Chapter 12

Newman Essay 8
• Explain the main powers of the President of the United States.
• 1. Head of State
• Commander in chief
• Judicial power – reprieves/pardons
• Diplomatic power
• 2. Chief Executive – laws faithfully executed
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Newman Essay 8 (cont.)
• 3. Legislative power – recommend bills & veto power
• 4. Recommends budget to Congress
• 5. Nominates ambassadors, Cabinet, Supreme Court
• 6. Party leader
• 7. Executive Orders
• 8. Emergency power – military threats
• 9. Public Opinion Leader – generate public support, influence policies
Exceeds expectations
Meet expectations
Student addresses 8 -10 of these points student addresses 5 - 7 of these points
Does NOT meet expectation student addresses fewer than 5 of these points
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 What qualities do you think makes a good President? Think about our best Presidents. What characteristics do you think they had in common?
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 Write down 4 things you would like to learn about the President.
 This could be about the office of
President.
 It could be trivia or little known facts.
But don’t put goofy questions down.
 Anything you would like to learn.
 You will turn this in later in class.
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 Delegates to Constitutional Convention wary of unchecked power
 However, delegates knew the U.S. needed effective executive office
 Balance needed between tyranny and national leadership
American
Revolution
King George III
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
How long do you think a President’s terms SHOULD be. How many terms do you think they SHOULD be allowed?
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 Lots of debates on nature of Presidency
 Initial proposal:
 Single executive chosen by Congress
 Seven-year term
 Ineligible for re-election
 Final proposal incorporated checks and balances with other branches of government to keep President from becoming too powerful
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 Article II gives requirements:
 U.S.-born citizen
 At least 35 years old
 Lived in U.S. for at least 14 years
 Any 14 years of life
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 4 year term
 2 term limit (22 nd Amendment (passed
1947, ratified 1951))
 Maximum 10 years
FDR elected to 4 th term
 President makes how much $?
 $400,000 per year
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 Youngest elected President:
 JFK (43 years)
 Youngest serving President:
 T. Roosevelt (42)
 Took over after McKinley’s assassination
 Oldest President:
 Reagan (69)
 Obama
 5 th youngest President (47)
 Clinton and Grant were also younger 11

 Average age of a President when taking office:
 About 55
 Only President to take office without being elected:
 Gerald Ford
 Shortest time in office:
 William Henry Harrison – one month
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 Read Article II of the Constitution
(page A7-A9 of your book).
 Write about a few of the responsibilities given to the executive in the Constitution.
 What are your thoughts about the length/specifics of Article II?
 Answer in a paragraph.
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 Article II also sets forth duties of the presidency
 Actual requirements rather brief and vague
 (Read Article II on page A-7 through A-9 in the back of your book)
 Hard to provide & limit power at same time
 No existing presidency to model after
 Confidence in Washington
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 Serve as administrative head of the nation
 Supervise departments, agencies, programs
 Act as commander in chief of the military
 But Congress can declare war
 Convene Congress
( Special sessions, State of the Union)
 Veto legislation
(Congress can override w/ 2/3 vote)
 Appoint various officials
(federal court judges, ambassadors, cabinet – most with Senate confirmation)
 Make treaties
(with 2/3 Senate vote. Can recognize other nations)
 Grant pardons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon#United_States
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 Pick one year of Obama, Bush, and
Clinton and pick one pardon they each made.
 Briefly describe the pardon. Include when the pardon was given.
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 Founders envisioned a limited role for the president
 Over time, presidents have used formal powers to expand influence
 Presidential definitions of “inherent” powers have expanded reach of office
 Congress also has granted powers to the president
See next three slides for explanation of each of the above.
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 Pick one famous, well known, or interesting executive order from the
1800s, 1900s, and 2000s. For each:
 Name the President
 Name the year
 Explain the order
 Explain why he ordered it
 Report it to the class
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Most vetoes
(635)
Most vetoes in one term (414)

Veto power http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_vetoes
 Use or threat of use has increased
 Congress anticipates vetoes and avoids them
 Reports to Congress on the state of the union
 Used to set forth policy agenda
 Commander in chief
 Sending troops into conflict without declaration of war by Congress
 Vietnam
 War on Terror
 Al Qaeda not a nation
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 Based on inferences from Constitution
 Congress and the courts may not agree
 Once established, used by subsequent presidents
 Use of executive orders now routine
 To make sure laws “faithfully executed.” http://www.cnn.com/videos/education/2013/01/15/sn-0116.cnn
- 1 minute on executive orders
Little Rock
 Boundaries debated since 9/11
 Bush wiretapping – pg. 333
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 Congress sometimes willingly decides to delegate powers to president
 This delegation of powers gives the president more flexibility to address national problems
 1930s Congress gave FDR ability to do what necessary
 President can move faster than Congress (Nixon price freezes)
 In other cases, Congress votes to reassert authority
 War Powers Resolution (1973)
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 Presidency requires large staff to carry out duties
 White House staff
 Vice President and staff
 Cabinet Secretaries
White House
Chief of Staff
Denis
McDonough
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 Key aides provide advice and control access to president
 Chief of Staff – leader of staff
 National Security Advisor
 Other specialized staff
 Economy, health, education, social services
 Interest groups
 Media (69 people in Obama’s White House)
 Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Rahm Emanuel
 2000 employees; budget $500 million
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 No “right way” to organize
 FDR: competitive management – differing points of view
 Eisenhower: hierarchical – clear lines of authority. President not in on all details of policy discussion
 Clinton: lots of access to him. Less likely to delegate authority
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 Most important duty: to take over presidency if needed
 25 th amendment allows choice of new VP
 Traditionally not advisory
 Used for political chores
 Carter began trend of using as advisor
 Also President of Senate
 Chosen to balance ticket in some way
 Different geographic region, coalition, experience, ideology
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VP is:
• Pres. Of Senate
• Tie breaking votes
Joe Biden served 36 years as Senator from
Delaware.
Served on Foreign
Relations and Judiciary
Committees.
Ran for Democratic nomination for President twice before Obama selected him as the 2008
VP nominee.
“One heartbeat away from the Presidency”
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 1. Type out the 15 Cabinet departments
 2. What year was each department formed and by which President?
 3. What is the main responsibility of each
Cabinet department?
 4. Who is the current head of each department?
 5. Put a picture of each Cabinet leader
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 Heads of departments in executive branch and other key officials
 First cabinet had four departments; today
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 Theoretically advisory body but does not function as such
 Too large
 Secretaries have limited areas of expertise
 Not chosen for ability to work with president
 White House staffs and advisory groups provide most advice
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Obama’s Cabinet November 2015
 Secretary of State John Kerry
 Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew
 Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter
 Attorney General Loretta Lynch
 Secretary of Homeland Security
 Jeh Johnson
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The Secretary of State is fourth in line of succession to the president, followed by the
Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Defense.
Current cabinet members cannot be members of Congress or hold any other elected office.
The department secretaries answer only to the president, and only the president may fire them.
However, they are expected to resign when the president leaves office.
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




This table provides two “top 12” lists of American
Presidents.
The 1st ranking comes from 2007 Gallup Poll asking
Americans to name the greatest U.S. President.
The 2 nd ranking comes from survey of historians/observers, who rated presidents according to their abilities.
9 Presidents appear on both lists.
Ordinary Americans are more likely to name recent
Presidents (Carter, Clinton, GWBush)
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 How do you assess which president is the best/worst?
 What qualities are you looking for when you determine who the best/worst presidents are?
 What is the most important thing(s) to look for in a President?
 What is the least important thing(s) to look for in a President?
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Figure 12.1
A Presidential Wish
List
What qualities do you look for in a president? A survey asked
Americans to rank various qualities and characteristics as
‘‘essential,’’ ‘‘important, but not essential,’’ or ‘‘not that important.’’
Most Americans think that it is essential that the president be a strong leader and an effective manager.
A majority also believes that the president should have a good moral character and focus on uniting the country.
Americans want their president to have a lot of experience in government, but not necessarily in Washington.
Military service and church attendance are less relevant qualities.
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 Difficult to tell how the public assesses presidential candidates’ character
 Scholars say self-esteem & emotional intelligence most important
 Character matters to voters, especially leadership, integrity, and competence
 Johnson and Viet Nam
 Didn’t want to look like a coward/running away
 Nixon and Watergate
 Worried about his enemies. Created a climate of paranoia.
 Clinton and Monica Lewinsky
 Was his authority damaged?
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 Must have interpersonal & practical political skills
 Wisdom of which policies to push & which to put aside
 Use force of personality & prestige of office to affect outcomes in Congress
 One writer believes successful presidents
 good at bargaining
 dealing with adversaries
 choosing priorities
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 When a President pushes hard for a bill that congress defeats or weakens, his reputation is hurt in both public and in the Congress.
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 Popular presidents more persuasive than unpopular ones
 Congressman have more incentive to cooperate
 Presidents frequently try to mobilize public support for proposals
 “Going public” – appealing to constituents
 Must monitor public opinion polls
 “Honeymoon period” – polls highest during 1 st year
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 President Obama has struggled with falling approval ratings
 Had to put health care reform aside to deal with banking crisis and recession
 Later tried to rally public behind health care proposals
 Passage of health care bill, unemployment, and continuing recession contributed to low approval ratings
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http://www.gallup.com/poll/116479/barackobama-presidential-job-approval.aspx
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http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_c ontent/politics/obama_administration/daily_ presidential_tracking_poll
Based on a sample of likely voters (as opposed to sample of all adults).
His numbers are lower in this type of poll because some of his most enthusiastic supporters
(such as young adults) are less likely to turn out to vote.
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Figure 12.2 – pg. 402
The terrible recession and the controversy over his plan to expand health-care coverage to the uninsured drove down Barack Obama’s approval ratings.
At the end of his first year his rating was the second lowest among modern presidents.
Yet Obama can take heart from this comparison. Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan recovered from their low ratings to win easy reelection.
In contrast George H. W. Bush, who had the second-highest rating, was defeated for reelection. George W. Bush, who had the highest end-of-first-year rating, did win reelection, albeit in a close race.
41



Presidential concern with public opinion is way to further majoritarian democracy
 Presidents should respond to public opinion as well as try to lead it
Are Presidents too concerned with public opinion?
 They don’t always follow it

Harry Truman: “I wonder how far Moses would have gone if he’d taken a poll in
Egypt?”
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 Greatest success in Congress immediately after inauguration
 Success measured by how often president wins on roll call votes where he has taken clear position
 Good predictor is number of fellow partisans in Congress
 Divided government may or may not cause gridlock
 One party controls Presidency and the other controls one of the houses of Congress.
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Figure 12.3
Measurement of the success rate of presidents in Congress when they had a clearly stated preference on a bill. The success rate varies. It reflects each President’s skill, but also the partisanship of the Congress. Obama’s exceptional success in his first year was built on
Democratic majorities in both houses. GWB’s success dropped after Republicans lost majorities in both houses in 2006.
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



President must please many constituencies while trying to do what is best for the country as a whole
 Dilemma of majoritarianism versus pluralism
To get elected, presidents must please some constituencies more than others
Try to be vague on issues to attract some voters without offending others. BUT without appearing wishy-washy.
After election, may want to claim electoral mandate regarding campaign platform
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 Presidential leadership shaped by president’s relationship to dominant political party
 Presidents elected in critical elections have more favorable conditions for exerting strong leadership
 Weakest presidents constrained by affiliation with political party perceived as standing for worn-out ideas
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 What do you think should be the main role of the President in government?
47




Presidents differ greatly in views of the role of government
Johnson’s strong liberal ideology basis for Great Society legislation designed to advance a “just” America (equality)
Page 409
Reagan reasserted conservative philosophy, promoting reductions in government services (freedom)
 “Govt not solution to problem…govt. is the problem”
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 When a President sends a bill to
Congress, it generally takes precedence to other bills.
 FDR was one of the first Presidents to aggressively lead Congress through his own legislative program
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

While president may propose a bill,
Congress must decide what to do with it
President’s legislative liaison staff work with White House liaison staff to monitor progress of a bill
 President may modify proposal or use armtwisting to ensure passage
 Must also work with interest groups to build support and activate public opinion
 May use threat of veto to increase bargaining leverage with Congress
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 An informal duty
 President and congressional leaders may have differing viewpoints
 Increasingly partisan Congress means presidents focus more on party leadership than in bridging differences between parties
 President also chief party fundraiser
 Help raise money for congressional candidates
 Gratitude – hard to say ‘no’ to Prez after his help at fundraiser
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 President must be ready to act as diplomat and crisis manager
 From WWII to 1980s, presidents tried to contain Communist expansion
 Today’s presidents have three objectives:
 National security
 Fostering peaceful international environment (U.N., NATO)
 Protection of U.S. economic interests
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 Critical part of the presidency
 Voters want president who projects image of careful judgment during an international crisis

Kennedy’s handling of Cuban missile crisis a model
 Presidents inherit legacy of predecessor’s actions in the world
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 Draw on advice from a range of advisors and opinions
 Do not act in unnecessary haste
 Have a well-designed, formal review process with thorough analysis and open debate
 Rigorously examine reasoning underlying all options to ensure assumptions valid
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Newman Essay 8
• Explain the main powers of the President of the United States.
• 1. Head of State
• Commander in chief
• Judicial power – reprieves/pardons
• Diplomatic power
• 2. Chief Executive – laws faithfully executed
57

Newman Essay 8 (cont.)
• 3. Legislative power – recommend bills & veto power
• 4. Recommends budget to Congress
• 5. Nominates ambassadors, Cabinet, Supreme Court
• 6. Party leader
• 7. Executive Orders
• 8. Emergency power – military threats
• 9. Public Opinion Leader – generate public support, influence policies
Exceeds expectations
Meet expectations
Student addresses 8 -10 of these points student addresses 5 - 7 of these points
Does NOT meet expectation student addresses fewer than 5 of these points
58