1 / 26

The Presidency

The Presidency. The Executive Branch of the US. Learning Objectives. To identify and explain the powers of the President To examine contemporary examples of the use of the presidential powers

lilah
Download Presentation

The Presidency

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Presidency

  2. The Executive Branch of the US

  3. Learning Objectives • To identify and explain the powers of the President • To examine contemporary examples of the use of the presidential powers • To complete a short-answer exam question: How extensive are the constitutional powers of the president?

  4. The Presidency “My choice early in life was either to be a piano-player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.”- President Harry Truman

  5. Executive & The Constitution Found in Article 2 All executive power is vested in one President Electoral College outlined Term limits added via amendments Commander in Chief Cabinet not a requirement

  6. The Founding Fathers and the President • What did the founding fathers intend for the president? • Read p.227-228 and complete the mind map

  7. Presidential requirements • Extra- Constitutional Requirements • Political experience • Major party endorsement • Personal Characteristics • Money! • Effective Organisation • Sound Policies • Looking and sounding good! • Constitutional Requirements • Natural born US citizen • At least 35 years of age • Residency in US for at least 14 years. • Two term limit introduced in 1951 with 22nd amendment

  8. An American Monarch? • Ensuring that the people of the USA would never suffer oppression at the hands of a powerful, unrestrained leader was the central aim of the Founding Fathers when they produced the Constitution. • Yet in modern times, the president of the USA has been routinely described as the most powerful person in the world. • This would suggest that the primary objective of the US constitutional system has not been met.

  9. An American Monarch? • However, prominent American political scientist Richard Neustadt (who specialises in the US presidency and has been adviser to several presidents) has argued that presidents are so constrained by the system of checks and balances that they have only ‘the power to persuade’.

  10. “The essence of a President’s persuasive task, with congressmen and everybody else, is to induce them to believe that what he wants of them is what their own appraisal of their own responsibilities requires them to do in their interest, not his.” - Richard Neustadt (1990)

  11. Executive Arrangements in 15 democracies

  12. Presidential Paradoxes The presidency is sometimes too strong yet at others too weak . Must be supremely self confidence yet not infallible or above criticism A ‘common man’ but display uncommon charisma and visions A strong leader but not to abuse power Compassionate and decent but ruthless and cunning Be a visionary yet be pragmatic and work with others Be self-confident but be above criticism Be popular yet have to make tough, unpopular decisions. Be ‘above politics’ but yet is the most political office

  13. Name as many US presidents as you can before 1933.

  14. All this changed with FDR! In 1933 • Size of federal government greatly increased • USA became a world power • As the role of the federal government increased, so to did the role of the presidency increase

  15. Name as many US presidents as you can after 1933.Fill in the table

  16. Some Key Presidents

  17. Some Key Presidents

  18. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwMOqVxSb3A How can someone become president?

  19. Roles & Powers of the President • Read Article 2 of the Constitution. • What roles and powers are bestowed on President? • Using the textbook p.229-233 complete table showing the powers of the president

  20. Role of the President

  21. The formal and informal resources of the presidency

  22. Increasing Role of the President Only national political institution that can act quickly and decisively in times of crisis Only nationally elected politician – claim a mandate EBBS AND FLOWS Crisis – Flows towards POTUS Peace – Congress Reasserts itself

  23. Powers of the President • Propose Legislation • Bush – No Child Left Behind • Submit the Annual Budget • Sign Legislation • Veto Legislation • Bush Stem Cell Research • Act as Chief Executive • Nominations Chief • Commander in Chief • Negotiate Treaties • Pardon • ‘Head of State’

  24. Power of Veto Presidents can veto legislation, i.e. not make it law • Standard Veto • Sends it back to Congress • Pocket Veto • Doesn’t sign within last 10 days of Congress • Line Item Veto • Power to veto certain parts of legislation, ruled unconstitutional by Clinton v New York 1998

  25. The Power to Persuade Why only persuade: • Cabinet is not a reward to Congress due to the separation of powers • Lack of an honours system in the US unlike the UK • Can’t remove the whip Who Persuades: • VP • EXOP(Office of Legislative Affairs) • Party Leadership • Interest Groups Neustadt: Presidential Power is the Power to Persuade

  26. The President Persuades Sometimes the Presidents wades into the persuasion personally • Phone Calls • Budget Vote 1993 Clinton rang Marjorie MargoliesMezvinsky to get her to cast her vote • Support Legislation • Campaign in District • Only if Popular!!!!

More Related