a. Presidents are often outsiders i. Usually not a official due to the fact that the president is voted by the populace b. Presidents choose cabinet members from outside of congress i. Under the Constitution, no sitting member of Congress can hold office in the executive branch c. Presidents have no guaranteed majority in the legislature i. Unlike Prime ministers, Presidents can have a divided government whereas Prime ministers are guaranteed a Unified government Divided Government i. Divided government government in which one party controls the White House and the other controls Congress ii. Unified government one party controls everything b. Does gridlock matter i. Yes, it allows for difference of opinions in the people c. Is policy gridlock bad? i. An American president has less ability to decide what laws get passed than does a British prime minister. The Evolution of the Presidency a. Concerns of the Founders i. The delegates in Philadelphia, and later the critics of the new Constitution during the debate over its ratification, worried about aspects of the presidency that were quite different from those that concern us today. b. The electoral college i. Electoral college where each of the states would select electors in whatever manner it wish. The electors would then meet in each state capital and vote for president and vice president. c. The presidents term of office i. Due to the fact that the longest leading leaders of America has limited themselves to two terms in office, we have created a law limiting it to two terms. The Powers of the President a. Powers of the President Alone i. Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces ii. Commission officers of the armed forces iii. Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment) iv. Convene Congress in special sessions v. Receive ambassadors vi. Take care that the laws be faithfully executed vii. Wield the executive power
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viii. Appoint officials to lesser offices
b. Powers of the President that are shared with the Senate i. Make treaties ii. Appoint ambassadors, judges, and high officials c. Powers of the president that are shared with Congress as a whole i. Approve legislation The Office of the President a. The White House Office i. Pyramid structure hierarchical structure in which the higher ups report to the president ii. Circular structure where assistants and cabinet members report directly to the president iii. Ad hoc structure where everyone including informal groups and task forces all report to the president directly b. The Executive Office of the President i. Agencies report directly to the president and perform staff services for him ii. Principal agencies: 1. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 2. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) 3. Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) 4. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 5. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative c. The Cabinet i. Cabinet heads of the fifteen executive branch departments of the federal government Who Gets Appointed a. Subcabinet refers to under secretary, deputy secretary, and assistant secretaries in each cabinet department b. Whoever the President prefers and has strategic purposes is appointed Presidential Character a. The amount each president gets along with his/her party is how much his approval rating goes up or down. The Power to Persuade a. The Three Audiences i. Bully pulpit the presidents use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public b. Popularity and Influence i. The honeymoon period is the beginning of each career of Presidents run c. The Decline in Popularity i. Because weve never had a perfect president, the mistakes he/she makes declines the popularity. We also want CHANGE therefore, leading to the loss of interest. The Power to Say No a. Veto
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i. Veto message message from the president to Congress stating
that he will not sign a bill it has passed. Must be produced within ten days of the bills passage ii. Pocket veto bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within ten days before Congress adjourns iii. Line-item veto an executives ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature b. Executive Privilege i. The Constitution says nothing about whether the president is obliged to divulge private communications between himself and his principal advisers, but presidents have acted as though they do have that right of privacy. c. Impoundment of Funds i. From time to time presidents have refused to spend money appropriated by Congress. 1. Truman did not spend all that Congress wanted spent on the armed forces 2. Johnson did not spend all that Congress made available for highway The Presidents Program a. Putting together a Program i. Interest groups ii. Aides and campaign advisers iii. Federal bureaus and agencies iv. Outside, academic, and other specialists and experts Presidential transition a. The Vice President i. Eight times a vice president has become president because of the death of his predecessor. 1. 25th amendment of the Constitution states the order b. Problems of Succession i. If the president should die in office, the right of the vice president to assume that office has been clear. However, what happens if president falls ill but does not die. And who takes vice president spot 1. 25th amendment of Constitution , of acting president c. Impeachment i. Impeachment - charges against a President approved by a majority of the House of Representatives ii. Lame duck a person still in office after he/she has lost the bid