The Presidency
• When we think of government, we think of the
President of the United States
• Considered the most powerful man in the world
•We’ve discussed his roles, from ceremonial
head of state to commander in chief (you must
remember these!!)
• There’s just so much more…
The Founding Fathers
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The feared both anarchy and monarchy
Fear of corruption by Senate – shared powers
Fear of presidential bribery to ensure reelection
Concern was balance of power
How long do they serve – 2 term precedent but
22nd Amendment ensures that
• Establishment of legitimacy of office
• and orderly transfer of power
• One solution – the Electoral College
The Electoral College
• A blessing and a curse…
• Created to ensure fair and balanced way to
select a president
• Each state chooses delegates and met in their
own capital to pick a president (now they meet
in a national convention)
• Winner takes all approach and if no one wins a
majority, then the House picks the president!!
• Needs to be reformed as the electorate is more
informed and educated – maybe a percentage
of electoral votes to each candidate??
The beginnings…
• Power of early presidents gave legitimacy to
office(Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison)
• Not a lot of activism so people didn’t fear the
president (like a monarch)
• Good relations with Congress, basically
• Jackson believed in very strong presidency!!!
Used his veto power, was very popular!!
• Congress regains power from president until
FDR and since then it’s been pretty even
Powers of the President
• Powers are found in Article II of the Constitution
• Presidents power can also be found in the
ambiguous clauses of the Constitution including
his C and C powers, duty to execute the laws,
etc
• The Presidents greatest source of power comes
from politics and public opinion (authority and
expectations)
Other powers include…
• Executive powers – execute laws, direct
administration, appoint officials, foreign policy
• Legislative powers – recommend legislation,
veto legislation and call special sessions
• Judicial powers – grant reprieves, grant
pardons, commute sentences, grant amnesty
The White House Office
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This is the presidential staff – which the
president really didn’t have until 1857
• The office is made up of the president’s
closest assistants
• Three types of structures of the Office…
1. Pyramid structure – hierarchy, Chief of Staff
2. Circular structure – all report to president
3. Ad hoc structure – informal, committees
Typically a mix of all of these structures…
More on the office…
• President’s staff typically worked on the
president’s campaign – supports presidential
agenda and priorities!!!!
• Lots of jockeying… everyone wants to be as
close as possible to the president
• Proximity plays a huge role in power outside of
the president – be near the president and you
think you have power, too…
The Executive Office of the President
• Known as the EOP
• Shaped like an umbrella and is composed of
agencies that report directly to the president
such as…
• The OMB – Office of Management and Budget
• Independent agencies (regulatory commissions
or corporations that carry out business like
activities – created late 1800s)
The Cabinet
• Part of the EOP
• Composed of 14 executive departments
• Closest advisors to the president, but can act
outside of his authority, advocate for their dept.
• Each one headed by a “Secretary” except Dept.
of Justice which is headed by Attorney General
• Oldest and most prestigious is the State Dept
and the biggest is the DOD (Pentagon)
• While the Cabinet is not specifically mentioned
in the Constitution, it wields a lot of power and
influence!!!! (school example – principals staff are his closest advisors
while the department chairs are the cabinet, out for themselves as well as the school)
Characteristics of presidents
• Recent personalities and characteristics:
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Eisenhower – orderly, military style
Kennedy – bold, articulate, improviser
Johnson – master legislative strategist, micromanager
Nixon – expert foreign policy, hated personal confrontation
Ford – discussion oriented, genial
Carter – Washington outsider, micromanager
Reagan – set priorities let staff work, leader of public opinion
Bush, Sr. – Washington insider, hands-on manager style
Clinton – good communicator, followed liberal/center agenda
Bush, Jr. – tightly controlled White House, foreign affairs have
dominated since 9/11
Power to persuade
• President has huge ability to use office to
persuade public and fellow politicians
• Relies on prepared speeches – the bully pulpit
• Can use popularity to gain congressional
support for bills and agenda
• Riding presidents coattails has been declining
for years, minimal affect now
• Popularity affected by many factors, look at
Bush’s rating after 9/11 to now…
• Usually highest during honeymoon period
Other powers to remember
• Veto power – includes pocket veto and
overriding of a veto by Congress
• Executive privilege – need for advice but
not absolute (Nixon v US)
• Impoundment of funds – president can
choose not to spend money appropriated
by Congress, but there are rules to this
Presidential transition
• Only 15 of 43 presidents have completed 2
terms – 8 have died in office (4 assassinated?)
• Vice president’s job “rather empty” – President
of Senate and only 5 have been elected pres.
• Succession determined by 25th Amendment
now but not before…
• President ill?? VP in charge but who decides?
• A new president after a death must choose a
new VP and he or she must be confirmed by a
majority of BOTH houses!!!!!
Impeachment
• More judges than presidents get impeached
• Only Andrew Johnson, Nixon and Clinton
could have been impeached
• Nixon resigned but surely would have been
• Johnson and Clinton indicted by House but not
convicted in Senate
How powerful is the President?
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Less now than before – many constraints on
the job
Complex issues
Constant watch by the media
More interest groups with more power!
Responses to constraints include:
Get things done during honeymoon
Just a few priorities on agenda
Give power to White House staff and
supervise closely
THE END!! But wait…
The Federal Bureaucracy
• Definition – a large complex organization of
appointed officials
• US system unique in that power is shared by
president and congress and that federal agencies
work with state and local agencies
• Constitution had little to say about bureaucracy
or how to make it work… go figure!
• REMEMBER – we are talking about people
who work for the government, on almost any
level, as a “civilian” employee
Brief history
• The bureaucracy has played many roles over
the years
• Place to give jobs to your friends
• Service oriented to the federal government
• The Depression led to a more active role in
government
• Income taxes supported a huge bureaucracy
and it’s growth
• 9/11 has also increased size and scope of
bureaucracy
It’s… ALIVE!!!
•There is a bureaucracy everywhere…
• government, of course
• schools
• churches
• your work place
• your family
• even among your friends
because we need lots of help and guidence to
get jobs done…
They must…
1. Answer to competing sources of political
authority
2. Function in a constitutional system that
fragments power (decentralization)
3. Achieve vague and often competing goals
(save the environment - produce fuel??)
4. Deal with few incentives that value efficiency
The Bureaucracy continued…
• The power of a bureaucracy must be measured
by its authority, not by the number of
employees or size of its budget
• War and depression have been the main
sources of bureaucratic growth over time
• How bureaucrats use their authority can be
explained by their recruitment and job security,
their political views and by the nature of the
tasks their agencies perform…
More…
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When we think of bureaucracy we think of
problems…
Red tape - complex and conflicting rules
Conflict - agencies work against each other
Duplication - agencies do the same thing
Imperialism - agencies grow regardless of
budget, benefits or costs
Waste - a famous by-product of bureaucracy
Civil service… now anyway
• Jobs in government used to be a reward for
helping out a winning candidate - called
patronage !!!!!
• Now jobs are merit based - through the civil
service system
• This is due, in part, to the 1883 Pendleton Civil
Service Act which established a civil service
board and testing procedure for advancement
• (remember political machines and giving jobs to
favored assistants at the government’s
expense??? No, rats…)
Does it work??
• Look at the cartoon on page 425 - it shows that
there is an entire language of the bureaucrat
• One of the “rules” - never use ordinary words
where unusual ones can be found!
• On page 426 are the “laws” of bureaucrat
procedure such as “there is never time to do it
right the first time, but always time to do it over”
• People make fun of the bureaucracy but should
they??
Does it work?
• Yes, actually, surprisingly well
• Look at the mail service or the fact that we
made it to the moon • But it could be better and more efficient
perhaps
Reforms
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Lots of attempts - 11 just in the 1990s
Most revolve around centralizing authority
Employee initiatives
Fewer detailed rules and more customer
satisfaction
But difficult to accomplish
Most rules and red tape are struggles
between the president and Congress or are a
by-product of divided government and
micromanagement
A final note
• You must read this chapter - there is
information on recruitment, growth, the
changing role, the buddy system, the Iron
Triangle, firing a bureaucrat, constraints
on the job, a career in government, the
benefits and drawbacks, and vocab…