Chapter 12
THE
PRESIDENCY
WSU 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
Chief Executive – laws faithfully
executed
 2.
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WSU Essay 8 (cont.)
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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
Student addresses 8 -10 of these points
Meet expectations
student addresses 5 - 7 of these points
Does NOT meet expectation
student addresses fewer than 5 of these points
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Chapter 12 Scenario 1
 What
qualities do you think makes a
good President? Think about our
best Presidents. What characteristics
do you think they had in common?
4
 Write
down 3 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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The Constitutional Basis of
Presidential Power
 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?
7
Initial Conceptions of
the Presidency
 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
8
Requirements of the President
 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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President’s Term
4
year term
 2 term limit (22nd Amendment (passed
1947, ratified 1951))
 Maximum 10 years
 President
FDR elected to 4th term
makes how much $?
 $400,000 per year
10
Presidential Trivia
 Youngest elected
 JFK (43 years)
President:
 Youngest serving
 T. Roosevelt (42)
President:
 Took over after McKinley’s assassination
 Oldest President:
 Reagan (69)
 Obama
 5th youngest President (47)
 Clinton and Grant were also younger
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Presidential Trivia
 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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Chapter 12 Scenario 2
 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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Presidential Powers are Vague
 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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Duties / Powers of the President

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)
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 Grant pardons

The Expansion of
Presidential Power
 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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Executive Orders
Assignment
 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)
Formal Powers
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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Inherent Powers – pg. 390-91
 Based
on inferences from
Constitution
 Congress and the courts may not agree
 Once
established, used by
subsequent presidents
 Use of executive orders now routine
Little Rock
 To make sure laws “faithfully executed.”
 Boundaries

debated since 9/11
Bush wiretapping – pg. 391
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Congressional Delegation of
Power
 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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The Executive Branch
Establishment
 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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The Executive Office
of the President
 Key aides provide advice and control
access to president
 Chief of Staff – leader of staff
 National Security Advisor
 Other specialized staff




Rahm Emanuel
Economy, health, education, social services
Interest groups
Media
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
 1700 employees; budget $800 million
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Advisory styles to President
 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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The Vice President
 Most important duty: to take over
presidency if needed
 25th 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
Next in Line
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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The Cabinet Assignment
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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The Cabinet
Heads of departments in executive
branch and other key officials
 First cabinet had four departments; today
are 15
 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 March 2013

Secretary of State John Kerry

Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel

Attorney General Eric Holder

Secretary of Homeland Security
 Janet Napolitano
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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.
29
See Table 12.1 on page 397
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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 2nd 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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Ch. 12 Scenario 2
 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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Presidential Character
 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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The President’s Power to
Persuade
 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
34
Persuasion (cont.)
 When
a President pushes hard for a
bill that congress defeats or weakens,
his reputation is hurt in both public
and in the Congress.
35
The President and the Public
 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 1st year
36
The President and the Public
 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
37
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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39
Figure 12.2 – pg. 402
Tough First Year
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
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win reelection, albeit in a close race.
The President and the Public

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?”
41
Partisans in Congress

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
Congress: Friend or Foe?
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
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majorities in both houses in 2006.
Elections

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
44
Political Party System
 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
45
Chapter 12 Scenario 3
 What
do you think should be the main
role of the government?
46
The President as National Leader:
Political Values
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”
47
The President as National Leader:
Policy Agenda
 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
48
Chief Lobbyist
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
49
Party Leader
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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The President as World Leader
 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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Crisis Management
 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
52
Crisis in Camelot
53
International Support for
the War on Terror
54
Guidelines for Presidential
Crisis Management
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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WSU 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
Chief Executive – laws faithfully
executed
 2.
56
WSU 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 Order
 8. Emergency power – military threats

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