There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and
6 levels in the Residence. There are also
412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8
staircases, and 3 elevators.
At various times in history, the White
House has been known as the
"President's Palace," the "President's
House," and the "Executive Mansion."
President Theodore Roosevelt officially
gave the White House its current name in
1901.
Presidential Firsts while in office...
President James Polk (1845-49) was the
first President to have his photograph
taken... President Theodore Roosevelt
(1901-09) was not only the first
President to ride in an automobile, but
also the first President to travel outside
the country when he visited Panama...
President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45)
was the first President to ride in an
airplane.
With five full-time chefs, the White House
kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many
as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more
than 1,000.
The White House requires 570 gallons of
paint to cover its outside surface.
For recreation, the White House has a
variety of facilities available to its
residents, including a tennis court,
jogging track, swimming pool, movie
theater, and bowling lane.
Chapter Fourteen
The Presidency
1
Presidential and Parliamentary Systems
• Presidents may be outsiders (not holding
nat’l office); prime ministers are always
insiders, chosen by the members of the
majority party in parliament.
• Presidents have no guaranteed majority in
the legislature; prime ministers always have
a majority.
• Divided government: one party controls
the White House and another controls one or
both houses of Congress.
• See 6 examples on p.365
2
Presidential and Parliamentary Systems
• Very rarely is there a unified
government: same party controls
both the White House and Congress.
• Americans say they don’t like divided
gov’t b/c it causes partisan bickering,
political paralysis, and policy gridlock.
• However, it is not clear whether or not
divided gov’t alone produces gridlock
or whether it is a bad thing or not.
3
4
Evolution of the Presidency
• Defining the chief executive was one of
the most difficult tasks for the founding
fathers:
• Concerned about state authority being
compromised.
• Concerned that president would use
corrupt political practices to remain in
power.
• Biggest concerns related to how the
president was elected, and his
relationship with Congress.
5
Electoral College
• Almost all states use a winner-take-all
system
• If no candidate won a majority, the
House would decide the election
• The Electoral College ultimately worked
differently than expected, because the
Founders did not anticipate the role of
political parties
• See Blue Box on pgs.371-372
6
The First Presidents
• The office was legitimated by men
active in the independence movement
and in founding politics.
• Minimal activism of early government
contributed to lessening the fear of the
presidency.
• Relations with Congress were
reserved: few vetoes; no advice from
Congress to the president.
• See pgs.368-370
7
Powers of the President
• Found in Article II of Constitution
• Potential for power found in vague clauses of
the Constitution—e.g., power as commander
in chief, duty to “take care that laws be
faithfully executed” (executive power)
• Two types of powers: those he can exercise
in his own right and those which require
consent of Senate or Congress as a whole.
• Greatest source of power lies in politics and
public opinion.
8
• See pgs.373-374
The Power to Persuade
• Often uses his nat’l constituency and
ceremonial duties to enlarge his power,
but must do so quickly b/c the second
half of his term is devoted to running
for re-election.
• President’s persuasive powers are
aimed at three audiences:
• Fellow politicians and leaders
• Party activists and officeholders outside
Washington
• The “public”
9
Popularity and Influence
• Presidents try to transform popularity
into congressional support for their
programs.
• Evidence of Congressional members
riding the coattails of President’s
popularity has declined.
• Popularity is affected by factors beyond
anyone’s control – consider Bush’s
approval ratings following the
September 11th attacks (p.385)
10
Figure 14.1 Presidential Popularity
11
White House Office
• Rule of propinquity: power is
wielded by people who are in the room
when a decision is made.
• White House Office, the Executive Office,
and the Cabinet
• Pyramid structure: most assistants
report through hierarchy to chief of
staff, who then reports to president.
• Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Clinton
(late in his administration)
12
White House Office
• Circular structure: cabinet
secretaries and assistants report
directly to the president.
• Carter (early in his administration)
• Ad hoc structure: task forces,
committees, and informal groups deal
directly with president.
• Clinton (early in his administration)
• See p.375-376
13
Executive Office of President (EOP)
• Agencies that report directly to the president
and perform staff services for him, but are
not located in the White House.
• Top positions are usually appointed by
president, and must be confirmed by
Senate.
• Main agencies include: OMB, DNI, CEA, OPM.
• Out of all the agencies the OMB is the most
important (p.377)
• See other federal agencies on p.380
14
The Cabinet
• Not explicitly mentioned in Constitution.
• Presidents have many more appointments to
make than do prime ministers, due to
competition created by the separation of
power.
• Presidential control over departments
remains uncertain—secretaries become
advocates for their departments.
• President does have to appoint people that
know about the subject area. For example,
Sec. of Labor must be acceptable to the AFLCIO, Sec. of Agriculture must appeal to
15
farmers.
Table 14.1:
The Cabinet
Departments
Cabinet Firsts:
•Frances Perkins-first woman
•Condoleeza Rice-first African
American woman
•Robert Weaver-first African
American
•Lauro Cavazos-first Hispanic
•Norman Mineta-first Asian
•Elaine Chao-first Asian woman
16
Presidential Character
• Eisenhower: orderly, military style
leadership, delegated authority to staff,
disliked being pinned down.
• Kennedy: bold, articulate, amusing leader;
improviser who bypassed traditional lines of
authority.
• Nixon: expertise in foreign policy; disliked
personal confrontation; tried to centralize
power in the White House.
• Ford: people-person, like circular structure,
often appeared disorganized; pardoned
17
Nixon.
Presidential Character
• Carter: outsider, wide-range of interests,
detail-oriented to a fault.
• Reagan: set policy priorities and then gave
staff wide latitude; leader of public opinion,
called the “Great Communicator.”
• George H.W. Bush: hands-on manager,
extensive federal gov’t experience, made
decisions based on personal contacts.
• Clinton: good communicator; pursued
liberal/centrist policies.
• George W. Bush: tightly run White House;
agenda became dominated by foreign affairs
following the September 11th attacks.
18
The Veto Power
• Veto message-sent within ten days of the
bill’s passage, sets forth reasons for not
signing the bill.
• Pocket veto-bill is not signed ten days
before Congress adjourns.
• A bill that is not signed within ten days while
Congress is still in session becomes a law
automatically, w/o president’s approval.
• Congress rarely overrides vetoes (2/3 vote).
• President does not hold line-item veto
power.
• See p.388-389
19
Executive Privilege
• Constitution does not require president to
divulge private communications b/t himself
and advisers.
• Therefore, presidents have acted as though
they have the privilege of confidentiality.
• For nearly 200 years there was no reason to
dispute this claim.
• However, actions by JFK, Nixon, and Clinton
have caused this claim to come under
investigation.
• See pgs.389-390
20
Impoundment
• Presidents have the power to refuse to
spend money appropriated by
Congress.
• The Constitution is unclear about
whether the president must spend
money Congress appropriates.
• It does say, however, that the
president cannot spend money
Congress has not appropriated.
21
Signing Statements
• Many times the president will issue
statements along with signing a bill
into law.
• These signing statements may express
the president’s views of the bill, tell the
executive branch how to carry out the
new law, or declare some part of the
bill unconstitutional.
• Oftentimes compared to a line-item
veto.
22
The President’s Program
• Resources in developing a program
include interest groups, aides and
campaign advisers, federal
departments and agencies, and various
specialists.
• Presidents may choose to have a policy
on almost everything (Carter &
Clinton) or choose several themes.
• Constraints include public and
congressional reactions, limited time
and attention, and unexpected crises.23
Presidential Transition
• Only fourteen of forty-one presidents
have served two full terms (George W.
Bush became the 15th when he finished
his full 2nd term)
• Eight vice presidents have taken office
upon the president’s death.
• 22nd Amendment (1951)-limits
president to serve two (4-year) terms.
24
The Vice President
• Eight times a vice president has become
president b/c of the president’s death.
• Tyler, Fillmore, A. Johnson, Arthur, T. Roosevelt,
Coolidge, Truman, L.B. Johnson
• Prior to 2000, only five vice presidents won
the presidency in an election without having
first entered the office as a result of their
president’s death.
• Jefferson, Adams, van Buren, Nixon, H.W. Bush
• The vice president presides over Senate and
25
votes in case of tie.
The 25th Amendment (1967)
• Allows vice president to serve as acting
president if president is disabled.
• Illness is decided by president, by vice
president and cabinet, or by two-thirds vote
of Congress.
• The new vice president must be confirmed
by a majority vote of both houses.
• If VP resigns, dies, or succeeds president,
president appoints a new VP.
• Succession to president:
• VP, Speaker of House, president pro tempore,
Sec State, Sec Treasury, Sec Defense, etc.
26
Impeachment
• Indictment by the House, conviction by
the Senate.
• Presidential examples: Andrew
Johnson, Richard Nixon (pre-empted
by resignation), Bill Clinton.
• Neither Johnson nor Clinton was
convicted by the Senate.
• See pgs.397-398
27
Constraints on the President
• Both the president and the Congress
are more constrained today due to:
• Complexity of issues
• Scrutiny of the media
• Greater number and power of interest
groups
28
Landmark Cases
• U.S. v. Nixon (1974)-though the president is
entitled to receive confidential advice, he
can be required to reveal material related to
a criminal prosecution.
• Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982)-the president
may not be sued while in office.
• Clinton v. Jones (1997)-the president may
be sued for actions taken before he became
president.
29