The Presidency
compensation (vice presidency)
$230,700
compensation (presidency)
$400,000 (fixed) / $50,000 living expenses
which presidents are considered great and why?
1) abraham lincoln (civil war) 2) woodrow wilson (WWI) 3) FDR (WWII) 4) george washington (protected nation in early years) 5) thomas jefferson (protected nation in early years) 6) harry truman 7) dwight eisenhower 8) ronald reagan BASICALLY, THEY ARE ALL GREAT BECAUSE THEY DEALT WITH WARS WELL
what resources doe the president have against congress? (cycles of influence)
1) cycle of decreasing influence-when approval rating falls the president is less influential on capital hill 2) cycle of increasing effectiveness-longer in office the better they become as president
which presidents are considered failures and why?
1) lydon johnson (vietnam stalemate) 2) warren harding (scandals in presidency) 3) richard nixon (scandals in presidency) 4) herber hoover (great depression) BASICALLY, THEY ARE ALL FAILURES BECAUSE THEY DID NOT DEAL WITH CRISIS WELL AND WERE NOT HONEST
what resources doe the president have against congress? (political)
1) the mandate provided through the most recent presidential election 2) the level of public approval 3) the number of party seats in congress 4) THE EOP SERVES THE PRESIDENT DIRECTLY
what resources doe the president have against congress? (personal)
1) time and energy 2) experience 3) the ability to focus congressional attention on the president's priorities
order of presidential succession (summarize)
1) vice president 2) speaker of the house 3) president pro temp of the senate 4) secretary of state 5 and so on) GOES DOWN THE LIST OF WHEN EACH OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WERE CREATED
powers and duties of the President (I still don't know the difference but here is what I have)
1. Commander in Chief 2. Diplomat in Chief 3. Administrator in Chief 4. The Appointment Power 5. The Veto Power 6. The Pardon Power 7. The Take Care Power 8. The Power to Inform and Convene Congress 9. Leader of the Free World
length of term (presidency)
4 years
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Drug Czar: someone who directs drug control policies in U.S. ; develops and coordinates the policies that objectives of the federal government's program for reducing the use of illicit drugs
war powers resolution
a law passed in 1973 in reaction to american fighting in vietnam that requires the president to consult with congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless congress declares war or grants an extension.
Executive Orders
a way that the president can get around Congress (however, they expire when the president leaves office)
qualifications (presidency)
a) 35 years old b) natural born citizen c) live in U.S. for at least 14 years
qualifications (vice presidency)
a) 35 years old b) natural born citizen c) live in U.S. for at least 14 years
Head of Party
advantage to get a president from your party elected to office because then he becomes the leader of the party
Domestic Policy Council (DPC)
advise on domestic policy
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
advise on environmental policy
US Trade Representative
advise on trade
war power
article I states that congress has the power to declare war, but article II gives the president power to wage was as commander in chief (declaring war is power most easily abused and framers new this)
Chief Diplomat
article II makes the president negotiator in chief o treaties with foreign nations, which must be approved by the Senate by a two-thirds vote
morale builder
as chief of state, the president must project a sense of national unity and authority as the country's chief ceremonial leader. overtime, president's have become the nation's number one celebrities and get attention for doing every day things (not intended by the framers).
Chief Administrator
by giving the president power to require the opinion of the principle officer in each of the executive departments "upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices," the constitution puts the president in charge of day-to-day federal departments and agencies
becoming president (vice presidency)
can be acting president if president is disabled or serious ill (makes formal declaration) can become president if the president is impeached and convicted or dies
media
can enhance president by going against congress to appeal to the people
congress
can impose constitutional restrictions on the president
White House Office
chief of staff-the head of the white house staff press secretary-coordinates most contacts with the media speech writer-writes speeches that give a favorable spin on the news that shows the president in the most favorable light
what do the president and congress disagree over (competing campaigns)?
constitution ensures that congress and the president will run different kinds of election campaigns
Clinton v. City of New York 1998 (budget and spending powers)
could the president sign part of a bill and veto the other part (no not in the constitution-court avoided making a definite decision)
INS v. Chadha 1982 (budget and spending powers)
court ruled that the legislative veto is not constitutional
acquisition of office (presidency)
electoral college
acquisition of office (vice presidency)
electoral college
Chief Legislator
guides congress down the path of what the are supposed to do (congress tends to ignore him anyway)
Chief Executive
he is the head of the executive branch (NOT OF THE GOVERNMENT) he can make executive agreements which are negotiated between the president and leaders of there nations that do not require senate approval.
Office of the First Lady
host of the white house; advisor to the president; often plays a role in social activism; traditionally held by the wife of the president
political culture
if political culture no longer supports president he cannot get things done
international pressures
impact president not congress (can these pressures force him to change his policy? can the president do something that other countries don't want him to do?) (president has most of the foreign policy powers and there are little restrictions on foreign affairs)
removal (vice presidency)
impeachment
Office of the Vice President
intergovernmental affairs and violence against women (mainly his constitutional duty is to be head of the Senate) -It is up to the president to decide what the vice president does
persuader/recruiter
must get people to agree on legislation to pass it. must persuade people to support something that he believes is good for the country.
agenda/priority setter
national security policy: president generally have more leeway in foreign policy than they do in domestic matters economic policy: ever since the new deal, president's have been expected to promote policies to keep unemployment low, fight inflation, keep taxes down, and promote economic growth and stability domestic policy: people want the president to support legislation that follows popular opinion. however, presidents also take highly unpopular positions for what they see as good for the country.
what do the president and congress disagree over (generally)?
often unable to reach agreements on issues such as global warming, energy independence, education reform, and increases in minimum wage
Chief Citizen
only person in the government who is elected by ALL the people who represents all
term limits (presidency)
originally none but 22nd amendment limited it to 2 terms or 10 years
United States v. Curtiss Wright Export Corp 1936 (unilateral powers)
president has unilateral power over foreign affairs but with limitations (ex. congress has to approve treaties) executive agreements do not require senatorial approval congress has budget power
powers and duties (vice presidency)
president of senate, take over if president is unfit or dies
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
presidential staff agency that serves as a clearing house for the budgetary request and management improvements for government agencies
legislative and political coalition builder
presidents must build political coalitions if they are to have any chance of winning the passage of their legislative priorities. as candidates they make promises to people and assemble an electoral coalition of supporters.
Head of State
the chief representative of the country
what do the president and congress disagree over (competing schedules)?
the constitution also ensures that congress and the president will not share the same terms in office
Commander-in-Chief
the constitution explicitly states that the president is to be commander in chief of the army and navy. it is a fundamental expression of the president's role in protection the nation
Nixon v. Fitzgerald 1982 (executive orders)
the court ruled that the president is entitled to absolute immunity from liability based on his presidential/official acts but it applies to the "outer perimeter" otherwise necessary to litigate
crisis manager
the framers designed the president's job as commander in chief as a limited role. congress, not the president, declares war, makes rules for the army and navy, and controls funding of wars (president still in charge of army and navy). when president reacts quickly to crisis then his approval ratings tend to rise.
what do the president and congress disagree over (competing constituencies)?
the framers guaranteed that members of congress and the president would represent different constituencies, which often leads to conflict over major legislation (Congress-represents local President-represents national)
National Security Council (NSC)
the key coordinating agency for the president; helps the president integrate foreign, military, and economic polices that affect national security national security advisor-appointed by president and most influential in foreign policy matters central intelligence agency (CIA)-created to coordinate the gathering and analysis of information that flows into various parts of the government from all over the world national intelligence advisor-the federal government's primary intelligence officer, responsible for overseeing all national intelligence agencies and providing advice to president on terrorist threats
how can the president set the agenda of congress?
their primary vehicle for doing so is the president's agenda, which is an informal list of top legislative priorities
United States v. Nixon 1979 (executive privilege)
things that only apply to the executive branch (can the president withhold information that belongs to only his branch?) decided that executive privilege is NOT absolute
Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
this council coordinates the president's economic agenda
National Economic Council (NEC)
this council helps set foreign policy (deals more with implementation)
Leader of the Free World
this power happened during the Cold-War as we fought communism
oath of office (presidency)
used to take oath of office on March 4th on the Western front of capital building; administered by chief justice (20th amendment moved date to January 20th)
Homeland Security Council
was created after 9/11