President and the bureaucracy

Question 1

12th Amend (1804)

Answer 1

Unified the Pres & VP into one ticket
Establishes if there is a tie in E.C. election is decided by the House
Led to creation of political parties

Question 2

20th Amend (1933)

Answer 2

Moved the date of inauguration to Jan 20 instead of March 4th

Question 3

22nd Amend (1951)

Answer 3

Limited the president to two terms

Question 4

25th Amend (1967)

Answer 4

Establishes line of succession after Pres
Pres can be removed from office with VP & majority of the Cabinet if can’t perform duties
If Pres objects to removal it is up to Congress – 2/3

Question 5

Federalist No. 70

Answer 5

In this Federalist Paper, Alexander Hamilton argues for a strong executive leader, as provided for by the Constitution, as opposed to the weak executive under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 6

Commander in chief

Answer 6

Military power - Congress declares war, president can send troops without congressional approval. Intent of the framers was to keep civilian control of the military

Question 7

War Powers Resolution Act (1973)

Answer 7

President can send military into action abroad only by authorization of Congress OR if the US is already under attack or serious threat.

Question 8

WPR Act requires the president to…

Answer 8

Notify Congress within 48 hours of committing forces ,
Forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days without an authorization or a declaration of war,
Nixon veto … Congress override veto

Question 9

Chief diplomat

Answer 9

Diplomatic power - can make treaties with foreign nations (with Senate advice and consent) as well as recognize other countries (alliance).

Question 10

Executive Agreements

Answer 10

acts like a treaty—an agreement between two countries—but it does not require approval by the Senate, falls under chief diplomat power)

Question 11

Chief legislator

Answer 11

Veto, line-item veto, power to persuade, agenda setting, congressional elections, popularity and influence.

Question 12

Line-item veto

Answer 12

chief executive can approve some provisions and disapprove of others(can be overturned by 2/3 vote)
Clinton v. City of New York (1997) S.C. determined it was unconstitutional bc it violated separation of powers because it gave the president legislative responsibilities
Governors are still allowed to have line-item veto

Question 13

Agenda Setting

Answer 13

ormulate proposals and initiate decisive action
recommendations to Congress – State of the Union
“mandate”—keep going with policy and programs

Question 14

Honeymoon

Answer 14

brief period after election where president experiences favor with Congress and the public

Question 15

Power to persuade

Answer 15

Sketchy constitutional powers combined with the possible lack of legislative majority requires the president to rely on persuasion
(the Johnson treatment)

Question 16

Popularity and influence

Answer 16

Convert personal popularity into congressional support, most Americans respond negatively to domestic issues and respond positively to foreign international ones (Wag the Dog)

Question 17

Chief Executive

Answer 17

Executive orders, signing statements, executive privilege, impeachment (?)

Question 18

Executive orders controversy

Answer 18

Critics have accused presidents of abusing executive orders, of using them to make laws without Congressional approval, and of moving existing laws away from their original mandates

Question 19

Signing statements

Answer 19

After a president signs a law he will attach a statement about…
His opinion about the law
Instruct how the administration should implement the law

Question 20

Executive privilege

Answer 20

Is the president obliged to divulge private communications between himself and principle advisers?
separation of powers means that 1 branch doesn’t have the right to inquire into the internal workings of another
principles of statecraft and good administration require the pres. to have confidentiality with advisers

Question 21

White House Staff

Answer 21

Closest assistants have offices in the White House in the West Wing
usually people who work for him on the campaign
commonly loyal and familiar to the president
expected to give advice to the president
not confirmed by the Senate, can be hired and fired at will

Question 22

Organization of the Staff

Answer 22

Pyramid structure, circular and ad hoc

Question 23

Pyramid structure

Answer 23

Most assistants report through a hierarchy to the chief of staff who then talks to the president
Orderly flow of information and decisions, but may risk isolating or misinforming the president

Question 24

Circular

Answer 24

Cabinet secretaries and assistants report directly to the president
great deal of information, but can get conflicting of confusing reports from advisors

Question 25

Cabinet

Answer 25

Heads of all major federal government departments makes no decisions, no constitutional power must be approved by the Senate most presidents rely little on Cabinet and more on White House staff departments are largely concerned with their own issues and rarely need to discuss matters with other agencies Appointments Fill top management positions with people who will carry out his agenda build links to powerful political & economic constituencies giving representation to groups, ideologies, etc.

Question 26

Executive Office of the President

Answer 26

Agencies and offices that report directly to the president Develop and implement policies and programs OMB, NSC

Question 27

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Answer 27

Responsible for preparing the federal budget proposal

Question 28

National Security Council (NSC)

Answer 28

Advises the president on military and foreign policy matters

Question 29

Council of Economic Advisors

Answer 29

Gives advice on economic policy

Question 30

Government Corporations

Answer 30

Smaller or more focused mission, leadership is appointed by the president but NOT in the cabinet so not intended to be political, leadership tends to have long tenure in office US Post office, Amtrak

Question 31

Regulatory Commissions

Answer 31

Specific function (usually economic) with some judicial responsibility (i.e. the ability to punish) Fed Communications Committee Environmental Protection Agency

Question 32

Vice President

Answer 32

Only two purposes—succession and tie-breaking vote Primary Value is Electoral selecting VP from a battleground state provide regional balance ideologically balance the ticket

Question 33

Federal Budget

Answer 33

Mandatory (60%), Discretionary (30%), Interest on Debt (10%)

Question 34

Mandatory (6)

Answer 34

Entitlements Outside the normal budget process bc required to pay Social Security Medicare Food Stamps Veterans Benefits Federal Pensions

Question 35

Discretionary (9)

Answer 35

Defense – soldiers and supplies Everything Else Education Scientific research Student loans National parks Environment Foreign Aid Farm Subsidies

Question 36

Deficit

Answer 36

Spending more money than collect in taxes Respond to Deficit or National Debt?? Create more $$ which leads to inflation Borrow money – issue bonds Raise taxes – not politically smart Cut spending – also not politically smart

Question 37

National Debt

Answer 37

TOTAL money owed year after year Currently over $34.5 trillion

Question 38

Electoral College

Answer 38

Framers did not want the people to choose the President there are 538 total votes in the Electoral College the number of senators plus the number of members in the house equals the number each state has need 270 votes to win Maine and Nebraska can split their Electoral College votes

Question 39

Problems with E.C.

Answer 39

It is possible that no one will receive the majority of electoral votes required to win the election. the House of Representatives would choose each state is given one vote vote for the V.P. is done in the same way but in the Senate Majority of states must decide the election and could be impossible if a third party is involved The Electoral College forces presidential candidates to focus their campaigns on “big ticket” states The winner of the popular vote may not necessarily win the presidency

Question 40

Appointments

Answer 40

fill top management positions with individuals who will attempt to carry out his agenda build links to powerful political and economic constituencies by giving representation to important state political party organizations, the business community, organized labor, scientific and university community, organized agriculture, and religious groups Prior to the 1970s—appointees were Washington outsiders mainly white males, business executives, governors, interest group leaders, members of Congress, or university professors After the 1970s—Washington insiders who served in previous administrations

Question 41

Bureaucracy

Answer 41

A large complex organization of appointed, not elected officials. They do the day-to-day job of governing.

Question 42

Patronage and the Spoils System

Answer 42

Rewarding party loyalists with key federal posts Abused as people with little qualifications were being given government jobs

Question 43

Pendleton Act (1881)

Answer 43

Creation of Civil Service Commission Outlawed merit system Merit System – federal employees were hired based merit not party loyalty

Question 44

Sources of Bureaucratic power

Answer 44

Essential, expertise, clientele groups

Question 45

Clientele Groups

Answer 45

The people who use or benefit from an agency can help provide influence for an agency. If they are more politically powerful the agency’s budget is less likely to be cut, more successful in Congress, etc.

Question 46

Iron Triangle

Answer 46

Alliance among bureaucrats, interest groups, and congressional subcommittee members and staff

Question 47

What do the Bureaucrats Do?

Answer 47

Implementation - Take the ambiguous language and translate it into specific policy directives (REAL POWER) Regulation - Congress gives agency permission to create guidelines to govern an industry Agency will then enforce guidelines

Question 48

Discretionary Authority

Answer 48

Bureaucrats make policies and choose actions not spelled out in advance by the law

Question 49

Munn v. Illinois (1877)

Answer 49

SC upholds govt’s right to regulate

Question 50

Red Tape

Answer 50

The maze of government rules, regulations, and paperwork that makes government so overwhelming to citizens that many people try to avoid contact

Question 51

Conflict

Answer 51

Agencies that often work at cross purposes with one another

Question 52

Duplication

Answer 52

A situation in which agencies appear to be doing the same thing

Question 53

Unchecked Growth

Answer 53

The tendency of agencies to grow unnecessarily and for costs to escalate proportionately

Question 54

Waste

Answer 54

Spending more money on products and/or services than is necessary

Question 54

Lack of accountability

Answer 54

The difficulty in firing or demoting an incompetent bureaucrat

Question 55

Accountability - Congress

Answer 55

Duplication, Appropriations, Congressional Oversight

Question 56

Accountability - President

Answer 56

Appointment Power, Executive orders, signing statements

Question 57

Accountability - Judicial Branch

Answer 57

Judicial Review

Question 58

Structure of the Bureaucracy

Answer 58

Cabinet agencies, Independent agencies, Regulatory commissions, Government corporations

Question 59

Cabinet Agencies

Answer 59

Broad mission, political focus, leadership is appointed by the president and does not have a long tenure in office, extremely visible political job

Question 60

Independent Agencies

Answer 60

smaller or more focused mission, leadership is appointed by the president but NOT in the cabinet so not intended to be political, leadership tends to have long tenure in office

Question 61

Regulatory Commissions

Answer 61

Specific function (usually economic) with some judicial responsibility (i.e. the ability to punish)

Question 62

Government Corporations

Answer 62

Blend of a private corp. and a government agency

Question 63

Chevron Deference

Answer 63

Gave deference to Regulatory agencies rules created when Congress wasn't clear Allows courts to Review more types of regulation