or on currency; no president until Eisenhower was given a pension on his retirement.

How did Congress treat the initiatives of presidents until the 1930s? List the presidents.

Congress ignored the initiatives of such presidents as Grover Cleveland, Rutherford Hayes, Chester Arthur, and Calvin Coolidge.

Describe congress at this time. With what was it struggling?

Congress was the leading institution, struggling, unsuccessfully, with slavery and sectionalism.

List and explain two grounds for a presidential claim of executive privilege.

First, the doctrine of the separation of powers means that one branch of government does not have the right to inquire into the internal workings of another branch headed by constitutionally named officers. Second, the principles of statecraft and of prudent administration require that the president have the right to obtain confidential and candid advice from subordinates;

Where was George H. W. Bush's executive experience taken from? What about Clinton's and George W. Bush's?

George H. W. Bush had had a great deal of executive experience in Washington—as vice president, director of the CIA, and representative to China, whereas Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both served as governors.

How did governor Morris of Pennsylvania evaluate the power of the president?

Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania put the problem of the presidency this way: "Make him too weak: the Legislature will usurp his powers. Make him too strong: he will usurp on the Legislature."

Describe Grover Cleveland as president. How many vetoes did he cast?

Grover Cleveland was a strong personality, but for all his efforts he was able to do little more than veto bills that he did not like. He cast 414 vetoes—

At what period of time in the U.S history did Jackson strike out against policies that he did not like? How many states were now in the union?

He did not initiate many new policies, but he struck out against the ones he did not like. He did so at a time when the size of the electorate was increasing rapidly, and new states, especially in the West, had entered the Union. (There were then 24 states in the Union,

From where does a prime minister of Britain choose almost all of his/her cabinet ministers? What does a prime minister exercise as a result?

He or she chooses heir cabinet from parliament. (add)

What happens when no presidential candidate wins the majority in the electoral college? What happens if there is a tie in the state's delegation?

If no candidate wins a majority, the House of Representatives chooses the president from among the three leading candidates, with each state casting one vote. By House rules, each state's vote is allotted to the candidate preferred by a majority of the state's House delegation. If there is a tie within a delegation, that state's vote is not counted.

What happens when the Parliament has two major parties? What happens when the parliament has many parties?

If the parliament has only two major parties, the ministers usually will be chosen from the majority party; if there are many parties (as in Israel), several parties may participate in a coalition cabinet.

How does a pocket veto work? Under what circumstances can a pocket veto be used? Explain.

If the president does not sign the bill within 10 days and Congress has adjourned within that time, then the bill will not become law. Obviously, a pocket veto can be used only during a certain time of the year—just before Congress adjourns at the end of its second session.

What would happen if the U.S relied just on the popular vote? What would be encouraged? Provide example.

If we relied just on the popular vote, there might have to be a runoff election among the two leading candidates if neither got a majority because third-party candidates won a lot of votes. This would encourage the formation of third parties (we might have a Jesse Jackson party, a Pat Buchanan party, a Pat Robertson party, and a Ralph Nader party).

What did Americans suspect about the office if the president in 1787-1789?

In 1787-1789, some Americans suspected that the president, by being able to command the state militia, would use the militia to overpower state governments.

What happened in Congress when Kennedy won the presidential election in 1960?

Kennedy won in 1960, but the Democrats lost seats in the House and gained but one in the Senate.

List the dates, the presidential candidates, and the circumstances in which the electoral college didn't decide two presidential contests.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the electoral college because of a defect in the language of the Constitution—each state cast two electoral votes, without indicating which was for president and which for vice president. (Burr was supposed to be vice president, and after much maneuvering he was.) This problem was corrected by the Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804. The only House decision under the modern system was in 1824, when it chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and William H. Crawford, even though Jackson had more electoral votes (and probably more popular votes) than his rivals.

How is the chief executive hosed in a parliamentary system?

In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is the chief executive. The prime minister is chosen not by the voters but by the legislature,

What do about 1/4 of all voters do in a typical presidential election? Explain.

In a typical presidential election, about one-fourth of all voters will vote for one party's candidate for president and the other party's candidate for Congress. As a result, about one-fourth of all congressional districts will be represented in the House by a person who does not belong to the party of the president who carried that district.

What became the general rule of "fitness" for appointing people to government positions?

In appointing people to federal office, a general rule of "fitness" emerged: those appointed should have some standing in their communities and be well thought of by their neighbors.

How was the governor chosen in eight states and how was he limited in ten states? How were New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut different?

In eight states, the governor actually was chosen by the legislature, and in ten states, the governor could not serve more than one year. Only in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut did governors have much power or serve for any length of time.

What did LB Johnson enjoy? What weakened him?

In the legendary "first hundred days" of his presidency, from March to June 1933, FDR obtained from a willing Congress a vast array of new laws creating new agencies and authorizing new powers.

What has congress done increasingly since the 1930s?

Increasingly since the 1930s, Congress has passed laws that confer on the executive branch broad grants of authority to achieve some general goals, leaving it up to the president and his deputies to define the regulations and programs that will actually be put into effect.

How many acts of congress did Jackson veto? Explain.

Jackson vetoed 12 acts of Congress, more than all his predecessors combined and more than any subsequent president until Andrew Johnson 30 years later.

How did James Wilson of Pennsylvania want the president to be chosen? What about roger sherman of connecticut? Did wilson get any support? Explain.

James Wilson of Pennsylvania wanted the president to be elected by the people, Roger Sherman of Connecticut wanted him elected by Congress. Wilson's view got almost no support because the size of the United States (in 1787 it was as large as England, Ireland, France, Germany, and Italy combined) made it unlikely that anybody save George Washington could obtain a popular majority.

List five policies that Lincoln carried out without the approval of congress. How did Lincoln justify these actions?

Lincoln raised an army, spent money, blockaded southern ports, temporarily suspended the writ of habeas corpus, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves—all without prior congressional approval.

What did FDR obtain from congress during his first hundred days?

Lyndon Johnson enjoyed a highly productive relationship with Congress; until the Vietnam War sapped his strength, he rarely lost.

What are the qualifications to be U.S. President?

Must be 35 years old, (add)

Describe the 15 heads of cabinet level departments in the first George W. Bush administration?

Of the 15 heads of cabinet-level departments in the first George W. Bush administration, only four had been members of Congress. The rest, as is customary with most presidents, were close personal friends or campaign aides, representatives of important constituencies (for example, farmers, blacks, or women), experts on various policy issues, or some combination of all three.

What was unusual about Lincoln in 1864 and grant in 1872?

Only two candidates (Lincoln in 1864 and Ulysses S. Grant in 1872) received more than 55 percent of the popular vote.

What did Jackson think of himself as being? How did he symbolize this? Explain

President Andrew Jackson thought of himself as the "Tribune of the People," and he symbolized this by throwing a White House party that anyone could attend.

What is the line-term veto? Do presidents have this power? Explain.

Presidents do not have the power, possessed by most governors, to exercise a line-item veto, with which the chief executive can approve some provisions of a bill and disapprove others.

From what groups are prime ministers selected?

Prime ministers are selected from among people already in parliament, and so they are always insiders.

How are republicans divided in geographical terms?

Republicans are themselves divided between conservatives (mainly from the South) and liberals (mainly from the Northeast and Midwest).

How did senator Edward M. Kennedy protest the use of the pocket vero?

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts protested that this was unconstitutional, since a recess is not the same thing as an adjournment.

List 8 powers that the president has alone.

Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces • Commission officers of the armed forces • Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment) • Convene Congress in special sessions • Receive ambassadors • Take care that the laws be faithfully executed • Wield the "executive power" • Appoint officials to lesser offices

What became the principal federal office? Under whose control?

The Treasury Department inevitably became the principal federal office, especially under the strong leadership of Hamilton.

What two things did the delegates to the constitutional convention fear? When the constitution convention met in 1787, how did existing state constitutions distribute power?

The delegates feared anarchy and monarchy in about equal measure. When the Constitutional Convention met, the existing state constitutions gave most, if not all, power to the legislatures.

What is the "Democratic alternative" for the chief executive? List a geographical area and two countries qhwre this alternative exists. What is unusual about France?

The democratic alternative is for the chief executive to be a prime minister, chosen by and responsible to the parliament. This system prevails in most Western European countries as well as in Israel and Japan. There is no nation with a purely presidential political system in Europe; France combines a directly elected president with a prime minister and parliament.

Describe George Washington's first cabinet.

The first cabinet: left to right, Secretary of War Henry Knox, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Attorney General Edmund Randolph, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and President George Washington.

List and describe the three audiences that a president's persuasive powers are aimed at.

The first, and often the most important, is his Washington, D.C., audience of fellow politicians and leaders. A second audience is composed of party activists and officeholders outside Washington—the partisan grassroots. The third audience is "the public."

What is the greatest source of presidential power?

The greatest source of presidential power, however, is not found in the Constitution at all but in politics and public opinion.

Explain why "unified government" is something of a myth? If the president and the majority of congress are of the same party, is cooperation automatic? Explain. Provide examples.

The main reason is that "unified government" is something of a myth. Just because the Republicans control both the presidency and Congress does not mean that the Republican president and the Republican senators and representatives will see things the same way.

What is the object of presidential talk?

The object of all this talk is to convert personal popularity into congressional support for the president's legislative programs (and improve chances for re-election).

Under what circumstances does a unified government exist? Provide examples of when this was true.

The only time there really is a unified government is when not just the same party but the same ideological wing of that party is in effective control of both branches of government. This was true in 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt was president and change-oriented Democrats controlled Congress, and it was true again in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson and liberal Democrats dominated Congress.

What is the electoral college ?

The people chosen to cast each state's votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has. The District of Columbia has three electoral votes, even though it cannot elect a representative or senator.

How was the presidency kept? What was Washington's attitude toward the presidency?

The presidency was kept modest. Washington clearly had not sought the office and did not relish the exercise of its then modest powers.

In what two ways can the president enlarge his power?

The president can use his national constituency and ceremonial duties to enlarge his power,

Describe the president's authority as commander in chief, especially in wartime.

The president's authority as commander in chief has grown—especially, but not only, in wartime—to encompass not simply the direction of the military forces, but also the management of the economy and the direction of foreign affairs as well.

What was become one of the "most elastic phrases of the Constitution?" Provide two examples of a broad interpretation of this phrase.

The president's duty to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" has become one of the most elastic phrases in the Constitution. By interpreting this broadly, Grover Cleveland was able to use federal troops to break a labor strike in the 1890s, and Dwight Eisenhower was able to send troops to help integrate a public school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957.

How long does a prime minister remain in power?

The prime minister remains in power as long as his or her party has a majority of the seats in the legislature or as long as the coalition he or she has assembled holds together.

What were the real sources of the expansion of presidential power?

The real sources of the expansion of presidential power—the president's role in foreign affairs, his ability to shape public opinion, his position as head of the executive branch, and his claims to have certain "inherent" powers by virtue of his office—were hardly predictable in 1787.

What is executive privilege?

The right to withhold information that Congress may want to obtain from the president or his subordinates, and some presidents have tried to impound funds appropriated by Congress.

How many total electoral votes are there? How many does a candidate need to become president?

There are 538 electoral votes. To win, a candidate must receive at least half, or 270 .

What article of the constitution sets forth the majority of the powers of the president? What two sorts of power are there?

These are mostly set forth in Article II of the Constitution and are of two sorts: those he can exercise in his own right without formal legislative approval, and those that require the consent of the Senate or of Congress as a whole.

What did Thomas Jefferson wage?

Thomas Jefferson, who while president waged undeclared war against various North African pirates.

Unlike the prime minister, what can the president not command?

Though the president, unlike a prime minister, cannot command an automatic majority in the legislature,

What happens to the electoral vote count of a candidate who wins ten of the largest populated states, how far is thus from a presidential victory?

Today a candidate who carries the 10 largest states wins 256 electoral votes, only 14 short of a presidential victory.

What were the following presidents hurt by?

Truman was hurt by improprieties among his subordinates and by the protracted Korean War; Johnson was crippled by the increasing unpopularity of the Vietnam War; Nixon was severely damaged by the Watergate scandal; Ford was hurt by having pardoned Nixon for his part in Watergate; Carter was weakened by continuing inflation, staff irregularities, and the Iranian kidnapping of American hostages; George H. W. Bush was harmed by an economic recession. George W. Bush suffered from public criticism of the war in Iraq.

What does the Constitution state about sitting members of Congress?

Under the Constitution, no sitting member of Congress can hold office in the executive branch.

What was Washington's reaction to the senate like? What did he declare about his experience?

Washington appeared before the Senate to ask its advice on a proposed treaty with some Indian tribes. He got none and instead was politely told that the Senate would like to consider the matter in private. He declared that he would be "damned if he ever went there again," and he never did. Thus ended the responsibility of the Senate to "advise" the president.

What was Washington's view of political parties? What did many people believe?

Washington spoke out strongly against political parties, and though parties soon emerged, there was a stigma attached to them: many people believed that it was wrong to take advantage of divisions in the country, to organize deliberately to acquire political office, or to make legislation depend upon party advantage.

What was the status of JFK's party when he was president? How was JFK frustrated? What happened during JFK's last year in office?

When Kennedy was president, his party, the Democrats, held a big majority in the House and the Senate. Yet Kennedy was frustrated by his inability to get Congress to approve proposals to enlarge civil rights, supply federal aid for school construction, create a Department of Urban Affairs and Housing, or establish a program of subsidized medical care for the elderly. During his last year in office, Congress passed only about one-fourth of his proposals.

List the presidents who attempted to use their power against congress. What was the presidency for a hundred years?

With the end of Jackson's second term, Congress quickly reestablished its power, and except for the wartime presidency of Lincoln and brief flashes of presidential power under James Polk (1845-1849) and Grover Cleveland (1885-1889, 1893-1897), the presidency for a hundred years was the subordinate branch of the national government.

What was W. Wilson the first president to do in 1913?

Woodrow Wilson in 1913 was the first president since John Adams to deliver personally the State of the Union address, and he was one of the first to develop and argue for a presidential legislative program.

When is a president's popularity the highest? What is this period called? Why?

a president's popularity tends to be highest right after an election, political commentators like to speak of a "honeymoon," during which, presumably, the president's love affair with the people and with Congress can be consummated.

What are "faithless electors?"

an elector will vote for a presidential candidate other than the one who carried the state.

What is a president's popularity associated with in statistical terms?

associated with the proportion of legislative proposals approved by Congress

What is the Bully pulpit and how does the president use it?

bully pulpit is The president's use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public.

Explain the difference between a divided give and unified government?

divided government is One party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress and a unified government is The same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress.

What did divided governments produce in 1948 & 1986?

divided governments produced the 1948 Marshall Plan to rebuild war-torn Europe and the 1986 Tax Reform Act.

How were electors chosen by the electoral college? Where would electors meet and what would they do?

each of the states would select electors in whatever manner it wished. The electors would then meet in each state capital and vote for president and vice president.

How many electoral votes does each state get? What about DC?

each state gets electoral votes equal to the number of its senators and representatives (the District of Columbia also gets 3

What does Gridlock present the government from doing?

gridlock is The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government.

What did Lincoln make use of during the civil war?

he made unprecedented use of the vague powers in Article II of the Constitution, especially those that he felt were "implied" or "inherent" in the phrase "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and in the express authorization for him to act as commander-in-chief.

What was Jackson opposed to? What did he want to return to?

he was opposed to a large and powerful federal government and wished to return somehow to the agrarian simplicities of Jefferson's time, was nonetheless a believer in a strong and independent presidency.

What did a senate committee explicitly accept in 1962?

in 1962, a Senate committee explicitly accepted a claim by President Kennedy that his secretary of defense, Robert S. McNamara, was not obliged to divulge the identity of Defense Department officials who had censored certain speeches by generals and admirals.

Describe the election of 200. What was the discrepancy between popular and electoral votes?

in the 2000 presidential election, Florida's electoral vote hung in the balance for weeks, with Bush finally winning it and (though he had fewer popular votes than Al Gore) the presidency.

How do candidates win a state's electoral vote? What are the exceptions? Explain

the candidate who wins the most popular votes wins all of the state's electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska have a different system. They allow electoral votes to be split by awarding some votes on the basis of a candidate's statewide total and some on the basis of how the candidate did in each congressional district.

When did the presidency become powerful in the past (before 1930)?

the presidency became powerful only during a national crisis (the Civil War, World War I) or because of an extraordinary personality (Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson).

Except for the administration of T. Roosevelt and W. Wilson, what was the president until the new deal?

the president was, until the New Deal, at best a negative force—a source of opposition to Congress, not a source of initiative and leadership for it.

Why is the veto power a substantial one? List four presidents who made extensive use the veto.

the veto power is a substantial one, because Congress rarely has the votes to override it. Cleveland, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower made the most extensive use of vetoes,

How does a president utilize a veto message? Explain.

veto message is A message from the president to Congress stating that he will not sign a bill it has passed. Must be produced within 10 days of the bill's passage.

What power does the president share with congress as a whole?

• Approve legislation

List 2 powers that the president shares with the senate.

• Make treaties • Appoint ambassadors, judges, and high officials