US presidency Flashcards
(162 cards)
1
Q
How many formal powers does the constitution give the president?
A
10
2
Q
formal powers
Propose legislation
A
often used the annual stage of the union address to congress
EXAMPLE Trump 2018 announced to spend $1.5 trillion on infrastructure
This power also includes submission of annual budget
3
Q
Formal powers
Sign legislation
A
May hold bill signing ceremony to claim credit
EXAMPLE trump tax cuts (2017)
4
Q
Formal powers
Veto legislation
A
Even the threat of a veto is a significant power
When used the president usually prevails
EXAMPLE trump won 9 of his 10 vetoes
5
Q
Formal powers
Act as Chief Executive
A
In charge of running the executive branch
Is head of government
Assisted by cabinet: department and agency heads
EXOP
6
Q
Formal powers
Nominate executive branch officials
A
Department and agency heads
EXAMPLE Trump appointed Mike Pompeo as SOS 2018
7
Q
Formal powers
Nominate federal judges
A
Including Supreme court justices
For Example Trump Appointed Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett
8
Q
Formal powers
Act as a commander in chief
A
has overall control over the armed forces-this was especially important from the nineteen forties to the 1980s during the Cold War hostilities with the Soviet union
EXAMPLE Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of Kosovo in 1999 and Barack Obama presided over extensive bombing in Libya which led to the downfall of the Gadhafi regime
9
Q
Formal powers
Negotiates treaties
A
Symbolises the peace making role alongside the commander in chief role
10
Q
Formal powers
Pardon and commutation of prison sentence
A
controversial power, especially when used to benefit close friends and supporters.
EXAMPLE
Bill Clinton made a total of 140 pardons while in office, Barack Obama 212 and Donald Trump 237
11
Q
formal powers
act as head of state
A
is the public face or representative of the nation, both internationally and in domestic policies
12
Q
Define executive branch
A
The branch of government that has responsibility for exercising authority across the governed territory and for implementing and forcing the laws created by the legislative branch.
13
Q
Define domestic policies
A
The decisions and policies that the executive and the legislature make that are specifically to do with issues or events within a country
14
Q
How is the vice president elected?
A
In conjunction with the the president
EXAMPLE Donald trump and Mike Pence in 2016
And Joe Biden and Kamala harris 2020
15
Q
How many powers does the constitution give the vice president?
A
5
16
Q
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Presiding officer of the senate
A
Chairs debates (but usually this is done by junior members of the majority party)
17
Q
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Voting in the case of a tied vote in the senate
A
Vice president Mike Pence voted 13 times in the senate, more then all expect 6 of the 36 vice presidents
18
Q
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Counting the electoral college votes after the presidential election
A
Mike Pence presided over the counting of the electoral college voted in January 2021 following the 2020 election
19
Q
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Becoming president in the event of the death, resignation or the removal of the president
A
Has occurred on 9 occasions
Vice president Gerald Ford became president when Nixon resigned
20
Q
Constitutional powers of the vice president
Becoming acting president if the president is declared or declared himself disabled
A
25th amendment
Vice president Dick Cheney twice became acting president while George Bush underwent exploratory surgery
21
Q
Where do informal powers come from?
A
From sources not mentioned in the constitution as well as outside factors the president has limited control over
22
Q
Informal source of presidential power
The cabinet
A
an advisory group set up by the president to aid in making decisions and coordinating the work of the federal government
23
Q
informal sources of presidential power
EXOP
A
Contains the top staff agencies in the White House that assist the president in carrying out the major responsibilities of the presidential office.
24
Q
informal sources of presidential power
White House office WHO
A
Part of EXOP, the WHO is the personal office of the president containing the staff who facilitate the presidents communications with congrats, department and agency has, the press and public
25
informal sources of presidential power
| National Security Council NSC
 part of EXOP, the NSC is the presidents official forum for deliberating national security and foreign policy.
26
informal sources of presidential power
| Office of management and budget OMB
The office within EXOP that reviews budget requests, legislative initiatives, and proposed rules and regulations from the executive departments and agencies
27
informal sources of presidential power
| Powers of persuasion
The president uses personal influence, authority of office and political capital, and makes deals to obtain the support of key political actors.
28
informal sources of presidential power
| Executive Orders
issued as a form of direct authority. They are often used by presidents frustrated by congressional assistance to their agenda as an alternative to legislation
29
informal sources of presidential power
| Executive agreements
agreements between the president and a foreign nation, often used as alternatives to formal treaties
30
informal sources of presidential power
| Signing statements
statements issued by the president on signing a bill which may challenge specific provisions of the bill on constitutional or other grounds
31
informal sources of presidential power 
| Electoral mandate
The larger the presidents electoral mandate, the more likely they are to achieve the legislative agenda
32
informal sources of presidential power
| Public approval
The presidents public approval rating can affect their ability to get things done
33
informal sources of presidential power
| National events
National events can affect presidential power, enhancing or weakening their position in relation to Congress, the states and the presidents personal approval ratings. For example, the aftermath of the 911 terrorist attacks increased the popularity of George W Bush, whereas the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and negatively affected Donald trumps approval rating.
34
Define informal power
political rather than constitutional powers
35
Define powers of persuasion
using personal influence to convince others to provide support
36
Define electoral mandate
The size of the majority won by the president at the election-the higher the majority, the bigger the electoral mandate
37
Define cabinet
The advisory group selected by the president to assist in making decisions and coordinating the work of the federal government
38
Is the cabinet mentioned in the constitution?
No
Article ll states that the president may require the opinion in writing of the heads of each executive department
It is an advisory and coordinating group, not a decision making group
39
How many heads of executive departments are there?
15
40
What are the heads of executive departments traditionally?
Members of the cabinet but some some others are who the president designates as having cabinet rank
eg US trade representative
41
Why’s it difficult to recruit cabinet members from incumbent members of congress?
They then must resign from congress
42
Where are cabinet members mainly drawn from?
Former members of congress, state governors, big city mayors, academia etc
Tend to be policy specialists
43
Appointments of cabinet members must be approved by whom?
A majority vote in the senate
44
How does the cabinet often look like the cabinet
In terms of gender, race, region age and ideology
Should be balanced
Trumps cabinet mainly white, male, older, wealthy, business executives
45
Good exam quote for cabinet
‘the cabinet had become institutionalised by usage alone’
46
What’s the correct term for cabinet people in the USA
Cabinet officers
| Cabinet ministers in the UK
47
How do cabinet meetings vary?
Frequency of meetings depends on President
| Trump held 9 well above recent average
48
What happens to cabinet meetings as presidency progresses?
They hold fewer
| Trump only held 2 in his final year
49
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| Yes Important people
it contains some of the most important people in the executive branch eg secretary of state
50
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| yes President chairs
The president chairs all the meetings
51
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| yes fulfills important functions
cabinet meetings can fulfil a number of important functions for both the president and cabinet officers
52
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| yes frequent meetings
some home frequent meetings
| eg reagan
53
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| No constitution
Article ll vests ‘all executive power in the president’
54
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| no, responsibility
no collective doctrine of responsibility
55
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| no, presidents equals
Members are neither presidents equals nor political rivals
56
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| No, president suspicious
Presidents often view members of their cabinet with some suspicion because of their divided loyalties
57
Is the presidents cabinet important?
| No EXOP
Exop is main source of advice giving for the president
58
When was EXOP established?
1939
59
How many offices does EXOP have now?
13
| 4 when it was establish
60
Why has the number of EXOP offices increased?
Because the number of policy areas that president must address has increased
61
Where do key EXOP personnel work?
In the west wing
62
What are the 3 most important offices within the EXOP?
White House Office WHO
The Office Of Management And Budget OMB
National Security Council NSC
63
Define EXOP
The umbrella term for the top staff agencies in the white house that assist the president in carrying out the major responsibilities of office
64
what does EXOP stand for?
Executive Office Of The President
65
Who does the WHO include?
The presidents most trusted aides
| More than 30 different offices such as the office of cabinet affairs
66
What does the WHO act as a liaison between?
The white House and vast federal bureaucracy
67
How are staff of the WHO meant to act?
As neutral ‘honest brokers’ not partisan policy makers
68
Who heads the WHO?
| And duties:
The white house chief of staff:
The door keeper of the the Oval office
Decided who the president sees, what the president reads, speaks to the president on the phone
Should act as someone who sometimes takes the blame for the president is things go wrong
69
Who struggled to fulfill the white house chief of staff role?
All 4 of trumps chief of staff did given trumps way of operating
70
The White House Chief of Staff is arguably what?
Potentially the most powerful person in the white house after the president
71
Who heads the OMB?
The OMB director
72
What does the OMB director appointment require?
Senate confirmation
73
What’s the OMBs 3 principal function?
1. to advise the president on the allocation of federal funds in the annual budget
2. To oversee the spending of all federal departments and agencies
3. To act as a clearing house for all legislative and regulatory initiatives coming from the president
74
what’s the main function of the NSC?
Is to help the president coordinate foreign, security and defence policy
75
Who heads the NSC?
The national security advisor
76
The NSC coordinates information coming to the president from:
- the state department
- the defence department
- the central intelligence agency (CIA)
- the join chiefs of staff
- US ambassadors from around the world
77
It’s important to note that the NSC acts as an not a
Acts as an ‘honest broker’ , a facilitator, not a policy promoter
78
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
| Geographic location
EXOP members work in or near the west wing, cabinet members often work some geographic distance from the white house
79
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
| President meetings
Some EXOP members may see the president on a regular basis, some members of the cabinet rarely get to see the P, and certainly not one on one
Therefore while EXOP members often know what the president wants from day to day, cabinet members may feel out of the loop
80
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
| Cabinet divided loyalties
while EXOP work only for the president, cabinet members have divided loyalties - to the president but also to congress, to their bureaucracy and to client interest groups
81
EXOP - Cabinet rivalry, why?
| EXOP staff regard cabinet members as?
Disloyal
82
In the modern era of party polarisation the presidents powers of persuasion are what?
Less effective than they were in the postwar period when the bipartisan politics was more common
83
A presidents power to persuade is usually greater when there is what?
A unified government
84
Define unified government
When both houses of congress and the presidency are controlled by the same party
85
What is the president trying to get congress to do, power of persuasion?
Pass the presidents legislative proposals
sustain the presidents vetoes
Confirm the presidents executive and judicial nominations (senate only)
Ratify the presidents treaties (senate only)
86
Why does the president need to persuade congress to give its support?
The presidents powers are checked by congress
The presidents party may control only one of the houses or none
Members of congress have other loyalties to their constituents and powerful lobbyists
Members of congress are elected separately from the president
The president has few ‘sticks and carrots’ Disincentives and incentives to encourage members of congress to offer their support
87
Powers of the president: Propose legislation
| checks by congress:
Amend, delay, reject the presidents legislative proposals
88
Powers of the president: veto legislation
| checks by congress:
override the veto
89
Powers of the president: nominate executive branch officials
checks by congress:
Senate has the power to confirm or reject
90
Powers of the president: Nominate federal judges
| checks by congress:
senate has the power to confirm or reject
91
Powers of the president: negotiates treaties
| checks by congress:
Senate has the power to ratify or reject
92
Powers of the president: commander in chief of the armed forces
checks by congress:
Declare war/power of the purse
93
Powers of the president: Act as chief exec
| checks by congress:
Investigation, impeachment, trial, removal from office
94
Who does the president use to help get congress’s support?
The vice president
The office of legislative affairs (part of the WHO)
Cabinet officers
Party leadership in congress
95
What perks can the president use to help win the support of members of congress?
- phone calls to members of congress to request support directly
- support legislation important to a member of congress
- invitations social or political to the white house
- campaign for them (only of the Ps own party)
- go on tv and appeal directly to voters to contact members of congress and tell them to support P
96
What success have recent presidents enjoyed in congress?
Success can be measured by the presidential annual support score
97
What was obamas presidential support score?
2009 96% Both houses democrats
| 2016 39%
98
What usually happens in a presidents second term?
They become ‘lame ducks’
The average first year support score for presidents from reagan to obama is 83% whereas in the last year the score is around 48%
99
What was trumps approval score?
Ranged from 47% at its highest and at its lowest at 34% at the end of his term
100
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| Yes Formal disciplinary
The president hold no formal disciplinary over members do congress
101
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| Yes Party discipline
Party discipline in Congress, though tighter than it used to be, cannot guarantee votes for the president
102
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| Yes Party majorities
the president may be faced one or both houses controlled by the other party
103
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| Yes president dependant
The president is dependant upon members of congress for legislation, confirmation of appointments and treaty ratification
104
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| Yes direct authority
The presidents direct authority has limited use
105
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| Yes President support
The president can offer support for things members of congress regard as important
106
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| No Partisanship
In an era of partisanship, few, if any, members of congress from the opposition party are open to presidential persuasion, especially on big ticket items
Partisanship also makes persuasion a less useful tool for the president trying to persuade voters to support him and then pressurise recalcitrant members of congress to do likewise
107
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important? approval ratings
Presidents nowadays tend to have low approval ratings and high disapproval ratings and therefore their persuasion is much less effective
108
Is the presidents power of persuasion still important?
| no 2nd term presidents
2nd term presidents have found their persuasive power to be very limited
109
How many types of direct authority are there?
4
110
Direct authority
| Executive order
And executive order is easy for a president to issue but equally easy for a subsequent president to rescind
Obama made increasing use of them after the democrats lost control of congress
Trump also made significant use of them during his first few months, also facing an uncooperative congress
111
How did george bush use signing statements?
he increasingly used them to challenge constitutionality of some part of a bill he was signing
112
What do critics claim about signing orders?
They are a abuse of power over legislation, the the correct and constitutional course of action would be for the president to either veto the bill or to await a ruling on the law’s constitutionality from the SC
113
What do supporters say about signing orders?
They are a way in which a president can get their way over legislation even when congress is uncooperative
114
When’s a recess appointment used?
Gridlock in the senate over confirmation of appointments
Bill Clinton and George Bush increasingly use them over their terms in office
Obama lost a supreme court decision about them in 2014 which resulted in their curtailment
115
Define executive order
An official document issued by the Executive branch with the fact of the law, through which the president directs federal officials to take certain actions
116
Define signing statements
A statement issued by the president on signing a bill which may challenge specific provisions of the bill on constitutional or other grounds
117
Define recess appointment
A temporary appointment of a federal official made by the presidency to fill a vacancy while the senate is in recess
118
When does the president use an executive agreement?
To circumvent the senates power to ratify treaties
| Hence there is strong opposition to them from congress
119
Define executive agreement
an agreement reached between the president and a foreign nation on matters that do not require a formal treaty
120
Imperial presidency
term first used by arthur Schlesinger
Associated most with president Nixon
Characterised by abuse of power, secrecy and illegality
121
Imperilled presidency
Term first used by Gerald Ford
Associated most with presidents ford and carter
Characterised by congressional reassertiveness and presidential weakness
122
Post imperial presidency
Term first used in 1980
Often used to refer to presidents from reagan to trump
Characterised by presidential re-assertiveness but power that is often limited by a new era of hyper partisanship
123
Define imperial presidency
A presidency characterised by the misuse of presidential powers, especially excessive secrecy particularly in foreign policy - and high handed was in dealing with congress
124
define imperilled presidency
A term coined by president gerald ford to refer to a presidency characterised by ineffectiveness and weakness, resulting from congressional over assertiveness
125
Bill clinton
| Imperial presidency
1994 clinton prepared to launch an invasion of Haiti without congressional permission
126
George W Bush
| Imperial Presidency
Bush’s unilateralism accelerated dramatically after 9/11
127
Barack Obama
| Imperial Presidency
Obama launched ten times as many strikes in the middle east and asia as george bush, likewise sanctioned military intervention in Libya without seeking congressional approval
Most controversially be sanctioned the death of Anwar Al Awlaki, an alleged terrorist by a drone attack in yemen 2011
128
Donald Trump
| Imperial presidency
Bombing ISIS fighters 2017
Air strike assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani without authorisation from congress
Argued in 2020 he could use twitter to inform congress of future airstrikes
129
What powers does the constitution give the president in foreign policy?
To act as a commander chief in the armed forces
To negotiate treaties with foreign powers
To make certain appointments
130
What powers does the constitution give to congress in foreign policy?
To declare war, not used since 1941
Control of the budget (military spending)
Ratify treaties (senate only)
Confirm appointments (senate only)
131
Does the president control foreign policy?
| Yes Cic
The president is commander in chief
132
Does the president control foreign policy?
| Yes treaties
the p has the power to negotiate treaties
133
Does the president control foreign policy?
| Yes appointments
The p has the power to make appointments
134
Does the president control foreign policy?
| Yes tone
The president can set the time for foreign policy
135
Does the president control foreign policy?
| Yes, Nuclear monopoly
The president has access to the nuclear ‘button’ (the ‘football’)
The president has the facts in a crisis
136
Does the president control foreign policy?
| No Money
Congress controls the purse strings
137
Does the president control foreign policy?
| No declaring war
Only congress can declare war
| Although largely redundant now
138
Does the president control foreign policy?
| Ratification No
The senate has ratification power for treaties
139
Does the president control foreign policy? No appointments
The senate has confirmation power of appointments
140
Does the president control foreign policy? No Investiagtion
Congress has the power of investigation
141
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Electoral Mandate
The electoral mandate is the percentage of popular vote won in the previous election
No the the difference between obama winning 52.9% and Trump winning 46%
Bush and Trump both lost the popular vote
142
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Public approval
The higher the presidents public approval rating, the more political clout they are likely to have
Note the difference between George Bush 62% approval average in the first year
Donald trump had 38%
143
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
First/Second term
The president is likely to be more successful in the first 2 years of their first term than in the last 2 years of their second
George Bush bad an approval rating of 62% during his first term and only 37% during his second term; Obama had a rating of 67% in his first term, falling to 40% in his second term
144
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Unified/divided
They are likely to be more successful if their party controls both houses of congress
For example, Clinton 1993 - 95 and obama 2009-11
145
Factors affecting presidential success and how they vary between presidents:
Crises
In a crisis, the nation tends to rally around the flag and look to the president for leadership
But if the president is seen to mishandle the crisis, it can have the opposite effect, (eg Trump and covid 19 pandemic)
146
Bill clinton Aims
| Economic Growth
The economic recovery of the 1990s led to his presidency being remebered for a booming economy
147
Bill clinton Aims
| Affordable healthcare
His proposed healthcare reforms were too divisive in congress and ended up not even being voted on
148
Bill clinton Aims
| Expanding Civil rights
Successfully increased representation of ethnic groups and women in government during his presidency and bad some success in advancing gay rights in the military
149
Bill clinton Aims
| Foreign policy
Clinton was successful in his foreign policy in both Russia and Yugoslavia as well as playing a crucial part in negotiating an end ‘The troubles’ In Northern Ireland
150
George Bush aims and effectiveness
| ‘war on terror’ post 911
Bush was successful in creating a homeland security department that increased mass surveillance to prevent another attack of the magnitude of 911
151
George Bush aims and effectiveness
| Education Reform
The ‘no child left behind policy’ Saw a 2% increase in spending for inner city schools and the most vulnerable children in US society
152
George Bush aims and effectiveness
| Major Tax Cuts
Succeeded in his aim of making $1.35 trillion worth of tax cuts
153
George Bush aims and effectiveness
| Social Security Reform
Bush underestimated the difficulties he would face in passing his bill, talking the support of congress for granted.
His reform was not acted upon by congress
154
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness Healthcare Reform
Passing healthcare reform was a considerable achievement, Obamacare saw the number of adults uninsured for healthcare drop considerably
155
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
| Stimulating the economy
He successfully saw the USA through the 2008 economic crisis
156
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
| Ending the war in Iraq
the obama administration was successful in engineering an exit strategy that ended the war in Iraq
157
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
| Ending the war in Iraq
The obama administration was successful in engineering an exit strategy that ended the war in Iraq
158
Barack Obama aims and effectiveness
| Immigration reform
Obama failed to achieve an immigration reform which he hoped would lead to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants
159
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
| Taxes and jobs
The tax and jobs act 2017
was the biggest overhaul in the nations tax codes for 30 years, slashing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 22%
2019 US unemployment rates fell to the lowest level since 1969
160
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
| Repeal and replace the Obamacare
The Trump administration lacked a clear vision of what replacement for Obamacare would look like and this lack of clarity resulted in a Republican senate failing to back the administration’s plans
161
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
| Build The wall
Trump failed to build a wall across the USA - mexico border. He claimed to have built around 450 miles of wall, but at least 350 miles of this replaced wall that already existed
162
Donald Trump aims and effectiveness
| Successfully managed the covid 19 crisis
The trump administration was slow to recognise the danger of the virus and failed to communicate a national response.
The USA was the worst affected country in the world in terms of total fatalities
