The Presidency

Define what an executive order is and explain in your own words why this is an important tool of presidential power.

A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law. If congress disagrees but president sees order is fit.

What is the executive office of the president?

Agencies in the executive office report directly to the president and perform staff services for him but are not located in the White House itself.

Be familiar with how the 25th amendment established what to do if the president is disabled and if the office of the Vice Presidency should become vacant. You should also be familiar with what the present line of succession is if the president should die in office.

Allows the Vice President to serve as "acting president" whenever the president declares he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office or whenever the vp and a majority of the cabinet declare that the president is incapacitated. Present line: •Vice President •speaker of the house •president pro tempore •cabinet officials in order of creation -secretary of state ........

Explain the reasons why the president's popularity does and does not have an effect on getting congressional support for his programs.

Does- however Popular he is the more likely his bills will pass through congress Does not- president cannot give rewards or penalties

What is executive privilege in what has the Supreme Court set about it?

Executive privilege is the right to withhold info that congressman want to obtain from the president or his subordinates, and some president have tried to impound funds appropriated by congress.

What concerns did the Founders have about the idea of having a president? How did the creation of the Electoral College allay those fears?

Feared that the president would have too much power, feared his power would be abused by the senate, feared that the American citizens would vote wrong. The Electoral College was elected by the people, and then the electoral college would vote for the president to make it more fair for the states.

Presidential Powers

President Alone: •serve as commander in chief •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 President w/ Senate: •make treaties •appoint ambassadors, judges, and high officials President w/ Congress: •approve legislation

What are signing statements and what do these say about power struggles between the president and Congress?

Presidential document that reveals what the president thinks of a new law and how it ought to be enforced. Power struggles would be that the president doing this blocks the enforcement of a law congress has passed and is seen as unconstitutional to congress.

What is the role of the cabinet?

The heads of the 15 executive branch departments of the federal government

What does it mean to have a divided or a unified government? Why do we still have gridlock, even with a unified government?

•Divided government is when one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both of the houses of congress. •Unified government is where the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress. •We still have gridlock (the inability of the government to act bc rival parties control different parts of the gov't) because even though the party is unified they are made up of conservatives and liberals and they may not see things the same way.

Give details about the following terms: veto message, pocket veto, and line-item veto.

•Veto Message- 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 bills passage. •Pocket Veto- Bill fails to become a law because the president did not sign it within 10 days before Congress adjourns. •Line-Item veto- An executives ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature.

Explain the three differences in the audiences the president speak to. What does "bully pulpit" mean?

•Washington, DC - fellow politicians and leaders •Party Activists and Office Holders - partisan roots •The Public- several different groups A Bully Pulpit is the presidents use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public.

What are three structures for a president to organize his staff? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

•pyramid: a presidents subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff -A- provides for orderly flow of info and decisions -D- but does so at the risk of isolating or misinforming the president •circular- several of the presidents assistant report directly to him -A- virtue of giving the president a great deal of info -D- at the price of confusion and conflict among cabinet secretaries and assistants •Ad hoc- several subordinates, cabinet officers and committees report directly to president on different matters -A- allows great flexibility, minimizes bureaucratic inertia and generates ideas and info from desperate channels -D- risks cutting the president off from the gov officials who are ultimately responsible for translating presidential decisions into policy proposals and administrative action.