the president. obama are individual personalities now more important than parties?

The President

Obama

• Are individual personalities now more important than parties?

Bush

Can the President control public discussion?

Clinton, Reagan, Nixon

Does a president have to be “moral” in order to be a good president?

Nixon

Do Americans need a President to have trustworthy character?

Eisenhower

Must the modern President always be involved in everything or have a solution for everything?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

What role does confidence in the President have on American morale?

FDR

Does a lot of action and policy creation make a President “great”?

Can a President be “great” if not much is changed during their Presidency?

Great Expectations

• The presidency is a highly personal office: the personality of the individual who serves as president does make a difference.

• Americans are of two minds about the presidency.• They want to believe in a powerful president—one

who can do good.• Americans do not like concentrations of power;

they are basically individualistic and skeptical of authority.

Two Roles

• The presidency combines the jobs of

head of state (ceremonial) and head of government (executive authority)

• As head of state, the president is America’s ceremonial leader and symbol of government.

• Ceremonial activities give presidents an important symbolic aura and a great deal of favorable press coverage, contributing to their efforts to build public support

Constitutional Requirements

Qualifications• “natural-born citizen”• 14 years of US residency• 35 years of age

•THAT’S IT!!!

Who are these guys?

• The story so far…–All Male–Almost all have been white–All but one have been protestants–Most have been lawyers and have held

another political office• A notable exception was Dwight Eisenhower, who

did not even vote until he ran for president!!

How’d they get there?

• Election: 35 of 44 presidents have been elected to office.• If you are still unclear about the electoral college, PLEASE make

arrangements with me to clarify the process.

• Succession: Vice president succeeds if the president leaves office (9 presidents) due to death (8), resignation (1), or removal (0).• 25th Amendment – Vice president becomes acting president if the

vice president and president’s cabinet determine that the president is disabled.• Provision is also made for selecting a new vice president when the

office becomes vacant.• The president nominates a new vice president, who assumes

the office when both houses of Congress approve the nomination.

How long can one keep this job??

Presidents are guaranteed a four-year term by the Constitution.

George Washington set a non-binding precedent of only serving 2 terms.

Twenty-second Amendment (ratified in 1951) limits them to a maximum of two terms or 10 years.

Only 11 of the 41 presidents before Bill Clinton have actually served two or more full terms.

Impeachment

• House brings impeachment charges• Senate conducts the impeachment trial

and serves as the jury• Chief Justice presides over the

impeachment trial• Two presidents have been impeached,

neither were removed from office. (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton)

What are the bennies?

• $400,000 salary• $50,000/year expense account (tax free)• $100,000/year travel expenses (tax free)• The White House (with a chef!!!)• Secret Service protection (& 10 years after)• Camp David country estate• Air Force One personal airplane• Staff of 400-500 • A sweet retirement package too!!

Constitutional Powers

“the executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America”

• Listed powers/duties are very limited and are known as “enumerated powers” or “formal powers” and are found in Article II

• The kindly AP question authors LOVE to test your knowledge with respect to formal and informal presidential powers

Formal Powers

> Serve as commander in chief of all U.S. armed forces> Commission officers of the armed forces> Grant pardons and reprieves from Federal offenses (except impeachments)> Convene special sessions of Congress> Receive foreign ambassadors> Take care that Federal laws are faithfully executed> Wield the "executive power"> Appoint officials to lesser offices

Shared Formal Powers

• Shared with the Senate + Make treaties

+ Appoint ambassadors, judges, and higher officials

• Shared with Congress as a whole +Approve legislation

Chief Executive

• This responsibility has far outgrown anything Mr. Madison could have envisioned.

• President now oversees the federal bureaucracy (~2.8 million civilian employees + the ~ 2.5 military personnel) and the federal budget

(~$3.8 TRILLION)

Second Fiddle

• [The vice presidency is] “not worth a warm bucket of spit"?– John Nance Garner.

• "I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead.“– Daniel Webster, on not accepting the Vice Presidency

• "This is a hell of a job. I can only do two things: one is to sit up here and listen to you birds talk....The other is to look at newspapers every morning to see how the president's health is."– Charles Dawes, speaking to Alben Barkley.

• “The Vice Presidency is the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived"– John Adams.

Vice President

• Preside over the Senate, tie breaking vote• Takes over the presidency if the President

cannot finish term• Chosen to “balance the ticket”

– 12th Amendment – voters choose President and VP together

– Prior to 1804, the losing presidential candidate became VP…sometime resulted in lead poisoning…

White House Staff

• Includes the key aides the president sees daily• the chief of staff• congressional liaison people• press secretary• national security advisor• other administrative political assistants.

• Presidents rely heavily on their staffs for information, policy options, and analysis.

White House Staff

• Each president organizes the White House to serve his own political and policy needs, as well as his decision-making style. (see next slide)

• Despite heavy reliance on staff, it is the president who sets the tone for the White House.

• It is the president’s responsibility to demand that staff members analyze a full range of options (and their likely consequences) before they offer the president their advice.

White House Staff Organization Models

• “Pyramid” model – assistants answer to a hierarchy up to a chief of staff (few top advisors have access to the president, president has more freedom but is isolated)

• “Circular” model – increased direct contact with staff (many top advisors to president, president is busier but more connected)

• Significance: determines what aids have the most influence on presidential decisions

White House Office

• An agency of the Executive Office of the President

• Most of these staffers rarely see the president

• This office provides the president with a wide variety of services ranging from advance travel preparations to answering the thousands of letters received each year

Executive Office of the President

• Started in 1939 when President Roosevelt established it and is made up of several policymaking and advisory bodies

• Three major policymaking bodies are the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisers, and Office of Management and Budget

National Security Council

• This committee links the president’s foreign and military policy advisers.

• Formal members are president, vice president, secretary of state, and secretary of defense, and it is managed by president’s national security assistant.

Council of Economic Advisors

• The CEA has three members• appointed by the president• advise the president on economic policy.• They prepare the Annual Report of the

Council of Economic Advisors and help the president make policy on inflation, unemployment, and other economic matters.

Office of Management and Budget

• Has responsibility for preparing the president’s budget• OMB reviews legislative proposals from the

cabinet and other executive • determines whether or not to propose them to

Congress• OMB assesses the probable impact of the

proposed budget• advises the president on the proposed budget’s

consistency with the administration’s overall program

Impoundment

• Presidential practice of refusing to spend all of the money appropriated by Congress in order to cut government spending.

• Budget Reform and Impoundment Act of 1974 – The president must spend funds appropriated by

Congress, unless he obtains permission not to do so.

– Created the current budget process

The Cabinet

• Group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the Constitution, although every president has had one (Thanks GW!)– George Washington’s cabinet consisted of just three

secretaries (state, treasury, and war) and the attorney general (known as the “Inner Cabinet”)

– Presidents have increased the size of the cabinet by asking Congress to create new executive departments

• Today, the cabinet is composed of 14 secretaries and the attorney general

The Cabinet

• The president appoints them, and can remove them (cannot remove federal judges or commissioners of independent regulatory agencies)

• Most are of the president’s party, but not always

• Cabinet members can develop divided loyalties between the president and the goals of their own department

FLOTUS

• The First Lady– No official government position, but active in

politics– Most focus on a single issue (Hillary Clinton and

health care)– Michelle Obama issues – Fighting childhood

obesity, supporting military families, helping working women balance career and family, and encouraging national service.

POP-TARTS

Formal Military Powers

• Power to deploy troops – NOT to declare war• Commander in Chief of the Army & Navy• Commander in Chief of the state militias

(now the National Guard)• Commission all officers

–A civilian controls our military–Most past presidents served in the military

prior to politics–The “football”

Formal International Powers (Head of State)

• Make treaties with other nations, subject to the agreement of two-thirds of the Senate

• Nominate ambassadors, with the agreement of a majority of the Senate

• Receive ambassadors of other nations, thereby conferring diplomatic recognition on other governments.– Diplomatic Recognition – power to officially recognize

foreign governments as legitimate• Ex. 1917-1933 – USSR not recognized• Ex. 1949-1970s – China not recognized

Formal Legislative Powers

• Give State of the Union address to Congress– It is not mandatory that this be done in person

• Recommend “measures” to the Congress

• Upon “extraordinary occasions” convene both houses of Congress

• Adjourn Congress if both houses cannot agree to do so

• Approve or Veto legislation (Signing Statement)

“No” means “No”

• Presidential Veto – Veto Message within 10 days of passing the House of origin

– Pocket Veto - President does not sign and Congress adjourns within 10 days

– Vetoed legislation must be returned to Congress “with objections”

– Congress can override with 2/3 majority from both Houses

• Veto Politics– Congressional override is difficult (only 4%)

– Threat of veto can cause Congress to make changes in legislation

Line-Item Veto

• Should the President be able to veto certain parts of a bill, and not other parts?– Governors of 43 states and the mayor of D.C.

have it• Line-Item Veto Act 1996• Clinton v. City of New York (1997) – law

found unconstitutional– Gave the executive powers reserved for the

legislative branch

Strengthening the Presidency

• Washington – set precedent for future

• Jackson – frequent use of veto power

• Lincoln – Commander and Chief to new levels of power during the Civil War

• FDR – huge influence on policy with New Deal, checked by Supreme Court

Informal Powers

• Those powers not explicitly written in the Constitution

• Similar to “necessary and proper” powers of Congress

• In the modern era (since 1933), the President’s informal powers may be significantly more powerful than his formal powers (the Imperial Presidency)

• Viewed as the “leader of the free world”

Executive Orders

• Orders issued by the President that carry the force of law

• Ex – wider latitude of discretion and power when enforcing the Constitution, treaties, laws, etc. – FDR: internment of Japanese Americans– Truman: integrate military– Eisenhower: desegregate public schools– Clinton: “Don’t ask, don’t tell”– Obama: stopped defending DOMA cases prior to the

SCOTUS ruling

Executive Agreements

• International agreements (usually related to trade) made by a president that has the force of a treaty; does NOT need Senate approval and IS NOT binding for the next president– Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana in 1803– Lend-Lease exchange with Great Britain– Strategic Partnership Agreement (Afghanistan and

US)• from 1940 to 1989, presidents signed nearly 800

treaties but negotiated more than 13,000 executive agreements.

Executive privilege

• Claim by a president that he has the right to decide that the national interest will be better served if certain information is withheld from the public, including the Courts and Congress

Why?

1. Separation of powers prevents branches from easily sharing internal workings

2. Privacy is needed for candid advice from advisors with out political or public pressure

Executive Privilege

Nixon Watergate tapesNixon refused to hand over recorded conversations, claiming Executive Privilege

United States v. Nixon (1973) presidents do NOT have unqualified executive privilege

Morale Builder & Crisis Manager

• Symbolic importance during a crisis or other difficult circumstance – FDR – “Fireside Chats during Great Depression– Carter – TMI– Reagan – Loss of the Challenger– Bush – 9/11– Obama – Superstorm Sandy)

• Unify nation and encourage all ideologies to work together

Agenda Setting

The President can control public policy priorities and discussion through…

• The “Bully Pulpit”• The media• The State of the Union speech• Making policy proposals• Encourage/persuade/cajole/threaten the

Congress

Party Leader

• The president is seen as the leader of his political party• parties are highly decentralized national party

leaders do not control nominations and elections.• A major impediment to party leadership is the fact

that the president’s party often lacks a majority in one or both houses of Congress.• The president usually has to solicit help from the

opposition party, which can alienate his own party• Although only a few votes may be obtained, that may

be enough to bring the president the required majority.

Presidential Election Years

• presidential coattails refers to voters casting their ballots for congressional candidates of the president’s party because those candidates support the president.• Thus, the symbolism was that the

candidates would “ride into office on the president’s coattails.”

• However, most recent studies show a diminishing connection between presidential and congressional voting.

Off Year Elections

• If a president is popular, he can help congressmen with their campaigns

• Low approval numbers drive a wedge between the president and those party members running for office

• In mid-term elections—those held between presidential elections—the president’s party typically loses seats– The years 1998 and 2002 have been exceptional

Gridlock

• Divided government – President and majority in at least one house of Congress represent different political parties

• “gridlock” – the inability to accomplish goals– Con – government operation shuts down– Pro – slows the decision making process,

example of check and balance

Presidential Approval

• The president’s standing in the polls is monitored closely by the press, members of Congress, and others in the Washington political community

• The higher the approval rating, the easier it is to persuade others to support presidential initiatives

• Presidents often fail to win even majority approval• Second term approval numbers almost always are

lower than the first term

Presidential Approval

Presidential approval is the product of many factors.• Many people are predisposed to support the president.• Party identification affects approval or disapproval.• Presidents usually have a “honeymoon” period• Changes in approval levels often due to how the

president is handling policy.• Contrary to conventional wisdom, citizens seem to focus

on the president’s efforts and stands on issues rather than on personality or how policies affect them.

• Job-related personal characteristics of the president—such as integrity and leadership skills—also play an important role.

the president. obama are individual personalities now more important than parties?

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