Study Guide on the Executive Branch
A Final Test
Chapter 8-1: President and Vice President
Note: We did not read this, however, this was material covered in lecture and should be in your notes.
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Formal Constitutional qualifications to be president
o Mild controversy surrounding the “natural born citizenship” requirement
Basic, constitutional job of the president
o Executive: Execute the laws made by Congress
o National Security: Commander-in Chief of the Military
Order of presidential succession to the 4th person
o Why is the Speaker of the House before the President Pro Tempore in the succession order?
Presidential terms
o Opposing arguments for re-electable 4 year terms and a single 6 year term
o The 22nd amendments impact on the term limitations of the presidency
Job description of the Vice President
Chapter 8-3: The Cabinet
Note: We did not read this, however, this was material covered in lecture and should be in your notes.
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Multiple roles of the cabinet-level appointees
Confirmation process
o Debate over whether or not a president may “fire” a cabinet member without Congress’ approval
Example departments that are represented by the cabinet members that head them
Chapter 9-1: Presidential Powers
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Vocabulary: imperial presidency, Stewardship theory, executive order
The two views of the founding fathers regarding the amount of power a president should wield.
o Strict Constructionism (William Taft’s views)
o Liberal Constructionism (Teddy Roosevelt’s views)
Factors that have led to the expansion of the president’s powers
President and the bureaucracy –
o How the bureaucracy is a necessary extension of the presidency, needed to carry out the president’s job
o How does the president control the bureaucracy?
Ordinance Power (executive orders)
o Controversy
 As a needed power to run the government without “bogging” Congress in the daily details of
governance
 As an unhealthy extension of executive power, in which the president can affect vast areas of
American life without the approval of the “democratic” branch of the government
 Without fanfare or notice of the public
o Source/reason the president has this power
Limits on the power of the president imposed by:
o The Constitution (checks on his power held by the other branches)
o Congress (e.g., The War Powers Act)
 3 Restrictions of the War Powers Act
Line-Item Veto
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Arguments for and against
Clinton v New York (why did the Supreme Court declare the line item veto as unconstitutional in this
case?)
Chapter 9-2: Role of the President
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Know a basic definition and powers of the following roles of the president
o Chief of State
o Chief Executive
o Judicial Powers: Pardon, Amnesty, commutation, reprieve
o Chief Legislator: Suggestion Power, Pocket Veto (and its cousin)
o Chief Diplomat
 Importance of “recognition”
 Impact of the 2/3 Senate ratification requirement
o Chief of Party
 “Coattails” and other influences the presidency has on non-presidential elections
o Commander in Chief
Chapter 10-1: Bureaucratic Organization
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Revisit the information about the role of the Cabinet level departments
Definition (and example) of “Government Corporation”
Regulation v Deregulation
o Regulatory powers: need for regulatory control versus the dangerous (?) consolidation of all 3 types of
government power in the hands of “untouchable” bureaucrats
 Regulatory Agency leadership structure
o Arguments for deregulation:
 American belief in the wisdom and ability of the “invisible hand”
 Opposition to the growing size of government’s/president’s power
 Others from notes
o Arguments for regulation:
 Social Justice (Thomas Hobbes’ notion that life without government/regulation is “poor, nasty,
brutish, and short)
 Certain areas of the life, often the economy, work more productively when consciously managed
rather than left to “nature”
 Others from notes
Privatization of government service
o Pros and Cons from notes
Chapter 10-2: The Civil Service System
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The Spoils System and the Pendleton Act
The Hatch Act
o Fear of interference in politics
 Who else gets to choose their boss?
 Members of the executive branch having power over the choice of the legislative branch members
o Does it unfairly limit the citizenship rights of government employees?
Debate over pay/benefits of Civil Servants and their effect on quality versus expense
Problems with the civil service
o Retention of upper management
o Problems with getting rid of poor employees