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Two Theories about Congress

Two Theories about Congress . In Congress, Pork Stays on Menu (Washington Post headline) Can Congress pass legislation that is in the public interest? Fiorina– purposive theories Bessette- serious lawmakers. What skills or attributes do we want in a President?. The Impossible Presidency?.

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Two Theories about Congress

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  1. Two Theories about Congress • In Congress, Pork Stays on Menu (Washington Post headline) • Can Congress pass legislation that is in the public interest? • Fiorina– purposive theories • Bessette- serious lawmakers

  2. What skills or attributes do we want in a President?

  3. The Impossible Presidency? • We want presidents who are • Powerful, but we place limits on power • Kind and caring/ruthless and cunning • Common person/ Hero or visionary • Above politics/master politician • Unify nation/make tough decisions • Have vision thing/responsive to will of people

  4. President- Great Expectations • Economy • World peace • Education • Environment • Health care • Morality • Heating oil prices • Vision thing

  5. Many Roles for President • Chief of State • Manager of the Economy • Chief Executive • Commander-in-Chief • Chief Diplomat • Chief Legislator • Chief of the Party • World Leader

  6. Presidential Power • Empirical Question • How powerful is the president? • Normative Question • How powerful should the president be?

  7. Methods of Presidential Candidate Selection • Caucus System (1789 -1830’s) • National Convention (since 1830’s) • Primary Elections (Present) • Frontloading

  8. Implications of Primaries • Weakens gatekeeper role for parties (Buchanan, Forbes, Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson) • Gives power to ideological activists • Different type of candidate running (McCain) • Diminish electability (Gays in military, Private school in SC) • Hurt governability (read my lips) • popular mandate from people, not Party • New Democrat, compassionate conservative

  9. National Elections • Electoral College • Election strategy • Partisan Lock • Disenfranchisement • False mandates • Clinton in 1992 43% of vote, 68.8% of EC • Chance of a Misfire?

  10. 1968

  11. 1972

  12. 1976

  13. 1980

  14. 1988

  15. 1992

  16. 1996

  17. 2000 Battleground States

  18. Presidential Elections • Long • Expensive • Discourages good candidates? • Potential source of Power? • Predictions for 2000

  19. Constitutional Basics • Normative ?-- Hamilton, Fed No. 70. Engergy in the Executive • one person office • elected for a fixed term • national constituency • Vague formal powers from Constitution

  20. 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

  21. The Modern Presidency • Great Depression, 38% unemployment • More interventionist role for government • Entitlement programs like SS, farm supports, right to organize create • Political constituency for Pres power • Organizational basis for Pres power • Media=Direct link betw Pres and people

  22. Hallmarks of the Modern Presidency • Increased Popular Linkage with Public • Going Public • Presidential Selection • Increased institutional powers • Creation of Institutional Presidency • War-making

  23. 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

  24. Public Approval of President • Honeymoon • General decline • Economy • Rally events and scandals • Beyond Presidential Control

  25. Does PopularitySuccess? • Eisenhower and Bush– popular presidents • Nixon and Ford– unpopular presidents • Clinton’s uneven record • 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”

  26. Institutional Presidency • Jefferson in 1900 had 2 assistants • Brownlow Committee • “The president needs help” • President not Congress should be in charge of executive branch

  27. 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

  28. Good/Great Truman Eisenhower JFK LBJ Reagan Clinton Bad/Failures Nixon Ford Carter Bush Ranking Post WW II Presidents

  29. World’s Greatest Clerkship • Neustadt, 1960 Presidential Power • power of president do not flow from literary reading of constitution • "The conditions that promote his leadership in form, preclude a guarantee of leadership in fact." • “presidential power is power to persuade”

  30. Informal Powers • Professional reputation • Electoral results • Bargaining • Carrot and the stick • Marshalling public opinion (going public)

  31. Presidential War-making • Madison-- the power to declare war is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature • Congress- declare war • Pres C-in C • Two Presidencies Thesis • War Powers Resolution

  32. Presidential Power- 2 views • 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 [may] assume just about as much power as he is capable of handling." JFK • 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.

  33. Normative Question • FDR, JFK, Savior model- 1950s and 60s • LBJ, Nixon Satan model, or Imperial Presidency • Ford, Carter Sampson model • Reagan– partisan presidency • Neustadt vs. Miroff

  34. Barber on Presidential Character Voters should ask 2 questions 1. How much energy does the president invest in his presidency 2. Relatively speaking, does he seem to experience his political life as happy or sad

  35. Positive Negative Active Jefferson, FDR, JFK, Truman, Ford, Bush Carter, Clinton Adams, Wilson, Hoover, LBJ, Nixon Passive Madison, Taft, Harding, Reagan WashingtonCoolidge, Eisenhower

  36. Limits of Barber’s theory • No basis in psychology or Personality theory • Easy to apply? Aren’t all candidates energetic? • Healthy political personality is no predictor of political success • Book of the Week • David Maraniss; First in His Class

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