CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE and The Presidency The Obama Presidency in Context

CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE

and The Presidency

The Obama Presidency in Context

Bush and Presidential Power

Compromise in the Presidency

Building Executive Policy

Carrying out Executive Policy

Obama and Plans for Afghanistan

America’s Presidents

• Presidents, Power, and Politics– Presidential actions have historically had

enormous consequences for the nation• Washington set many precedents• Expansion under Jefferson• The Monroe Doctrine• Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation



• Presidents, Power, and Politics (cont.)– During the late 1800s and early 1900s,

presidents played a large role in American industrialization• Teddy Roosevelt used the Sherman Antitrust Act to

break up the Northern Securities Company• Wilson’s failed attempt at the League of Nations


• Presidents, Power, and Politics (cont.)– Modern presidency was ushered in by FDR in

response to the Great Depression– Eisenhower continued government involvement

in the economy with programs like the Interstate Highway System



• Presidents, Power, and Politics (cont.)– Kennedy’s New Frontier– Presidents who served during hard economic

times (Ford, Carter) were punished by voters– Presidential action often faced substantial

hurdles in Congress, creating political conflict at the highest levels

• Clinton’s welfare reform

The President’s Job Description

• Head of the Executive Branch– Constitutional authority and statutory authority– Constitution “vests” the executive power in the

president– President is also the head of state, which

symbolically represents the nation as a whole


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Presidential authority to implement laws often

forces presidents to turn legislative goals into actual programs


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Executive Orders

• Unilateral proclamations that change government policy without congressional consent

– Presidents using executive orders more frequently– Their power is limited– Congress can always pass a law overturning an executive

order



• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Appointments

• President charged with appointing ambassadors, high-level bureaucrats, and members of the federal bench (including Supreme Court justices)

• 8,000+ positions controlled by the president• Recess appointments

– Example: John Bolton to the United Nations


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Commander in chief

• Congress declares war.• In practice, however, the president controls the day-

to-day operation of the U.S. military.– See Nuts and Bolts 11.1 – The War Powers Resolution of

1973.


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Treaty Making and Foreign Policy

• Initiate and negotiate treaties, needing two-thirds support in the Senate for approval

• If the treaty is negotiated under fast-track authority, majority support in the House and Senate is required


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Treaty Making and Foreign Policy

• President can announce that the United States will abide by a treaty without actually becoming a part of it– Example: Clinton and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol– Executive agreements: Treaties that do not require Senate

approval

Obama in Egypt in June 2009


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Legislative Power

• President can recommend policies– Example: State of the Union address

• President works with staff and Congress to develop legislative proposals

• The veto– Most often executed under divided government

Obama meeting with members of Congress about stimulus bill


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Other Duties and Powers

• Pardon power• Ceremonial powers

– Convening Congress– Receiving ambassadors– Signing commissions to formally appoint military officers

Former vice presidential chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– Executive Privilege

• Not a formal power, but all presidents have claimed to hold it

• Argue that it allows them to shield themselves and their staffers from revealing White House documents, decisions, and discussions to other branches of government


• Head of the Executive Branch (cont.)– President Bush’s invocation of executive

privilege regarding political appointees to the Justice Department and fired U.S. attorneys

– Supreme Court has found (United States v. Nixon) that executive privilege exists, but is not absolute

The Limits of Executive Privilege


• The President as Politician– Presidency is an inherently political office– Impact of presidential approval (see next slide)– President as party leader

Presidential Popularity and Reelection


• The President as Politician (cont.)– Going Public

• Appeals are made directly to the American citizenry• Hope that citizens will pressure Congress to enact a

particular legislative program• Not always successful; usually works best when

public opinion is already on the president’s side.

The President as Party Leader


• Presidential Succession– Vice president– Speaker of the House– President pro tempore of the Senate– Cabinet officers

The American Public and the President

• Public wants an ethical, compassionate president with good judgment.– Want a consistent, forceful, and decisive leader– Willingness to compromise, having military experience,

and being loyal to the president’s party less important to the public



• Explaining presidential approval– Approval spikes during crises– Approval higher in economic good times– Economic downturns and unpopular wars (see

George W. Bush’s second term) often lead to precipitous drops in approval

Presidential Approval Ratings

Explaining Presidential Approval

The Executive Branch

• President is in charge of hundreds of thousands of employees in the executive branch

• In charge of another 1,800 in the Executive Office of the President.

• EOP staff work to help president:– Achieve policy goals– Get reelected


• EOP (cont.)– The EOP is a political operation • Everything from policy goals to official photographs

– Most staff members are political appointees; lose their jobs when the president leaves office

– Typically, appointees are loyal to the president and have a long history of working with him

The Executive Office of the President


• The Vice President– The vice president is ready to be president– Presides over the Senate in what is mostly a

ceremonial role• Casts tie-breaking vote

– Dick Cheney and Al Gore had far more power and influence than most prior vice presidents

Dick Cheney


• The President’s Cabinet– Fifteen executive departments

• Chosen for a combination of loyalty and particular expertise

Assessing Presidential Power


• Unitary Executive Theory: The vesting clause of the Constitution allows presidents to issue orders that Congress cannot undo unless specifically given that particular power in the Constitution

• President Bush operated under this theory; by no means the first president to do so

• Example: Clinton and health care benefits to federal employees


• Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation– Difficult for Congress to limit presidential

authority– Congress has used court decisions to limit

presidential power• Truman and the steel mills• Can also impeach the president

Guantánamo Bay Prison



• Signing Statements– Explain the president’s interpretation of a new

law– A way to request that the bureaucracy follow the

president’s, rather than Congress’s, interpretation of a law if these interpretations are in dispute

Public Opinion Poll

Do you believe the expectations of the American people with regard to the president are too high?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

Which branch of government do you believe is most powerful?

a) Congress

b) Presidency

c) Judiciary

Public Opinion Poll

Which branch of government do you believe should be most powerful?

a) Congress

b) Presidency

c) Judiciary

Public Opinion Poll

Should Congress be able to declare, through legislation, that the president must cease a military activity?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

Which of the following do you believe is the most important role of the president?

a) Commander in chief (in charge of the military)b) Chief diplomat (managing our relations with other

nations)c) Chief executive (as “boss” of the executive branch)d) Chief legislator (legislative powers)e) Chief politician (party leadership)

Public Opinion Poll

Presidents have expressed, delegated, and inherent sources of power. Which of the three do you think most accounts for the powers of the contemporary presidency?

a) Expressedb) Delegatedc) Inherent

Chapter 11: The Presidency

• Practice quizzes

• Flashcards

• Outlines

wwnorton.com/studyspace

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/polisci/american-politics-today2/full/ch/11/studyplan.aspx

Following this slide, you will find additional slides with photos, figures, and captions from the textbook.

Is the President Responsible forAmerica’s Economic Conditions?

Documents

CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE and The Presidency The Obama Presidency in Context