AP US GOVERNMENT

Review Topics/Vocab THE PRESIDENT

  • Qualifications: 35, natural born citizen, 14 year residency
  • Term: 4 years; now limited to two terms by 22nd amendment
  • Only offices elected by Electoral College are P & VP
  • May be impeached for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors”
  • 2 impeached – Andrew Johnson & Bill Clinton; 0 convicted & removed
  • Nixon resigned prior to impeachment
  • Requires a majority vote in House to impeach; 2/3 vote in Senate to convict
  • Succession to office of P:
  • VP, Speaker, Pres. Pro Temp., Sec. of State ….
  • Why is the Speaker 2nd in line?
  • Constitution was designed to grant P very limited formal powers & less specific powers than Congress- WHY?
  • what has the lack of specifics/flexibility actually caused?
  • FORMAL POWERSinclude enforcing the laws, veto, making treaties, handling foreign policy, nominating/appointing government officials & judges, granting pardons & reprieves, reporting to Congress on state of the union, serving as commander in chief, serving as diplomatic representative of the U.S., and overseeing depts. & agencies of the Executive Branch
  • INFORMAL POWERS of theP- can be the most important:
  • Building morale (Reagan good, Carter not)
  • Legislative leader and coalition building (again-Reagan good with his R, southern D coalition but Bush, Sr. could not get domestic issues passed by D controlled Congress)
  • Policy persuader and communicator to Congress & American people (Reagan & Clinton both good).
  • Budget & Impoundment Act of ’74 – P MUST spend money as appropriated by Congress; upheld by SCOTUS (Nixon had refused to fund programs Congress had appropriated $ for)
  • Powers of the P are intermingled with those of Congress:
  • Appointments of judges, Ex. Dept. Secretaries, ambassadors, etc. all require Senate approval(what percentage of the Senate?)
  • Treaties have to be ratified by 2/3 of Senate – can be hard to get so … executive agreements can be used – don’t require Senate approval; agreements between heads of countries – usually deal with routine matters.
  • President as Chief Legislator:
  • Recommends legislation (note – good time to get it in is right after election – the “honeymoon” period); also done during State of the Union Address
  • Usually has last word in the legislative process – VETO (P vetoes have only been overridden 4% of time)
  • Must attach a veto message when vetoing a bill
  • Pocket veto is option only when Congress is adjourned
  • Clinton v. NY City, P does NOT have line-item veto power (many governors do)
  • Signing statements – sometimes when signing a bill into law … to go on record with the P’s interpretation of the bill
  • President as Head of the Party:
  • Congresspersons who support P also get his support in return
  • Works closely with party leaders in Congress to get agenda introduced in legislation and get out the party vote
  • President as Chief Diplomat
  • Recognizes other governments (or terminates recognition)
  • Uses U.S. influence to arbitrate conflicts between other nations
  • Negotiates treaties
  • 2/3 Senate approval can be hard to get so….
  • P’s powers over foreign policy have been expanded to include executive agreements – agreements between heads of countries, as binding as treaties, and no Senate approval is necessary
  • President as Commander-in-Chief:
  • Basic conflict with Congress – Congress has power to declare war BUT only the P can actually make war as chief strategist & director of military forces which can only be funded by Congress!
  • Military powers include:
  • Sending troops into specific areas of conflict
  • Decision to use weapons of mass destruction
  • Authorizing military actions during a wars
  • War Powers Act (Resolution) of 1973:
  • To limit P’s power to send out troops & force P to seek congressional approval before making war.
  • Passed after/direct result of Vietnam (Gulf of Tonkin Resolution–LBJ)
  • P must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending out troops
  • Limits P to 10,000 troops for 60 days, with 30 additional days to withdraw troops unless Congress grants extension or declares war
  • Why will Congress always fund troops the P has sent out?
  • Congress’ power to control P’s military actions under this act has been viewed as a “legislative veto” and never ruled on by Supreme Ct. – likely that it would be held unconstitutional if it ever gets before the Court
  • Cabinet created through custom and usage.
  • Made up of the heads (Secretaries) of the Ex. Branch Depts.
  • CONGRESS sets up each executive department – 15 now
  • PRESIDENT appoints head – title is “Secretary” except for the Attorney General who is the head of the Dept. of Justice
  • Dept. of State the oldest, Defense the largest, Homeland Security the newest & 3rd largest dept. – includes INS, Coast Guard, Secret Service, etc.
  • 3 types of cabinet management styles:
  • Pyramid – P at top; little access; P not burdened with minutiae but can also be isolated -- NIXON
  • Circular (Hub & Spokes) – P in center (hub); lots of access (by spokes); P has direct control over all .. but pulled in too many directions - JFK
  • Ad Hoc – P runs administration like a CEO of a major corporation; P at top but has lots of input from committees, advisors – CLINTON, W
  • Constitutional duties of VP: preside over Senate (only vote to break a tie); succession
  • Executive Office of the President
  • Function is to assist P in carrying out administrative duties in domestic, foreign, military affairs
  • Hundreds of people on staff in White House and Ex. Office Bldg.
  • Chief of Staff – top aide to P & one of most powerful people in D.C. ( controls access to the P (easy access in Clinton adm. but difficult in Nixon’s)
  • National Security Council – National Security Advisor – generally involved in decision-making process for military and foreign policy issues in national emergencies; been around since 1940s (used by JFK in Cuban Missile Crisis); doesn’t have the same congressional oversight as Dept. of State does
  • Office of Management and Budget – prepares the budget for the U.S. & can be used to control and manage executive agencies for the P; huge power since it has power to allocate $ to the cabinet (executive) depts.
  • Council of Economic Advisors – assists P with making economic policy; economists.
  • The President and Public Approval
  • Factors determining voter’s approval of P:
  • Party
  • How P responds to economic shifts/issues
  • How good a public speaker P is / how he plays out on tv
  • If P makes direct appeals to public – positive
  • How media interprets actions of P
  • Public approval high when he comes in – usually down under 50% by time he leaves
  • Primary benefit of public approval for P is that it gives him more credibility with Congress to pursue his policy agenda and get legislation passed