Chap14

11
Chapter 14Chapter 14
The PresidencyThe Presidency

22Copyright © 2013 CengageCopyright © 2013 Cengage
 WHO GOVERNS?WHO GOVERNS?
1.1. Did the Founders expect the presidencyDid the Founders expect the presidency
to be the most important politicalto be the most important political
institution?institution?
2.2. How important is the president’sHow important is the president’s
character in determining how hecharacter in determining how he
governs?governs?
 TO WHAT ENDS?TO WHAT ENDS?
1.1. Should we abolish the electoralShould we abolish the electoral
college?college?
2.2. Is it harder to govern when theIs it harder to govern when the
presidency and the Congress arepresidency and the Congress are
controlled by different political parties?controlled by different political parties?

44
Presidents and Prime MinistersPresidents and Prime Ministers
 Presidents are Often OutsidersPresidents are Often Outsiders
 Presidents Choose Cabinet MembersPresidents Choose Cabinet Members
from Outside Congressfrom Outside Congress
 Presidents Have No GuaranteedPresidents Have No Guaranteed
Majority in CongressMajority in Congress
 Presidents and Prime Ministers atPresidents and Prime Ministers at
WarWar
Copyright © 2013 CengageCopyright © 2013 Cengage

55
The first cabinet: left to right,The first cabinet: left to right,
Secretary of War Henry Knox,Secretary of War Henry Knox,
Secretary of State ThomasSecretary of State Thomas
Jefferson, Attorney GeneralJefferson, Attorney General
Edmund Randolph, Secretary ofEdmund Randolph, Secretary of
the Treasury Alexanderthe Treasury Alexander
Hamilton, and President GeorgeHamilton, and President George
Washington.Washington.
Copyright © 2013 CengageCopyright © 2013 CengageBettmann/Corbis

66
Divided GovernmentDivided Government
 Divided government –Divided government – One partyOne party
controls the White House and anothercontrols the White House and another
party controls one or both houses ofparty controls one or both houses of
CongressCongress
 Unified government –Unified government – The same partyThe same party
controls the White House and bothcontrols the White House and both
houses of Congresshouses of Congress
 Does gridlock matter?Does gridlock matter?
 Is policy gridlock bad?Is policy gridlock bad?

88
The Powers of the PresidentThe Powers of the President
 Powers of thePowers of the
President alonePresident alone
 Powers the PresidentPowers the President
shares with theshares with the
SenateSenate
 Powers the PresidentPowers the President
shares with Congressshares with Congress
as a wholeas a whole
A military officer carrying “the football” –
the briefcase containing the secret codes
the president can use to launch a nuclear
attack.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
News/Getty Images

1010
America witnessed peaceful transfers ofAmerica witnessed peaceful transfers of
power not only between leaders ofpower not only between leaders of
different parties (such as Woodrow Wilsondifferent parties (such as Woodrow Wilson
and William Howard Taft in 1913), but alsoand William Howard Taft in 1913), but also
after a popular leader was assassinatedafter a popular leader was assassinated
(Lyndon Johnson is sworn in after John F.(Lyndon Johnson is sworn in after John F.
Kennedy’s death), p. 374.Kennedy’s death), p. 374.
Library of Congress
Cecil Stoughton/White
House/AP Photo

1111
The Evolution of the PresidencyThe Evolution of the Presidency
 Concerns of the FoundersConcerns of the Founders
 The Electoral CollegeThe Electoral College
 The President’s Term of OfficeThe President’s Term of Office
 The First PresidentsThe First Presidents
 The JacksoniansThe Jacksonians
 The Re-emergence of CongressThe Re-emergence of Congress

President Andrew Jackson thought of
himself as the “Tribune of the People,”
and he symbolized this
by throwing a White House party that
anyone could attend. Hundreds of
people showed up and ate or
carried away most of a 1,400-pound
block of cheese.
The Granger Collection

1414
The Power to PersuadeThe Power to Persuade
 The Three AudiencesThe Three Audiences
• Fellow politicians andFellow politicians and
leadersleaders
• Partisan grassrootsPartisan grassroots
• The publicThe public
 Popularity and InfluencePopularity and Influence
 The Decline in PopularityThe Decline in Popularity

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 Sources: Updated fromSources: Updated from
Congressional Quarterly,Congressional Quarterly, Guide toGuide to
U.S. Elections, 928; and CongressU.S. Elections, 928; and Congress
and the Nation, vol. 4 (1973–1976),and the Nation, vol. 4 (1973–1976),
28.28.

Note: Popularity was measured by asking every few months, “Do you
approve of the way _________ is handling his job as president?”
Source: Thomas E. Cronin,
The State of the Presidency
(Boston: Little, Brown, 1975),
110–111. Copyright © 1975
by Little, Brown and Company,
Inc. Reprinted by permission.
Updated with Gallup poll
data, 1976–2011. Reprinted
by permission of the Gallup
Poll News Service.

1717
Figure 14.2 Presidential Victories on Votes in Congress, 1953–2010Figure 14.2 Presidential Victories on Votes in Congress, 1953–2010
Note: Percentages indicate number of congressional votes supporting the president divided by the total
number of votes on which the
president has taken a position.
Source: Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, various years. Data for 2010 from
http://library.cqpress.com/cqweekly/fi le.php?path=/files/ wr20110103-01prezsupport-cht2.pdf; Schatz,
Joseph J., “2010 Vote Studies: Presidential Support,” CQ Weekly (January 3, 2011): 18–24.

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The Power to Say NoThe Power to Say No
 VetoVeto
• Veto messageVeto message
• Pocket vetoPocket veto
• Line-item vetoLine-item veto
 Executive PrivilegeExecutive Privilege
 Impoundment of FundsImpoundment of Funds
 Signing StatementsSigning Statements

1919
Sources: Norman J. Ornstein, Thomas E. Mann,
and Michael J. Malbin, Vital Statistics on Congress,
2001–2002 (Washington, D.C.: Congressional
Quarterly Press, 2001), 207; Web sites of U.S.
House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Note:
See the Web links on the
front inside cover to visit the House and Senate
Web sites.

Sources: Norman J. Ornstein, Thomas E. Mann, and Michael
J. Malbin, Vital Statistics on Congress, 2002–2003 (Washington,
D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2003), 207; The American
Presidency Project of the University of California at Santa
Barbara.

2222
Presidential CharacterPresidential Character
 Dwight EisenhowerDwight Eisenhower
 John KennedyJohn Kennedy
 Lyndon JohnsonLyndon Johnson
 Richard NixonRichard Nixon
 Gerald FordGerald Ford
 Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
 Ronald ReaganRonald Reagan
 George H. W. BushGeorge H. W. Bush
 Bill ClintonBill Clinton
 George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
 Barack ObamaBarack Obama

2323
The Office of the PresidentThe Office of the President
 The White House OfficeThe White House Office
• Pyramid structurePyramid structure
• Circular structureCircular structure
• Ad hoc structureAd hoc structure
 The Executive Office of the PresidentThe Executive Office of the President
 The CabinetThe Cabinet
 Independent Agencies, Commissions,Independent Agencies, Commissions,
and Judgeshipsand Judgeships

a
Formerly the War
Department, created in
1789. Figures are for
civilians only.
b
Agriculture Department
created in 1862; made part
of cabinet in 1889.
c
Originally Health, Education
and Welfare; reorganized in
1979.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United
States, 2011, table 497.

2626
Who Gets AppointedWho Gets Appointed
 Prior federal experiencePrior federal experience
 ““In-and-outers”In-and-outers”
 Political followingPolitical following
 Expertise/ administrativeExpertise/ administrative
experienceexperience

2828
Secretary of Labor Frances PerkinsSecretary of Labor Frances Perkins
(left), appointed by President Franklin(left), appointed by President Franklin
Roosevelt, was the first woman cabinetRoosevelt, was the first woman cabinet
member.member.
When Condoleezza Rice was selected
by President George W. Bush to be
National Security Advisor, she became
the first woman to hold that position
(and later the first African American
woman to be Secretary of State).
Bettmann/CORBIS
Bob Daemmrich/PhotoEdit

2929
The President’s ProgramThe President’s Program
 Putting Together a ProgramPutting Together a Program
• Interest groupsInterest groups
• Aides and campaign advisersAides and campaign advisers
• Federal bureaus and agenciesFederal bureaus and agencies
• Outside, academic, other specialists andOutside, academic, other specialists and
expertsexperts
 Attempts to ReorganizeAttempts to Reorganize

3030
A group of Civilian ConservationA group of Civilian Conservation
Corps workers hired by the governmentCorps workers hired by the government
during the Great Depression.during the Great Depression.
Scherl/SV-Bilderdeinst/The image Works

3131
Presidential TransitionPresidential Transition
 The Vice PresidentThe Vice President
 Problems ofProblems of
SuccessionSuccession
 ImpeachmentImpeachment
 Lame duckLame duck
President Reagan, moments before he was
shot on March 30, 1981, by a would-be
assassin. The Twenty-fifth Amendment
solves the problem of presidential disability
by providing for an orderly transfer of power
to the vice president.
Michael Evans/The White House

3232
How Powerful is the President?How Powerful is the President?
Presidential rules ofPresidential rules of
thumb for dealing withthumb for dealing with
political problems:political problems:
• Move it or lose it.Move it or lose it.
• Avoid details.Avoid details.
• Cabinets don’t get muchCabinets don’t get much
accomplished; people do.accomplished; people do.

3333
M E M O R A N D U MM E M O R A N D U M
To:To: White House Chief of Staff Ann MartinWhite House Chief of Staff Ann Martin
From:From: Office of Legislative Affairs Director Sean RiveraOffice of Legislative Affairs Director Sean Rivera
Subject:Subject: Passing budget bills under divided governmentPassing budget bills under divided government
With the opposition party in control of Congress, mediaWith the opposition party in control of Congress, media
pundits and other commentators are calling for thepundits and other commentators are calling for the
president to accept the other party’s agenda for the nextpresident to accept the other party’s agenda for the next
round of budget bills.round of budget bills.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

3434
Arguments for:Arguments for:
1. With a re-election battle around the corner, the president1. With a re-election battle around the corner, the president
cannot afford to get caught up in a budget battle withcannot afford to get caught up in a budget battle with
Congress.Congress.
2. The president’s ability to gain public support for his agenda2. The president’s ability to gain public support for his agenda
is limited, and even increased public support will notis limited, and even increased public support will not
improve leverage with Congress.improve leverage with Congress.
3. The president should defer to Congress as the primary3. The president should defer to Congress as the primary
representative of the people in American politics.representative of the people in American politics.

3535
Arguments against:Arguments against:
1. American politics is guided too often by campaigns, and the1. American politics is guided too often by campaigns, and the
president will build support for re-election by actingpresident will build support for re-election by acting
presidential—that is, by setting the agenda for the budgetpresidential—that is, by setting the agenda for the budget
and not backing down.and not backing down.
2. The president can build public support through speeches2. The president can build public support through speeches
and other forms of communication, and this support can beand other forms of communication, and this support can be
used as political capital to negotiate with Congress.used as political capital to negotiate with Congress.
3. The president is the only nationally elected official in3. The president is the only nationally elected official in
American politics (other than the vice-president), andAmerican politics (other than the vice-president), and
therefore is responsible for identifying and promotingtherefore is responsible for identifying and promoting
public priorities, even if this means legislative battles withpublic priorities, even if this means legislative battles with
Congress.Congress.

3636
Your decision:Your decision:
Favor plan?Favor plan?
Oppose plan?Oppose plan?

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