American Federal Government
• The Presidency
My style: Professional Preppy
• Leadership styles
– 2 Theories
• Clerk and Chief: Congressional power is primary;
no power of independent Presidential action
• Energetic Executive: Executive power requires
discretion, just as cops must exercise discretion
when enforcing the law
That’s right, he can do whatever he
wants
• Executive Orders
– Nothing explicitly mentioned in Constitution
other than the vague executive powers clause
– Examples
•
•
•
•
Lend Lease Program
Japanese Internment Camps
Seizing Property during Wartime
Retaliation against OPEC
– Where does it end?
I don’t like your stinkin’ bill!
• Veto Power
–
–
–
–
Need 2/3’s override from Congress
Regular Veto and pocket veto
The demise of the line-item veto
New Era
• Threat of the Veto
Presidents who don’t play well with
others
• The Presidential Record on Vetoes
# of Vetoes# overridden
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
Ford
Carter
Reagan
Bush
Clinton
180
73
12
16
26
48
13
39
29
35
12
2
0
0
7
12
2
9
1
1
The Starting Point
• The Evolution of the Presidency
– Constitutional Presidency (1787-1826)
• Executive constrained and limited
• Indirectly elected, so hopefully no partisanship
(never happened)
• Article 2 - “The executive power shall be vested in a
President of the United States of America” (many
interpretations)
Andrew Jackson beat the Presidency
with his cane
• The Evolution of the Presidency
– Politicized Presidency (1830-1912)
• Jackson made executive branch more assertive (i.e.
veto for political purposes)
• Idea of a popular mandate emerges with expansion
of voters
• President becomes responsible for the direction of
the administration
FDR to Present: I’m the leader!
• The Evolution of the Presidency
– Modern President (1932-Present)
• President portrays “national will”
• Media focus on most visible person
• New demands on government
– Foreign Policy
– Economic Crises
– Some say this has gone too far?
Yes, the other two branches do still
have some power
• An “Imperial” or an “Imperiled” Office?
• Separated Institutions Sharing Power
– The power to persuade
– Grassroots support
– “going public” -- appealing over the heads of
members of Congress
– Political Capital and “Bank Account”
– State of the Union/Honeymoons
– Decline in support over time
We know about abortion, but what
about Angola?
• Measuring Presidential Success in Congress
– The “Two Presidencies”
• Domestic Policy: Visible and public was very aware
• Foreign Policy: Not as visible and less knowledge of
foreign affairs
– The impact of Vietnam
– New Trend: Multiple Presidencies?
…and they’re not ALL interns
• The “Institutional Presidency”
– Growth of staff
• accrual of functions to the presidency
• way to control policy initiatives
• chief of staff function
Presidency
• 4 Types of Presidents
– 2 Dimensions
– Passive versus Active
• How much the individual used the Presidency to accomplish
• Legislatively active or defers to congress and advisors
– Positive versus Negative
• View of the institution
• Vehicle to do good or a due burden