12 The Presidency. 12 Edwards Learning Objectives Characterize the expectations for and the backgrounds of presidents and identify paths to the White.

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The Presidency

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Edwards Learning Objectives

Characterize the expectations for and the backgrounds of presidents and identify paths to the White House and how presidents may be removed

Evaluate the president’s constitutional powers and the expansion of presidential power

12.1

12.2

12Describe the roles of the vice

president, cabinet, Executive Office of the President, White House staff, and First Lady

Assess the impact of various sources of presidential influence on the president’s ability to win congressional support

Edwards Learning Objectives

12.3

12.4

12Analyze the president’s powers in

making national security policy and the relationship between the president and Congress in this arena

Identify the factors that affect the president’s ability to obtain public support

Edwards Learning Objectives

12.5

12.6

12Characterize the president’s relations

with the press and news coverage of the presidency

Assess the role of presidential power in the American democracy and the president’s impact on the scope of government

Edwards Learning Objectives

12.7

12.8

The Presidents

Great Expectations

Who They Are

How They Got There

12.1

Great Expectations

Are expectations realistic? Ensure peace, prosperity and security Power does not match responsibilities

Cognitive dissonance: Americans want strong leader but fear concentration of

power We want government to be small and limited, yet solve all

societal and economic problems

12.1

“Bring in the new guy” 12.1

Who They Are

Basic requirements: Natural-born citizen 35 years of age or older Resident of the U.S. for previous 14 years

White, male, Protestant

First female president?

12.1

TABLE 12.1: Recent Presidents 12.1

How They Got There

Elections: The Typical Road to the White House Twenty-Second Amendment (1951)

Succession Twenty-Fifth Amendment (1967)

Impeachment Watergate Clinton’s sex scandal

12.1

TABLE 12.2: Incomplete Presidential Terms

12.1

Nixon Resigns 12.1

12.1 Which amendment creates a means for selecting a vice president when the office becomes vacant?

a. Twenty-second Amendment

b. Twenty-fifth Amendment

c. Twelfth Amendment

d. Tenth Amendment

12.1

Presidential Powers

Constitutional Powers

Expansion of Power

Perspectives on Presidential Power

12.2

Constitutional Powers

Constitution says little “The executive power shall be vested in a president of the

United States of America.”

Fear of abuse of power

Madisonian system Shared powers Checks and balances

Short term of office

12.2

TABLE 12.3: Constitutional Powers of the President

12.2

Expansion of Power

Changes leading to expansion of presidential power Military Technological Economic

Presidents take initiative to expand role Lincoln FDR

12.2

Perspectives on Presidential Power

1950s-1960s Strong = good; weak = bad

1970s Vietnam War Watergate

1980s and beyond Mixed feeling about presidential power

12.2

12.2 Which of the following is NOT an enumerated power of the president?

a. Make treaties with other nations

b. Veto legislation

c. Nominate ambassadors

d. Declare war

12.2

Running the Government: Chief Executive

Vice President

Cabinet

Executive Office

White House Staff

First Lady

12.3

Vice President

Mainly ceremonial in previous years

Increasing role in modern presidency Cheney Biden

12.3

Cabinet

Traditional, not mandated

Heads of federal agencies and executive departments

12.3

TABLE 12.4: Cabinet Departments 12.3

Executive Office

National Security Council (NSC)

Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

12.3

FIGURE 12.1: Executive Office of the President

12.3

White House Staff

President’s personal support team Chief of staff Press secretary Anonymous and loyal

President sets style and tone

12.3

FIGURE 12.2: Principal Offices in the White House

12.3

First Lady

No longer just a well-dressed homemaker Abigail Adams Edith Wilson Eleanor Roosevelt Hillary Rodham Clinton Michelle Obama

12.3

Michele Obama with military families 12.3

12.3 What is the main duty of the Council of Economic Advisors?

a. Advise the president on banking regulations

b. Advise the president and Congress on trade

c. Advise the president on economic policy

d. Advise the president on intelligence

12.3

Presidential Leadership of Congress: Politics of Shared Powers

Chief Legislator

Party Leadership

Public Support

Legislative Skills

12.4

Chief Legislator

State of the Union

Veto Pocket Veto Line-item veto

12.4

TABLE 12.5: Presidential Vetoes 12.4

Party Leadership

Bonds of Party Slippage in Party Support

12.4

Obama with Reid and Pelosi 12.4

Party Leadership

Leading the Party Presidential Coattails

12.4

TABLE 12.6: Congressional Gains or Losses for the President’s Party in Presidential Election Years

12.4

TABLE 12.7: Congressional Gains or Losses for the President’s Party in Midterm Election Years

12.4

Public Support

Influence in Congress depends on popularity

Public Approval

Electoral Mandates

12.4

Legislative Skills

Bargaining

Moving Fast Exploiting the honeymoon period

Setting Priorities

Limited success

12.4

Clinton signing welfare bill 12.4

12.4 A president will usually have the most legislative success when

a. he has persuasive powers with Congress

and the public

b. he presides over good foreign relations

c. his party controls both houses of Congress

d. he has strong staff support

12.4

President and National Security Policy

Chief Diplomat

Commander in Chief

War Powers

Crisis Manager

Working with Congress

12.5

Chief Diplomat

Extending diplomatic recognition

Treaties

Executive agreements

12.5

Carter with Begin and Sadat 12.5

Commander in Chief

President can deploy troops Congress must declare war, appropriate funds

Framers did not envision standing army Or nuclear arsenal

12.5

Capture of Obsama bin Laden 12.5

War Powers

War Powers Resolution (1973) Presidents must seek Congressional approval before

deploying armed forces

Legislative veto

What do you think?

12.5

Crisis Manager

What constitutes a crisis? Cuban Missile Crisis 9/11

Modern communications technology

12.5

Responding to 9/11 12.5

Working with Congress

Two presidencies Domestic policy Foreign policy

12.5

12.5 The president has the most influence in

a. national security policy

b. domestic policies

c. public welfare

d. public opinion

12.5

Power from the People: Public Presidency

Going Public

Presidential Approval

Policy Support

Mobilizing the Public

12.6

Going Public 12.6

12.6President Bush announces end of Iraq war

Presidential Approval

Product of many factors Party affiliation Honeymoon period Policy success Integrity and leadership skills Rally events

12.6

FIGURE 12.3: Presidential Approval 12.6

Policy Support

Using the bully pulpit effectively Media skills

Public not receptive Not interested in politics and government Biased reasoners and partisans Weak on facts

12.6

Reagan 12.6

Mobilizing the Public

When the people speak, Congress listens This is a rare event Inattentive public Apathetic public Congress responds to this, too

12.6

12.6 As a president’s time in office increases, his approval ratings

a. also increase

b. generally go down

c. remain stable

d. decrease but rise as his term ends

12.6

President and the Press

Nature of News Coverage

12.7

Obama press conference 12.7

Nature of News Coverage

Media serves as intermediary Does not always verify facts Are news outlets biased?

Press secretary

12.7

12.7 With which statement would most press secretaries agree?

12.7

a. The media have a liberal bias.

b. Coverage of the presidency is generally

positive.

c. Media bias has little impact on the way the

American people are informed.

d. Media coverage is based solely on facts.

Understanding the American Presidency

Presidency and Democracy

Presidency and the Scope of Government

12.8

Presidency and Democracy

Wanting and fearing a strong president Safety in checks and balances

What happens when government is divided?

12.8

Presidency and the Scope of Government

What made Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt noteworthy presidents?

Government growth not inherent in presidency

Ideologically conservative and operationally liberal

12.8

12.8 According to the text, which of the following is true?

12.8

a. Divided government cannot pass legislation.

b. Change occurs in unified as well as divided

government.

c. All presidents work toward increasing

presidential power.

d. Presidents since LBJ have championed

growth of government.

Discussion Question

How do presidents use the “power to persuade” to implement their agenda? In what way is this power considered to be their most important?

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