Friday, April 5 Turn in Unit 5 FRQs (they were due March 28) Unit 4 & 5 Test Campaign Project is due Tuesday, April 9 Reading due dates – April 8 p. 392-409

Friday, April 5Friday, April 5Turn in Unit 5 FRQs (they were due March 28)Unit 4 & 5 TestCampaign Project is due Tuesday, April 9Reading due dates

– April 8 p. 392-409– April 9 p. 409-433– April 10 p. 466-487– April 11 p. 487-499– April 15 p. 503-516– April 16 p. 516-534

Friday, April 5Friday, April 5If you were absent Friday:

– Turn in Unit 5 FRQs (they were due March 28)– You have until Thursday afternoon to take the Unit 4 & 5

TestCampaign Project is due Tuesday, April 9Reading due dates

– April 8 p. 392-409– April 9 p. 409-433– April 10 p. 466-487– April 11 p. 487-499– April 15 p. 503-516– April 16 p. 516-534

The PresidencyThe Presidency

The PresidentsThe Presidents

Great Expectations– Americans want a president who is powerful

and who can do good: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy.

– But at the same time, they don’t want the president to get too powerful since we are individualistic and skeptical of authority.


Who They Are– Formal Requirements:

Must be 35 years old Must have resided in U.S. for 14 years

– Informal “Requirements”: White, Male Protestant (except one)

– All manner of professions, but mostly political ones (former state governors, for example)


How They Got There– Elections: The Normal Road to the White

House Once elected, the president gets a term of four years. In 1951, the 22nd Amendment limited the number of

terms to two. Most Presidents have been elected to office.


How They Got There– Succession and Impeachment

Vice-President succeeds if the president leaves office due to death or resignation or convicted of impeachment/

Impeachment is investigated by the House, and if impeached, tried by the Senate with the Chief Justice presiding.

Only two presidents have been impeached: A. Johnson & Clinton- neither was convicted.

From Table 13.3

Presidential PowersPresidential Powers

Constitutional Powers– National Security-

Commander in Chief of the armed forces Make treaties with other nations

– Legislative- Veto bills

– Administrative- Nominate officials

– Judicial Nominate Judges

Presidential PowersPresidential Powers

The Expansion of Power– Presidents develop new roles for the office– Presidents expand the power of the office

Perspectives on Presidential Power– Through the 50’s & 60’s a powerful President

was perceived as good– From the 70’s on, presidential power was

checked and distrusted by the public

Running the Government:Running the Government:The Chief ExecutiveThe Chief Executive

The Vice President– Basically just “waits” for things to do– Recent presidents have given their VPs

important jobs

The Cabinet– Presidential advisors, not in Constitution– Is made up of the top executives of the Federal

Departments, confirmed by the Senate

Figure 13.1


The Executive Office– Made up of several policymaking and advisory bodies– Three principle groups: NSC, CEA, OMB


The White House Staff– Chief aides and staff for the president- some are

more for the White House than the president– Presidents rely on their information and effort

The First Lady– No official government position, but many get

involved politically– Recent ones focus on a single issue

Presidential Leadership of Presidential Leadership of Congress: The Politics of Congress: The Politics of

Shared PowersShared PowersChief Legislator

– Veto: Sending a bill back to Congress with his reasons for rejecting it. Can be overridden.

– Pocket Veto: Letting a bill die by not signing it- only works when Congress is adjourned.

– Line Item Veto: The ability to veto parts of a bill. Some state governors have it, but not the president.

– Vetoes are most used to prevent legislation.


Shared PowersShared PowersParty Leadership

– The Bonds of Party The psychological bond of being in the president’s

party

– Slippage in Party Support Presidents cannot always count on party support,

especially on controversial issues

– Leading the Party Presidents can do little to actually lead their party


Shared PowersShared PowersPublic Support

– Public Approval Operates mostly in the background Impact is important, but occurs at the margins

– Mandates Perception that the voters strongly support the

president’s character and policies Mandates are infrequent, but presidents may claim a

mandate anyway


Shared PowersShared PowersLegislative Skills

– Variety of forms: bargaining, making personal appeals, consulting with Congress, setting priorities, etc.

– Most important is bargaining with Congress.– Presidents should use their “honeymoon”

period– Nation’s key agenda builder

The President and National The President and National Security PolicySecurity Policy

Chief Diplomat– Negotiates treaties with other countries– Treaties must be approved by the Senate– Use executive agreements to take care of

routine matters with other countries– May negotiate for peace between other

countries– Lead U.S. allies in defense & economic issues


Commander in Chief– Writers of the constitution wanted civilian

control of the military– Presidents often make important military

decisions– Presidents command a standing military and

nuclear arsenal- unthinkable 200 years ago


War Powers– Constitution gives Congress the power to

declare war, but presidents can commit troops and equipment in conflicts

– War Powers Resolution was intended to limit the president’s use of the military- but may be unconstitutional

– Presidents continue to test the limits of using the military in foreign conflicts


Crisis Manager– The role the president plays can help or hurt the

presidential image.– With current technology, the president can act

much faster than Congress to resolve a crisis.Working with Congress

– President has lead role in foreign affairs.– Presidents still have to work with Congress for

support and funding of foreign policies.

Power from the People:Power from the People:The Public PresidencyThe Public Presidency

Going Public– Public support is perhaps the greatest source of

influence a president has.– Presidential appearances are staged to get the

public’s attention.– As head of state, presidents often perform many

ceremonial functions- which usually result in favorable press coverage.

Figure 13.3


Presidential Approval– Receives much effort by the White House– Product of many factors: predispositions, “honeymoon”– Changes can highlight good / bad decisions


Policy Support– Being an effective speaker is important– The public may still miss the message

Mobilizing the Public– The president may need to get the public to

actually act by contacting Congress– Difficult to do since public opinion and

political action are needed

The President and the PressThe President and the Press

Presidents and media are often adversaries due to different goals

Many people in the White House deal with the media, but the press secretary is the main contact person

Media is often more interested in the person, not the policies

News coverage has become more negative

Understanding the American Understanding the American PresidencyPresidency

The Presidency and Democracy– There are still concerns over the president

having too much power.– Others argue the president can’t do enough with

all the checks and balances in the system.The Presidency and the Scope of

Government– Some presidents have increased the functions

of government.

The Federal BureaucracyThe Federal Bureaucracy

Figure 15.2

The BureaucratsThe Bureaucrats What are some basic American beliefs about our

bureaucracy? The bureaucracy is the most demographically

representative part of government.– Diversity of jobs mirrors the private sector.

The BureaucratsThe Bureaucrats

How did civil service reform change the bureaucracy?– Office of Personnel Management: The federal

office in charge of most of the government’s hiring.

What jobs aren’t filled through the Civil Service System?– “Plum jobs”

Theories of BureaucracyTheories of Bureaucracy

The Weberian Model – Hierarchical, specialized, meritocracy

The Acquisitive, Monopolistic Bureaucracy– Competing bureaucracies control govt, expand

and spend

“Garbage Can” Bureaucracies– Trial and error, not well organized or

supervised, ineffective

The Cabinet DepartmentsThe Cabinet Departments

15 Cabinet departments headed by a Secretary (except DOJ under the Attorney General)

Each has its own budget, staff and policy areas Expanded over time to deal with relevant issues

– What is the most recent addition?What is the difference between “Defense”

and “Homeland Security”?

Figure 15.4

Executive AgenciesExecutive Agencies

Regulatory Agencies– Independent: Responsible for some sector of

the economy, making rules and judging disputes to protect the public interest

– Headed by commissions– What is meant by “regulatory capture”?

Executive AgenciesExecutive Agencies

Government Corporations– Business-like: Provide a service like private

companies and typically charge for services

Independent Executive Agencies– Serve a specific purpose, created and serve with

support of the president

ImplementationImplementation

Translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program

Includes:– Creating / assigning an agency the policy– Turning policy into rules, regulations and forms.– Coordinating resources to achieve the goals.

Can fail due to program design, lack of clarity, lack of resources, or administrative routine

Implementation: A Case StudyImplementation: A Case Study

The Voting Rights Act of 1965– Generally considered a success.– Had a clear, concise goal.– The implementation was clear.– Those carrying out the law had obvious

authority and vigor to do so.

RegulationRegulation

Use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector.

Command-and-Control Policy: Government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks the progress and punishes offenders.

Incentive System: Market-like strategies are used to manage public policy.

Some agencies are proactive, some are reactive.

DeregulationDeregulation

The lifting of restrictions on business, industry and professional activities.

Regulatory problems:– Raises prices– Hurts U.S.’s competitive position abroad– Does not always work well

But why were regulations created?

Understanding BureaucraciesUnderstanding Bureaucracies

Bureaucracy and Democracy– Presidents try to control the bureaucracy

through appointments, executive orders, budget tinkering, reorganization

– Congress tries to control the bureaucracy by influencing appointments, changing budget, holding hearings, rewriting legislation


Bureaucracy and Democracy– Iron Triangles and Issue Networks

A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees.

Some argue they are being replaced by wider issue networks that focus on more policies.

Figure 15.5



How does bureaucracy impact the size and scope of government?

Documents

Friday, April 5 Turn in Unit 5 FRQs (they were due March 28) Unit 4 & 5 Test Campaign Project is due Tuesday, April 9 Reading due dates – April 8 p. 392-409