presidential character the imperial presidency. what is an imperial presidency? phrase became...
TRANSCRIPT
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Presidential Character
The Imperial Presidency
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What is an Imperial Presidency?
• Phrase became popular in the 1960’s• Presidencies that get “out of control” in
regards to power and influence• Presidencies that have exceeded
constitutional limits
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Arguments: Imperial Presidency is Increasing
• Increased staffing = appointments based on personal loyalty to the president, not subject to outside approval– Creates a “royal court” (Nixon, Reagan)
• New advisory bodies developed around the presidency, many of which complemented (critics suggest rivaled) the main cabinet departments– Office of Management and Budget, National Security Council
• The Senate does not "advise and consent" to appts to the Executive Office of the President (with only a handful of exceptions), as it does with cabinet appts. – They are independent and not accountable
• The Presidency relies on powers that exceed the Constitution– Foreign policy and war powers often questioned– Presidential secrecy also questioned
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Arguments: Imperial Presidency is Not Increasing
• The Executive Office of the President (EOP) makes up only a very small part of the federal bureaucracy and the Pres has little influence over appts of most members of the federal bureaucracy
• The number of people within the EOP is tiny and there is no institutional continuity at all
• The organization and functioning of most of the Federal government is determined by federal law and the President has little power to reorganize most of the federal government
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Is the president’s power really growing? – Maybe Not
• Growth in the size and complexity of the federal bureaucracy• A battery of post-Nixon controls on executive power, including
transparency rules and "watchdog bureaucracies“– Congressional Budget Office
• More willingness to and protection of “whistle blowers”• Changes in technologies/media that amplify the effect of official
dissent, and increase the capacity of opponents to mobilize against executive action
• Declining public trust in federal authority• Declining executive discretion over the use of federal funds,
which are increasingly committed to mandatory programs– More than half the budget
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Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61)
• Orderly, military style• Delegated authority to
trained specialists• Bumbling manner of
speaking was disguise to avoid being “pinned down” in public
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John Kennedy (1961-63)
• Bold, articulate, amusing leader
• Improviser who bypassed traditional lines of authority
• Surrounded himself with talented amateurs
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Lyndon Johnson (1963-69)
• Master legislative strategist- great dealmaker
• Washington insider• Tended to
micromanage
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Richard Nixon (1969-74)
• Expertise in foreign policy• Disliked personal
confrontation• Deep suspicion of the
media, opponents, and the bureaucracy
• Tried to centralize power in the White House
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Gerald Ford (1974-77)
• Discussion-oriented and genial
• Decision structures not always coherent or utilized
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Jimmy Carter (1977-81)
• Washington outsider (and proud of it!)
• Tried to micromanage
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Ronald Reagan (1980-89)
• Set policy priorities then gave staff wide latitude
• Leader of public opinion– “The Great Communicator”
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George H.W. Bush (1989-93)
• Hands-on manager• Considerable
Washington experience
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Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
• Good communicator• Informal/ad hoc
structure• Pursued liberal/centrist
policies
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George W. Bush (2001-09)
• Tightly ran White House• Agenda became
dominated by foreign affairs post-9/11
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Presidential “Rules of Thumb”
• Move it or Lose It: get things done early in your term before influence erodes or other things come up
• Avoid Details: better to have 3 or 4 top priorities and not get bogged down with the rest
• Cabinets don’t get things done, people do – so choose wisely and keep an eye on them.