39. Constitution allows presidents
to “appoint Ambassadors, other
public ministers and Consuls,
Judges of the supreme Court…
and all other Officers of the
United States.”
45. Power to Recommend
Constitution encourages presidents to
recommend for Congressional
“consideration such Measures as he
shall judge necessary and expedient.”
55. “I find these signing statements are to Bush
and Cheney's presidency what steroids were
to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding.
Like Schwarzenegger with his steroids, Bush
does not deny using his signing statements;
does not like talking about using them; and
believes that they add muscle. But like
steroids, signing statements ultimately lead
to serious trouble.”
John Dean, former Nixon White House Counsel
56. Signing Statements
Statements appended to bills signed
into law by the president which
function as directives to executive
branch departments and agencies
as to how they are to implement the
relevant law.
66. Generally, President Bush's
signing statements tend to be
brief and very broad, &
seldom cite the authority on
which the president is relying
for his reading of the law.
69. Signing Statements
• Problems
– Violates legal reasoning behind
judicial rejection of Line-Item Veto
– Violation of the Presentment
Clause
– Conflict with the Justice
Department?
70. Presidential Personality & Style
• The Presidential Character (1972) –
James David Barber
• Style – president’s habitual way of
performing his three political roles:
rhetoric, personal relations and homework.
• World View – consists primarily of a
president’s primary, politically relevant
beliefs, particularly his conceptions of
social causality, human nature and the
central moral conflicts of the time.
71. Presidential Personality & Style
• The Presidential Character (1972) –
James David Barber
• Style – president’s habitual way of
performing his three political roles:
rhetoric, personal relations and homework.
• World View – consists primarily of a
president’s primary, politically relevant
beliefs, particularly his conceptions of
social causality, human nature and the
central moral conflicts of the time.
72. Presidential Personality & Style
• The Presidential Character (1972) –
James David Barber
• Style – president’s habitual way of
performing his three political roles:
rhetoric, personal relations and homework.
• World View – consists primarily of a
president’s primary, politically relevant
beliefs, particularly his conceptions of
social causality, human nature and the
central moral conflicts of the time.
73. Presidential Personality & Style
• Character – way the president
orients himself towards life and
towards himself, not for the moment,
but enduringly.
– Activity-Passivity – how much energy
does the man (or woman!) invest in his
presidency?
– Positive-Negative Affect – how does
the president feel about what he does?
74. Presidential Personality & Style
• Character – way the president
orients himself towards life and
towards himself, not for the moment,
but enduringly.
– Activity-Passivity – how much energy
does the man (or woman!) invest in his
presidency?
– Positive-Negative Affect – how does
the president feel about what he does?
75. Presidential Personality & Style
• Character – way the president
orients himself towards life and
towards himself, not for the moment,
but enduringly.
– Activity-Passivity – how much energy
does the man (or woman!) invest in his
presidency?
– Positive-Negative Affect – how does
the president feel about what he does?
76. ACTIVE POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Active-Positive Active-Negative
PASSIVE
Passive-
Passive-Positive
Negative
77. ACTIVE POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Active-Positive Active-Negative
PASSIVE
Passive-
Passive-Positive
Negative
78. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-positive – appear to have fun in
the vigorous exercise of presidential
power. Healthy, active, energetic.
– Conviction of capability
– Investment without immersion
– Positive sense of the possibilities of the
future
– Repertoire of Habits
– The Communication of Excitement
79. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-positive – appear to have fun in
the vigorous exercise of presidential
power. Healthy, active, energetic.
– Conviction of capability
– Investment without immersion
– Positive sense of the possibilities of the
future
– Repertoire of Habits
– The Communication of Excitement
80. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-positive – appear to have fun in
the vigorous exercise of presidential
power. Healthy, active, energetic.
– Conviction of capability
– Investment without immersion
– Positive sense of the possibilities of the
future
– Repertoire of Habits
– The Communication of Excitement
81. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-positive – appear to have fun in
the vigorous exercise of presidential
power. Healthy, active, energetic.
– Conviction of capability
– Investment without immersion
– Positive sense of the possibilities of the
future
– Repertoire of Habits
– The Communication of Excitement
82. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-positive – appear to have fun in
the vigorous exercise of presidential
power. Healthy, active, energetic.
– Conviction of capability
– Investment without immersion
– Positive sense of the possibilities of the
future
– Repertoire of Habits
– The Communication of Excitement
83. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-positive – appear to have fun in
the vigorous exercise of presidential
power. Healthy, active, energetic.
– Conviction of capability
– Investment without immersion
– Positive sense of the possibilities of the
future
– Repertoire of Habits
– The Communication of Excitement
84.
85. ACTIVE POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Active-Positive Active-Negative
PASSIVE
Passive-
Passive-Positive
Negative
86. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-negative – display a high
expenditure of energy on political tasks and
a continual, recurrent, negative emotional
reaction to that work.
– Self-concern
– Denial of self-gratification
– Views the world as dangerous
– Persistent and emphatic style
– Dependent upon positive response from
his environment
87. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-negative – display a high
expenditure of energy on political tasks and
a continual, recurrent, negative emotional
reaction to that work.
– Self-concern
– Denial of self-gratification
– Views the world as dangerous
– Persistent and emphatic style
– Dependent upon positive response from
his environment
88. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-negative – display a high
expenditure of energy on political tasks and
a continual, recurrent, negative emotional
reaction to that work.
– Self-concern
– Denial of self-gratification
– Views the world as dangerous
– Persistent and emphatic style
– Dependent upon positive response from
his environment
89. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-negative – display a high
expenditure of energy on political tasks and
a continual, recurrent, negative emotional
reaction to that work.
– Self-concern
– Denial of self-gratification
– Views the world as dangerous
– Persistent and emphatic style
– Dependent upon positive response from
his environment
90. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-negative – display a high
expenditure of energy on political tasks and
a continual, recurrent, negative emotional
reaction to that work.
– Self-concern
– Denial of self-gratification
– Views the world as dangerous
– Persistent and emphatic style
– Dependent upon positive response from
his environment
91. Presidential Personality & Style
• Active-negative
– This personality type is said to be
dangerous because it is too rigid,
characterized by inflexible behavior –
often with disastrous results!
92.
93. ACTIVE POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Active-Positive Active-Negative
PASSIVE
Passive-
Passive-Positive
Negative
94. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-Positive – receptive,
compliant, other-directed character whose
life is a search for affection as a reward for
being agreeable and cooperative rather
than personally assertive.
– Contradiction in their character between low
self-esteem and a superficial optimism.
– Passive-positives are political lovers.
• Tend not to accomplish much.
95. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-Positive – receptive,
compliant, other-directed character whose
life is a search for affection as a reward for
being agreeable and cooperative rather
than personally assertive.
– Contradiction in their character between low
self-esteem and a superficial optimism.
– Passive-positives are political lovers.
• Tend not to accomplish much.
96. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-Positive – receptive,
compliant, other-directed character whose
life is a search for affection as a reward for
being agreeable and cooperative rather
than personally assertive.
– Contradiction in their character between low
self-esteem and a superficial optimism.
– Passive-positives are political lovers.
• Tend not to accomplish much.
97. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-Positive – receptive,
compliant, other-directed character whose
life is a search for affection as a reward for
being agreeable and cooperative rather
than personally assertive.
– Contradiction in their character between low
self-esteem and a superficial optimism.
– Passive-positives are political lovers.
• Tend not to accomplish much.
98.
99. ACTIVE POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Active-Positive Active-Negative
PASSIVE
Passive-
Passive-Positive
Negative
100. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-negative – tends to do political
service in order to compensate for low self-
esteem based on feelings of usefulness.
– In politics because they feel they ought to be:
“dutiful service.”
– Tend to withdraw from politics by emphasizing
vague principles, procedural arrangements.
– Lack the experience and flexibility to serve as
an effective political leader.
• Problem: DRIFT
• A dying breed in US politics.
101. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-negative – tends to do political
service in order to compensate for low self-
esteem based on feelings of usefulness.
– In politics because they feel they ought to be:
“dutiful service.”
– Tend to withdraw from politics by emphasizing
vague principles, procedural arrangements.
– Lack the experience and flexibility to serve as
an effective political leader.
• Problem: DRIFT
• A dying breed in US politics.
102. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-negative – tends to do political
service in order to compensate for low self-
esteem based on feelings of usefulness.
– In politics because they feel they ought to be:
“dutiful service.”
– Tend to withdraw from politics by emphasizing
vague principles, procedural arrangements.
– Lack the experience and flexibility to serve as
an effective political leader.
• Problem: DRIFT
• A dying breed in US politics.
103. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-negative – tends to do political
service in order to compensate for low self-
esteem based on feelings of usefulness.
– In politics because they feel they ought to be:
“dutiful service.”
– Tend to withdraw from politics by emphasizing
vague principles, procedural arrangements.
– Lack the experience and flexibility to serve as
an effective political leader.
• Problem: DRIFT
• A dying breed in US politics.
104. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-negative – tends to do political
service in order to compensate for low self-
esteem based on feelings of usefulness.
– In politics because they feel they ought to be:
“dutiful service.”
– Tend to withdraw from politics by emphasizing
vague principles, procedural arrangements.
– Lack the experience and flexibility to serve as
an effective political leader.
• Problem: DRIFT
• A dying breed in US politics.
105. Presidential Personality & Style
• Passive-negative – tends to do political
service in order to compensate for low self-
esteem based on feelings of usefulness.
– In politics because they feel they ought to be:
“dutiful service.”
– Tend to withdraw from politics by emphasizing
vague principles, procedural arrangements.
– Lack the experience and flexibility to serve as
an effective political leader.
• Problem: DRIFT
• A dying breed in US politics.
106.
107. Presidential Personality & Style
• Criticisms of Barber
– Some scholars have argued that it is
difficult, impossible to “pigeonhole”
individual presidents.
– Ideology may be more important than
character in analyzing how presidents
approach their jobs.
– Presidential behavior may be affected
less by character than by events and
circumstances surrounding their
presidency
108. Presidential Personality & Style
• Criticisms of Barber
– Some scholars have argued that it is
difficult, impossible to “pigeonhole”
individual presidents.
– Ideology may be more important than
character in analyzing how presidents
approach their jobs.
– Presidential behavior may be affected
less by character than by events and
circumstances surrounding their
presidency
109. Presidential Personality & Style
• Criticisms of Barber
– Some scholars have argued that it is
difficult, impossible to “pigeonhole”
individual presidents.
– Ideology may be more important than
character in analyzing how presidents
approach their jobs.
– Presidential behavior may be affected
less by character than by events and
circumstances surrounding their
presidency
112. “…the most insignificant
office that ever the
invention of man contrived
or his imagination
conceived.”
John Adams, the first Vice-
President
113. “…not worth a pitcher of
warm piss.”
John Nance Garner, the 32nd Vice-
President
114. “Once there were two
brothers. One went away to
sea; the other was elected
Vice-President of the United
States. And nothing was ever
heard of either of them
again.”
Thomas R. Marshall, the 28th Vice-
President
117. Constitution:
Should the President die or become
disabled while in office, quot;powers
and dutiesquot; of the office transferred
to the Vice President.
