GOVT 2305 - Ch. 11 - The Presidency

What constitutional phrase gives the POTUS his INHERENT POWERS?

A POTUS' inherent powers are given by the constitutional phrase that states "the executive power shall be vested in the president."

What is a POLITICAL APPOINTEE?

A political appointee is a top official appointed by the president to direct an executive agency.

What is a president's BATTING AVERAGE?

A president's batting average is the number of bills he or she manages to get through, whether presidentially endorsed bills, important bills, or party-opposed bills.

When is a president's BATTING AVERAGE usually the best?

A president's batting average is typically better, more successful, when their own party controls the White House and both Congress chambers.

What is a VETO?

A veto is the authority given to the president to deny signing a bill into law and block legislation as long as the veto is performed within 10 days of a bill's passing.

What historic president's actions are cited in the textbook as an example of INHERENT POWERS?

Abraham Lincoln's orders to impose censorship, create a naval blockade, and issue instructions while Congress was not in session, all without a clear legal basis, are cited as an example of inherent powers.

How did the practice of only recruiting men and women for service during wartime change after WWII?

After WWII, and the Cold War, the smaller standing army of men and women, about 250,000, had grown to numbers of over 2 million and not demobilized, spreading and staying across the globe even during times of peace.

What is an EXECUTIVE ORDER?

An executive order is a public or private declaration, given by the president, that bears the weight of law and issues instructions to the executive branch or other federal agencies without the requirement of congressional action or approval.

For many years, what usually happened before, during, and after each war?

Before each war, the U.S. usually only had a small standing army, only calling men and women to service during wartime but then demobilizing them after each war.

How many times over the past 80 years has Congress managed to override a presidential veto and what % is their batting average for doing so?

Congress has managed to override a presidential veto 60 times in the past 80 years, putting their batting average for overrides at 4%.

What do critics worry about regarding EXECUTIVE ORDERS?

Critics worry that executive orders will expand the president's office and power too much and degrade congressional authority by essentially making policy directly from the White House.

What are DELEGATED POWERS?

Delegated powers are powers passed on to the president by Congress.

What did Democrats argue about Trump's presidency in regards to the idea of IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY?

Democrats argued that Trump's presidency resembled an imperial presidency because of his administration's overreach.

What is DIVIDED GOVERNMENT?

Divided government is when the White House and both chambers of Congress are controlled by different parties, making it difficult to pass bills.

During which time period did a president's role expand to include ECONOMIST IN CHIEF and why?

During the Great Depression, the Roosevelt administration seized responsibility for this role in an attempt to get the nation back on its feet using copious recovery programs.

Under what justification do the courts generally permit EXECUTIVE ORDERS?

Executive orders are usually permitted under the justification that they are included in the "inherent powers" of the Constitution even if they are not explicitly named by it.

What are EXPRESSED POWERS?

Expressed powers are powers given to the president explicitly by the Constitution.

What are INHERENT POWERS?

Inherent powers are powers that are not specified in the Constitution or delegated by legislation, but are instead implicit in presidential powers section of the Constitution, Article 2.

How have modern presidents expanded presidential power with the use of INHERENT POWERS?

Modern presidents have informally expanded their powers by regularly issuing executive orders negotiating executive agreements with other nations, and claiming executive privilege, all to bypass congressional process and approval.

What opinion is heavily influenced by economic conditions as a result of Roosevelt's actions managing the economy?

People's opinion of the president and his or her party is now influenced by whether the economy is running smoothly.

How many times over the past 80 years have presidents made use of the VETO?

Presidents have made use of the veto to deny over 1400 bills in the past 80 years.

What do presidents use the STATE OF THE UNION address for?

Presidents use the SOTU address to announce his or her legislative accomplishments in a previous year and legislative ambitions for the next year.

What three themes are reflected in the presidency?

Reflection, injection, and authority.

What did Republicans argue about Obama's presidency in regards to the idea of IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY?

Republicans argued that Obama's presidency resembled an imperial presidency because of his administration's overreach.

What are the three authorizations given to the presidential role of FIRST LEGISLATOR?

The First Legislator executive role authorizes a president to recommend measures for congressional consideration, report information on the Union's state to Congress, and veto legislation he or she is opposed to.

What is the STATE OF THE UNION (SOTU)?

The State of the Union is an annual address delivered by the president to the Congress, Supreme Court Justices, cabinet members, and a national television audience.

What was the U.S. military budget in 2018?

The U.S. military budget in 2018 was approximately $682.49 billion, close to $700 billion.

What did the War Powers Act of 1973 allow presidents to do?

The War Powers Act of 1973 allowed presidents to go over Congress to declare war and deploy troops by citing that the act allows for this when it states that a president may send forces to engage in combat "in a case of a national emergency created by an attack on the U.S. . . .or its armed forces."

What constitutional phrase gives the president the authority to take on DELEGATED POWERS?

The authority for the POTUS to take on delegated powers is based on the constitutional phrase stating that the president "take care that laws be faithfully executed."

What do the EXPRESSED POWERS of the president include?

The expressed powers of the president include authority to be commander-in-chief of the army, navy, and state militias, to gran pardons and reprieves for offenses against the U.S., to make treaties, appoint ambassadors, and to solicit the opinions of his officers and report on the Union's state.

What is the idea of IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY?

The idea of imperial presidency is that the presidency becomes like an emperorship when allowed too much power to run tyrannically over Congress, issue decisions in secret, deploy forces around the world without consent or benefit to other countries, and to go over the checks and balances meant to limit presidential power.

What is the inherent weakness in governing by EXECUTIVE ORDERS?

The inherent weakness in governing by executive orders is that it is much easier for incoming administration to repeal and replace policy or orders made by the executive because they weren't passed through an act of Congress.

Which institution has powers to carefully balance the executive's (the president's) powers?

The legislative institution, Congress and Senate, have the power to declare war, set military budget, and make rules governing the military, as well as approving foreign affairs and Supreme Court/officer elections.

What is the paradox of the "two vital principles" of presidential powers?

The paradox of the two vital principles of presidential powers is that "we need powerful leaders, but we fear powerful leaders."

What does it mean for the POTUS to reflect authority?

The president has enormous powers on paper, but can be both too strong and too weak—how he or she uses this authority is often met with criticism in a democratic republic.

What does it mean for the POTUS to reflect injection?

The president injects new ideas and themes into American politics, putting greater focus on individuals and ideas instead of institutional rules to influence the nation's agenda.

What does it mean for the POTUS to be a reflection? What challenges this?

The president personifies America, telling us who we are and what we're becoming; partisanship challenges this.

What does the POTUS' role as CHIEF BUREAUCRAT allow him or her to do?

The presidential role of Chief Bureaucrat authorizes the president to appoint executive branch leaders or officials, but they must be also approved by the Senate.

What does the POTUS' role as COMMANDER IN CHIEF allow him or her to do?

The role of Commander in Chief allows the POTUS to manage war when it is declared, oversee the fighting force of the U.S., and requires him or her to maintain knowledge of current world threats and events.

What does the POTUS' role of ECONOMIST IN CHIEF allow him or her to do?

The role of Economist in Chief, though not originally within a president's authority, allows the president to oversee taxing, spending, borrowing, and regulation of commerce

What are the "two vital principles" when it comes to presidential powers?

The two vital principles pertaining to presidential powers are that we need a president who is strong enough to lead the country and face our problems, but if he or she is too strong, we lose the power of our republican government.

How many executive departments are there?

There are 15 executive departments.

What has the constitutional phrase "the executive power shall be vested in the president" allowed presidents to do?

This constitutional phrase has allowed presidents to seize new "inherent" powers they think they should have, especially in times of crisis, to try resolving situation without having to go through Congress.

What does the constitutional phrase "take care that laws be faithfully executed" allow the POTUS to do?

This phrase allows the POTUS and his cabinet to decide how a legislation passed by Congress will be put into effect or implemented.

What three developments have further increased a president's military authority?

Three developments that have increased a president's military authority are America's always-ready-for-deployment military forces, new technologies, such as drones, that allow a president to target enemies globally, and perpetual perceptions of threats, from Soviets in the Cold War to the terrorists from 9/11.

How many POLITICAL APPOINTEES are appointed today?

Today, 4,000 political appointees are appointed by the president.

What is the size of the U.S. military today?

Today, the military's active-duty force numbers over 1.3 million with 808,000 in reserve.

What is UNIFIED GOVERNMENT?

Unified government is when one party controls both the White House and both chambers of Congress.