Chapter 9—Presidential Leadership
I.
Presidential Powers
A. Constitutional Powers
Why did Our Founding Fathers want a strong national Executive?
---Needed a strong executive to carry out the acts of Congress
---They distrusted direct participation of the people in decision making because
mass democratic movements might try to redistribute wealth and do away with
private property.
1. Article II of the Constitution grants the president broad, but vague powers.
a. Commander in Chief—making the president responsible for national
security
b. Head of the executive branch
1. appointing the heads of executive departments with Senate approval
2. making treaties & appointing ambassadors with advice & consent of
the Senate
c. Judicial Leader
1. appointing federal court judges
2. pardoning people convicted of federal crimes
3. reducing jail sentences or fines
d. Chief Legislator
1. delivering a State of the Union message to Congress
2. proposing legislation
3. calling Congress into special session when necessary
B. Informal Sources of Power
1. Since Washington, other presidents have expanded the powers of their office by:
a. taking the broad view of presidential power. (loose Construction)
Ex: Purchasing of Territory—Louisiana Purchase
2. responding to the needs of the nation.
a. Lincoln—do what was necessary to keep the Union together
b. FDR—persuaded Congress to set up new social & economic programs
c. G. W. Bush—gained new authority to fight terrorism
3. responding to the people’s mandate—strong popular support.
a. greatest sources of the president’s power
b. use the media to try to create a mandate—TV, Radio, Internet
C. Limits on Executive Power—The President’s power is limited by:
1. Congress
a. Power to override a president’s veto by a 2/3rds vote in each house of
Congress.
b. B. Senate’s power to confirm or reject presidential appointments
c. House of Reps. Power of the purse
d. House of Reps. Power to impeach a president
2. Federal Courts
a. the power to review legislative action. Ex: Supreme Court ruled some of
FDR’s New Deal legislation unconstitutional.
3. The Bureaucracy
c. Bureaucrats can get in the way of president’s programs by failing to
provide needed information, by misinterpreting instructions, & by
neglecting a to complete a task properly
4. Public Opinion
a. A president cannot carry out a political program without support of the
people
1. Ex: President Clinton’s Health Care plan was lost due to public
opinion
II.
Roles of the President
A. The President has 7 Key roles or duties:
1. Head of State
a. represents the nation & performs ceremonial roles Ex: host to kings/Queens,
throws out the first ball to begin the major league season, gives awards & medals
2. Chief Executive---Sees that the laws are carried out by using the following:
a. Executive orders—rules with the force of laws to spell out the details of
policies & programs Congress passes
1. Ex: President Carter put thousands of acres of land in Alaska under the
control of the National Park Service. He was exercising power under a law
that allowed the president to keep land free of business use.
b. Presidents have the right to remove officials they have appointed.
c. Impoundment—president can refuse to allow a federal department/agency to
spend money Congress has appropriated for it
d. Presidents appoint federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices, with
Senate approval.
1. President can influence government for many years by appointing
justices who hold views similar to the president’s
e. Presidents can grant reprieves—postpones a person’s punishment &
pardons—frees a person from punishment altogether for federal crimes
f. Presidents may also grant amnesty—Group pardon
a. Ex: Amnesty to the men who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War
g. Presidents appoint top-level federal officials who share their political beliefs.
1. more likely to carry out the presidents’ policies
3. Chief legislator
a. President describes what laws he would like in his State of the Union message
b. The president works hard to influence Congress in the following ways:
1. A president often meets with members of Congress to hear their views.
2. A president may hand out political favors to get congressional support.
a. Ex: President may visit the home state of a senator or representative
at reelection time.
3. A president may use the threat of a veto to force Congress to stop a bill or
change it to fit the president’s wishes
4. Economic Planner
a. Employment Act of 1946--1. President must submit an annual economic report to Congress
2. created Council of Economic Advisers—help the president to prepare the
report
3. government is responsible for promoting high employment, production, &
purchasing power
5. Party Leader
a. giving speeches or attending fund raisers to help party members running for
office
b. President selects the party’s national chairperson & often helps plan election
strategies
c. Presidents are expected to reward persons who support the party with
patronage—or political appointments.
6. Chief Diplomat—Makes key decisions about the relations the United States has
with other countries.
b. president has sole power to make treaties---but Senate must approve.
c. Executive agreements—pacts between the president & heads of other
countries.
1. Same status as treaties, but do not need Senate approval
d. president decides whether the United States will recognize governments
of other countries.
1. Ex: U.S. did not recognize Fidel, Castro’s government in Cuba
7. Commander in Chief
a. Shares with Congress the power to make war
b. Responsible for important military decisions
c. Can use federal troops to put down rioting in American cities or to keep
order in case of a natural disaster
III.
Styles of Leadership
A. Increased Responsibilities
1. Lead by introducing new ideas
2. Lead by responding to a crises
B. Leadership Qualities and Skills
1. Understanding the Public
2. Ability to Communicate
3. Sense of Timing
4. Openness to New Ideas---Flexible
5. Ability to Compromise—may have to give up something to get something
6. Political Courage—May have to go against public opinion when they believe
the nation’s well-being is at risk
C. Presidential Isolation
1. Reasons for Presidential Isolation:
a. Modern presidents receive special treatment
b. One sided views from the staff because they are in awe of the president &
do not want to present unpleasant news or voice criticism
c. The people with the most access to the president are the members of the
White House Staff.
1. The president may not get news & advice from a wide variety of
viewpoints
D. Executive Privilege---the right of the president & other high ranking executive
officers with the president’s consent, to refuse to provide information to Congress
or a court.
1. Presidents have claimed that executive privilege is implied in the powers
granted in Article II of the Constitution
2. Presidents claim that executive privilege also protects their communication with
other members of the executive branch.
a. Presidents argue that executive privilege is necessary if they are to get
frank opinions & advice from their assistants
b. 1974 –United States v. Nixon
1. Nixon had to turn over tapes of conversations with assistants about
the Watergate cover-up & that the tapes were not protected by
executive privilege
Debate: How far does executive privilege extend to presidential advisers?