Constitutional Basics
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Normative ?-- Hamilton, Fed No. 70.
Energy in the Executive
 one person office
 elected for a fixed term
 national constituency
 Vague formal powers from Constitution
Evolution of the Presidency
1800-1933 Period of Congressional
Supremacy
 Main federal policies were very
individualized or particularistic
 E.g. -roads or canals, tariffs for particular
industries
 President is chief clerk
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The Modern Presidency, FDR
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Policy
 Wins World War II
 Ends the Great Depression
 Ends economic insecurity with Social Security
 Fights for working man (unions, minimum
wage)
 Fights for farmers (income supports etc)
Political Ramifications
 Increased expectations of presidency
 Increased staff, resources
Consequences of Modern Pres
Chief lawmaker
 More uses of unilateral power
 Shift in quality and quantity of attention
paid to president
 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news
 What do presidents do

Hallmarks of the Modern
Presidency
Increased Popular Linkage with Public
 Increased institutional powers
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Presidential Approval
Going Public Strategy
 Gallup Poll since 1948
 “Do you approve or disapprove of the
way ___ is handling his job as president”
 Why the Framers would be horrified
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Public Approval of President
Honeymoon
 General decline
 Economy
 Rally events and scandals
 Beyond Presidential Control
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Bush’s Strategy
How does Bush compare to Clinton?
 How successful was Bush in going public
on tax cuts?
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Does PopularitySuccess?
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Clinton’s uneven record
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Truman, “A man who is influenced by the
polls or is afraid to make decision which
may make him unpopular is not a man to
represent the welfare of the country”
Institutional Presidency
Jefferson in 1900 had 2 assistants
 Brownlow Committee
 “The president needs help”
 President not Congress should be in charge
of executive branch
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Implications of Instit. Pres
Radical change in system of government?
 Increased presidential control of policy
making and centralization of the decision
making
 Increases potential for screw ups
 Iran Contra
 Reduced accountability
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Ranking Post WW II Presidents
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Good/Great
 Truman
 Eisenhower
 JFK
– LBJ
– Reagan
– Clinton
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Bad/Failures
 Nixon
 Ford
 Carter
 Bush
World’s Greatest Clerkship
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Neustadt, Presidential Power (Al’s prof)
 power of president do not flow from
literary reading of constitution
 “presidential power is power to bargain”
 Decisions are not self executing JFK,
Cuban Missile Crisis
Transition from Historical to
Modern Presidency
Historic Presidency
 President is a clerk
 Congress #1
 Modern Presidency
 Increased popular expectations
 President #1
 No change in formal powers
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Modern Presidents Response
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Have immense staff of political, policy, and
partisan experts
 Institutional presidency
Devote tremendous time and resources to
manipulating public image
 going public
 Clinton and Oklahoma City bombing
Are presidents stronger– YES, but expectations
outstrip capacity
Limited formal powers=constant
bargaining
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President can
 Nominate judges, but
 Propose trade treaties, but
 Propose popular legislation, but
 Propose spending less on military golf courses,
 Propose executive priviledge for aides, but
court
Will Presidents keep their promises?
 Constitutional odds are stacked against them!
Neustadt- President is the most
distinguished office clerk
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Have limited formal powers, decisions are not self
executing
Gays in the Military
 Congress
 Sam Nunn on the submarine
 Don’t ask, don’t tell in budget bill
 C in C of Military
 Cruising chat rooms and gay bars
 3 x as many expelled
Lessons Learned
Formal powers are minimal
 Can propose legislation, C in C
 Dependent on other institutions
 Informal powers are crucial
 Presidential power is power to persuade
 Presidents have to bargain
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Informal Powers
Professional reputation
 Electoral results
 Bargaining with legislators
 Personal appeals
 The Carrot
 the stick in Alabama!
 Truman, Marshall Plan
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Is a strong president good?
Framers
 Can a president represent an entire nation
 Woodrow Wilson/Teddy Roosevelt critique
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Presidential Power- 2 views
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It is not only the president’s "right, but his duty to
do anything that the needs of the nation demanded
unless such action was forbidden by the
Congress." T. Roosevelt
The president can exercise no power which cannot
be fairly and reasonably traced to some specific
grant of power .. either in the federal constitution
or in an act of Congress. There is no undefined
residuum of power which he can exercise because
it seems to him to be in the public interest.
William Taft 1916.
Informal Powers
Professional reputation
 Electoral results
 Bargaining
 Carrot and the stick
 Marshalling public opinion (going public)
 Truman, Marshall Plan
 Clinton, Gays in the Military
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Presidential Power
Empirically, presidential power is
increasing
 Increased popular linkages
 Increased institutional resources
 Presidents have incentive and capacity to be
as powerful as possible
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Presidential Power- 2 views
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It is not only the president’s "right, but his duty to
do anything that the needs of the nation demanded
unless such action was forbidden by the
Congress." T. Roosevelt
The president can exercise no power which cannot
be fairly and reasonably traced to some specific
grant of power .. either in the federal constitution
or in an act of Congress. There is no undefined
residuum of power which he can exercise because
it seems to him to be in the public interest.
William Taft 1916.
Textbook President
Formal powers– president is unconstrained
 Normative- president ought to be powerful
 President is activist, has a program, sets
agenda, accepts responsibility for what
happens.
 Good issue based elections, unified
government
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Normative Question
FDR, JFK, Savior model- 1950s and 60s
 LBJ, Nixon Satan model, or Imperial
Presidency
 Ford, Carter Sampson model
 Reagan– partisan presidency
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