Presidency

Question 1

What are the formal powers of the president

Answer 1

Legislation
Nomination
Executive orders
Pardons
Commander in Chief
State of the Union address
Treaty signing
Receiving ambassadors

Question 2

Where has the President proposed legislation

Answer 2

Propose
Can propose in State of the Union address.
-> Obama asked at each 2010-15 for immigration reform

Question 3

Where has the President signed legislation

Answer 3

Make into law

-> Bipartisan Infrastructure Act 2021

Question 4

Where has the President vetoed legislation

Answer 4

Send back to Confress

-> War Powers Resolution 2020

Question 5

What is the limitation of the Pres power of nomination

Answer 5

Senate must ratify this
John Tower rejected as Secretary of Defence in 1989 because he was an infamous womaniser.
To avoid humiliation, most Presidents will simply withdraw a nomination
Trump withdrew his nomination of Andrew Puzder in 2016.

Question 6

PM’s power over nominating judges?

Answer 6

Only when a position is open
Bush nominated 327, but Trump only 157
-> Obama rejected trying to nominate Garland
-> Neil Gorsuch nominated by Trump 54-45, 2017
-> Ginsburg nominated by Clinton 96-3, 1993

Question 7

PM’s power over recess appointments

Answer 7

Made when Congress is not sitting and last for 1 year without Senate approval
Bush made 171, like John Bolton as Ambassador to NATO
Obama did make 39, but 4 of his were rejected in NLRB v Canning 2014 (cannot make an appt if Senate is in recess for under 10 days)

Question 8

When has an executive order been overturned

Answer 8

1984: Reagan forbade family planning clinics with federal funds advising abortion
1992: Clinton revoked it
2000: Bush brought it back in
2008: Obama revoked it
2016: Trump reinstated it

Question 9

What are more successful executive orders?

Answer 9

EO 13813: Removed federal subsidies for Obamacare, 2017.
EO 13769: Muslim Travel Ban, 2018
EO 14068: Russia sanctions, 2022

Question 10

When did the Supreme Court support an executive order

Answer 10

Trump v Hawaii 2018

Travel Ban was not beyond a President’s rights.

Question 11

How many executive orders did trump sign in his first year

Answer 11

58 - more than any post-ww2 president!

Question 12

What was the executive memorandum released by Obama?

Answer 12

DACA in 2012. Overridden by US v Texas 2016 due to the cost of it!

Question 13

What were some recent proclamations?

Answer 13

2001: National Emergency by Reason of Certain Terrorist Attacks
2019: Humanitarian Crisis at Southern Border over lawless migration from Mexico.

Question 14

How many pardons and commutations did Bush give

Answer 14

Pardons = 189
Commutations = 11

Question 15

How many pardons and commutations did Obama give

Answer 15

Pardons = 212

Commutations - 1715 (mostly drug related)

Question 16

How many pardons and commutations did Trump give

Answer 16

Pardons = 143 (116 in January 2021)
Commutations = 94

Question 17

What happened with Chelsea Manning?

Answer 17

Commutation by Obama in 2017 - leaked info on Iraq War

Question 18

What happened with Steve Banning?

Answer 18

Pardoned by Trump over tax fraud.

Question 19

What was pardongate?

Answer 19

Jimmy Carter gave over 200,000 pardons for men who did not fight in the Vietnam War.

Question 20

What was the War Powers Resolution?

Answer 20

1973
President had to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action
Armed forces cannot stay in a country for over 60 days without an AUMF

Question 21

What have the challenges to the WPR been

Answer 21

Every President since 1970s have challenged it

2000: SC refused to hear cases over whether it was violated in Yugoslavia by Bush
2011: Obama did not have an AUMF when he bombed Libya.

Question 22

How did Bush use state of the union?

Answer 22

2002: Act against Axis of Evil - all but 1 Senator voted to give Bush an AUMF!

Question 23

How did Obama use state of the union

Answer 23

2013: Gun control - unsuccessful
2010: Gay rights - successful
2010-15: Immigration reform - unsuccessful

Question 24

How did Trump use state of the union

Answer 24

2018: Repeal Obamacare - unsuccessful

Question 25

How did Biden use state of the union

Answer 25

2022: act against Russia - pending

Question 26

What is an Executive Agreement?

Answer 26

Paris Climate Change Agreement 2015

Question 27

Where have Congress rejected a treaty?

Answer 27

UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2008 (too expensive!)

Question 28

Where have Congress ratified a Treaty?

Answer 28

Start III 2010: between Russia and USA to reduce nuclear warheads

Question 29

Where has a President took advantage of receiving ambassadors

Answer 29

Obama successfully aggravated China by receiving Dalai Lama (who campaigns for Tibetan Independence) 4 times!

Question 30

What are the President's informal powers?

Answer 30

Power to persuade Executive Office Office of Management and Budget National Security Council

Question 31

Where have Presidents attempted to morally appease to lawmakers

Answer 31

Obama: "we have an obligation to save lives" after Sandyhook massacre in 2012

Question 32

Where have Presidents used the bully pulpit?

Answer 32

Trump bussed the entire Senate to the Whitehouse for a briefing on North Korea in 2017

Question 33

Where have Presidents used their gravitas?

Answer 33

Trump sent an aide to talk to whips to pass Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 2017

Question 34

What is the executive office of the president?

Answer 34

Staff to offer the President advice. 2000 staff under Obama -> Bush Sr fired Sununu for advancing his own agenda in 1991

Question 35

How did Trump limit the power of the National Security Council

Answer 35

Relegated Joint Chiefs of Staff to only attending meetings concerning their experience

Question 36

What Presidents have added which Ministries

Answer 36

Bush: Department of Homeland Security 2002 (advanced federal power)

Question 37

How did Obama use the Cabinet to extend his own power?

Answer 37

Compared them to "good students in class", they frequently meet without him as they will always do his bidding anyway

Question 38

how did Clinton describe his Cabinet?

Answer 38

"Looks like America": 7 black people, 44% women (first female secretary of state - Madeleine Albright)

Question 39

What percentage of each President's Cabinet were white men?

Answer 39

``` Reagan - 81% Clinton - 48% Bush Jr - 59% Obama - 36% Trump - 71% Biden - 41% ```

Question 40

What was the Bush doctrine

Answer 40

Pre-emptive War against threats as set out in 2002 State of the Union

Question 41

Where was the Bush doctrine seen

Answer 41

March 2004: Condaleeza Rice asked to testify before 9/11 commission: only allowed to if it did not set a precedent. 2003: Iraq War based on unsubstantiated claims of the government possessing weapons of mass destruction

Question 42

What was Obama's soft power

Answer 42

When he pledged to "attraction not coercion", close Guantanamo Bay (it is open today) and withdraw from Afghanistan

Question 43

What actually happened to foreign policy under Obama

Answer 43

``` Extension of PATRIOT Act 2001 2010: Offensive on Afghanistan Employed 300 drone strikes in his first term when Bush used only 50 2011: Did withdraw from Iraq 2013: Killed Bin Laden ```

Question 44

Where has Trump's hard power been seen

Answer 44

2017: After North Korea threatened missiles, Trump said he would meet them with "fire and fury" (but he was the only President to receive Kim Jong Un) 2019: Killed leader of ISIS, Baghdadi 2020: Killed Iran's Soleimani.

Question 45

Where has Congress had a role in foreign policy

Answer 45

2012: Conducted investigation into attack on US diplomatic facilities in Libya Congress barred Obama from using funds to transfer detainees from Guantanamo bay in 2015 Blocked UN Convocation on the Rights of Disabled People in 2008 War Powers Resolution 2001: AUMF against 9/11

Question 46

Where has President dominated foreign policy

Answer 46

Paris Climate Agreement 2016 Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement 2020 Zivotofsky v Kerry 2002: President had the choice whether he should recognise Jerusalem