Us Has An Imperial Presidency Flashcards
(6 cards)
1
Q
Weaker, Presidents constitutional power of commander in chief
A
- Clinton bombing Iraq to deflect attention from Monica Lewinsky scandal
- bush anti terror leg, cover surveillance passed in 28 days
- Obama killing of bin laden and actions in Libya, without any approval from congress and ignoring War powers act
- trump authorised killing of Iran general solomani 2020
- Biden air strikes in Syria 2023 - excessive secrecy and abuse of power
Trump temporary pause intelligence sharing with Ukraine in 2025 without consulting congress
2
Q
Constitutional checks prevent imperialism
A
- checks on commander in chief powers remain
- congress declares war
- congress must vote on giving or not giving president power to execute military action through (AUMFs)
- Iraq 2003
- 2013 Obama drop plans to bomb Assad regime, congressional resistance
- congress power of the purse to defund presidents foreign policy goals
- Biden struggled to pursue congress to pass military aid to Ukraine in 2024
- SC also limit pres (Hampden v Rumsfeld) Bush actions against suspected terrorists prevented
- trump claim to end Russia Ukraine war on day one, yet still stands due to constrains in foreign affairs and diplomacy
3
Q
Presidents implied powers and direct authority
A
- claim by convention, don’t usually require congressional approval
- exec orders
- A2 S3 vague, provides loopholes for presidents to avoid scrutiny on orders
- first 100 days trump issued 143 ExO, more than his 3 predecessors combined
- ending of birth right citizenship and ending foreign aid
- instructed education sec to abolish all but her own dept without congress approval
- some can be checked, trumps pausing of foreign aid was blocked
- SC 3 judges appt by trump, same court which 2024 allowed trump immunity from prosecution for official actions taken as president
- courts lack enforcement power
- trump admin continued deportation flights of undocumented migrants to El Salvador despite SC ruling demanding that they be halted
- Biden EO, 2022 forgave 10k college tuition debt, overrule congress power of the purse
- pardons, trump rioters and Biden son hunter
- veto power, Iran war resolution vetoed in Trump 1st term
4
Q
Limits to implied powers
A
- EO can be nullified by congress leg or judicial intervention
- Obama DAPA ruled unconstitutional
- trumps travel ban 1st term faced difficult time in lower courts
- Biden college debt ruled unconstitutional 2023
- trump birth right citizenship held up in lower courts, SC paused cuts to foreign aid
- pressure groups fight back through litigation
- American civil liberties association filed 53 cases again trump admin
- pres may show restraint
- Biden 2nd lowest number of pardons (80)
- EO can be rescinded by successors
- ## Mexico City rule intro by GOP pres, ended by democ
5
Q
Factors that create imperial presidency
A
- high approval ratings end of Clinton’s term in office, strong economy, able to survive impeachment
- bush 9/11 push thru patriot act 28 days
- trumps stronger second term mandate winning ECV and pop, tarrifs on imports, mass deportation, creating DoGE, cancelling diversity programmes
- bush united gov, allowed him to prosecute 2 foreign wars without much scrutiny
- Biden united gov, many spending bills without scrutiny
- including American rescue plan act blames for stoking inflation
6
Q
None factors are fixed
A
- bush left office with low approval ratings due to Iraq war
- Biden popularity reduced after Afghanistan troop withdraw 2021
- tackling aftermath of credit crunch Obama, resulted in right wing party crush democ in 2010 midterms
- trump 2024 mandate overstated 49% vote, lowest approval ratings
- more than 50% 2025 disapprove of trumps handling of econ, tariffs on imports cancelled
- Obama united gov still struggled to convince own party to close Guantanamo bay
- united Biden gov, senate 2022 manchin refusing to change senate rules on filibuster which would have allowed Biden to pass laws easily
