Ch.+8+The+Presidency+-+Study+Questions+(with+Answers)+&+Multiple+Choice+Questions

CH 8 - The Presidency - Study Questions (with Answers)
//The OMB prepares the annual budget statement for the president, reviews the budget and programs of the president, supplies economic forecasts, and conducts analysis on proposed bills and agency rules. The OMB is necessary for the office of the executive branch. Since the president isn't a trained economist, the OMB helps him to budget money correctly and not overspend his funds.//
 * 1) What is the role and importance of the Office of Management and Budget?**

2) What was the ruling in U.S. v. Nixon and how did it affect the presidency? that Nixon could not claim executive privilege in the order from congress to withhold the tapes of recordings in the white house. It lessened the power of the president by setting limits on executive privilege.

3) What are inherent powers, and how did the first three presidents help to establish their importance? //-Inherent power are powers derived from specific powers in the Constitution. The first three presidents, Washington, Adams, and Jefferson established their importance in different ways. First, Washington helped to establish them in the first place, when he wanted to use them as a basis for proclaiming a policy of strict neutrality when the British and French were at war. Then, due to Adams poor leadership skills, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists divisions were heightened and the development of political parties was quickened. Finally, Jefferson used the party system to cement strong ties with Congress and expanded the role of the president in the legislative process. He used the inherent powers to justify the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 which dramatically increased the size of our nation.//

//The power of the president usually increases or is more obviously shown because they can show their strength through rallying around the flag and successfully fixing the problem such as, a military conflict that the US fixes without a prolonged military effort.//
 * 4) Discuss the impact of crises on the power of the president.**

A president can also be granted emergency powers in the time of an exceptionally serious crisis.

//The Executive branch was creating to provide the president with a staff to help direct the activities of the executive branch. The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the law.// //The white House Staff are personal assistants to the president, their power is only from their personal relationship to the president. They have no independent legal authority.//
 * 5) Discuss the roles of the Executive Office of the President and the White House staff.**

6) How does presidential style affect the nature and success of a given administration?//Presidential style will both greatly affect the administration of their term and set a precedent for the administrations which will proceed them. A president who is very assertive and stubborn in their views of presidential power may alienate many important people in Congress, especially if they take actions in the extreme left or right direction opposite from the Congressional majority. On the other hand, if the president tends to delegate and accomadate with excessive frequency, he may become the vessel of the congressional willpower. Either way, the presidential staff will be forced to adapt to the possible clashing of presidential views with the separation of powers, for the decisions and actions of a president will be associated with his administration and close staff.//

7) **Explain why FDR is said to be the founder of the "modern presidency."** FDR is considered to be the founder of the "modern presidency" because he significantly expanded the influence and power of the executive office. FDR's New Deals were used to centralize power and they worked.

8) **What is patronage, and how can it be used to enhance the power of the president?** Patronage is giving jobs or grants as gifts to friends and political allies for their support. This allows the president to increase their influence on member of Congress and party leaders. Presidents can use patronage to get treaties and bills passed and have members support their legislative programs.

9) **What is the difference between an executive order and a law?** A law has to go through the legislative branch while an executive order is placed in action right from the executive branch(president).

The roots of the presidency are that the president has the power to pardon criminals, to make treaties, to make appiontments, to be commander in chief of th army and the navy, and to convene congress. These are his/her powers under the Constitution. The Framers thought that the President would follow precedents set by the early presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, etc.) but when the president's don't follow set precendents amendments are added like the 22nd and 25th.
 * 10) What are the roots of the office of the presidency (colonial and under the Articles), and what were the discussions, arguments, and conclusions of the Framers about the chief executive officer of the United States?**

Power to Convene Congress- requires the president to inform congress periodically- "State of the Union" Power to Make Treaties- make treaties with foreign nations but must first have 2/3 senate vote Power to Appoint- is authorized to appoint with the consent of the senate- ambassadors, judges of thew supreme court, and all officers of the United States Power to Veto-to reject any congressional legislation Power to Preside over Military- act as Commander in Chief Power to Pardon- can exercise a check on judicial power through their constitutional authority to grant pardons
 * 11) Fully discuss the powers of the presidency. Be sure to give examples.**

12) The years 1804-1933 are called the years of "congressional triumph." The years after 1933 are generally characterized as an era of rising presidential power. Discuss the history of executive-legislative relations by commenting on this shift in power. Give specific examples, and explain how and why this shift came to be.

If he was a great negotiator and if he fulfills most of his promises. If he has confidence and strong believal in the American people. Passes a lot of laws that he or she said they will pass.
 * 13) What makes a president "successful"? Give specific examples.**

14) What is the role of the president in the legislative process? The President has the power to veto a bill if he believes that it will not benefeit the majority of the public. The President also has a say in what he believes could reflect the publics best interest.

15) What is the role of the president in the budgetary process? A president sets national policy and prioties through his budget proposals and his continued instistence on their congressional passage. The budget proposal not only outilnes the programs he wants but indicates the importance of each program by the amoung of funding requested for each and for its associated agency or department.

16) Discuss the process of impeachment and how it has played out in the history of the presidency. //First a majority vote in the House of Representatives initiates the process. Then, the Senate holds a trial. A two-thirds majority in the Senate will remove the president from office. Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson have both been impeached but haven't been removed from office.//

Presidential Records Act made it so that the president's records belong to the people but the president has the power to veto it. The people interested have to show a specific reason for why they need to know what they requested. The conflict over this is that the president can easily hinder the wishes of congress and follow his own policy prefrences through an executive order.
 * 17) Discuss the presidential/Congressional conflict over the Presidential Records Act. Why would the president attempt to break the law?**

18) How has the president's role as commander in chief of the military changed over time? Overtime the power of the president in making military decisions has risen greatly. Modern president have continuously clashed with Congress over the capability to conduct military ventures. This growing power can be seen in all “wars” since World War II which was the last time Congress formally declared war.

19) Which historical events have enhanced the power of the president? Explain specifically how each impacted the presidency. The Great Depression influenced the power of the Presidency - Roosevelt vastly expanded executive offices and created jobs through new executive agencies. September 11th influenced the power of the President in that people were too scared to challenge the governments actions. Bent on revenge for the attacks, and looking over their shoulders in fear, people willingly let the President expand the military and create an entire new executive office - Homeland Security.

20) Describe what is meant by the president being the "chief legislator"? He is the "chief legislator" because the president has the power to veto and bill passed by Congress. Although Congress can override a veto, the president is at the top and basically decides whether the bill becomes a law or not.

21) **Compare and contrast the veto, pocket veto, and the line-item veto.** The regular veto is a power that the president uses to turn down a bill sent to him by Congress. If they want to override his veto they must get 2/3's vote in both houses. If Congress ends its session within the proper ten day period a president has to veto a bill and the president holds onto a bill without signing it, the bill in then "pocket vetoed." A line-item veto is a veto where the president or lawmaker can veto parts of a bill without vetoed the entire bill.

22) **What is meant by presidential coattails, and how effective are they?** The tendency of lesser-known or weaker candidates lower on the ballet to profit in an election by the presence on the party's ticket of a more popular candidate. Most of the time the coattail effect is minimal, even in reelection years, occansionaly if the issues are emtional and voters want change it can work.

23) When can a president claim a mandate? What is the importance of a mandate? A president can claim a mandate when he or she claims victory by a large margin. It's important because it implicitly states the wishes of the electorate, that they approve of the candidate's position on issues and want to see those policies implemented.

24) Explain what is meant by a crisis. What is the president's role in a crisis, and why is a crisis situation important to a president? A crisis could be anything from a bombing or attack on american soil, or a threat from some other country or group. The presidents job during a crisis is to unite our country and its people against this attack and to deal with it as he sees fit. For example, after Pearl Harbor, we united around the flag and attacked Japan. This war(WWII) was successful because citizens were supporting our troops. No one blames Roosevelt for that war and says that he went too far. Now, fast forward to present day, and Bush is being blamed for getting us involved in Iraq. This is because, while the war was supported in the months after 9-11, because americans wanted revenge for killing our loved ones, people started rallying against the war, which brought down the moral of our soldiers. Crisis situations are important to a president as it can either make or break your record. You could do everything else right, but if they got us involed in a war we didnt want to be a part of, it would tarnish his whole reputation.

25) What duties does the president's press secretary have?

//Responsibilities center on collecting information about what is happening inside the Administration and around the world, and getting that information to the media in a timely and accurate fashion. The information includes things like a summary of the President's schedule for the day, whom the President has seen, called or had interactions with, and the official position of the Administration on the news of the day. The Press Secretary traditionally also fields questions from the White House Press Corps in briefings and press conferences, which are generally televised, and "press gaggles", which are on-the-record briefings without video recording, though transcripts are usually made available.//

26) To what extent does the office of the presidency enlarge the scope of government? Why or why not? Provide specific examples from various presidencies to support your answer.

27) Describe the constitutional process of removing a president from office. How often has this process been seriously attempted? With what results? Is this process appropriate or would you recommend changes? Explain.

A majority vote in the House brings about the impeachment. The inquiry is sent to the Judiciary committee, who vote on whether or not there is sufficient evidence to submit to all representatives. The House then votes on whether or not to conduct full-blown impeachment hearings. Once hearings occur, a majority vote will send the proceedings to the Senate. The Senate tries the President for the charges brought against him and then can determine guilt and whether or not the president is to be removed with a two-thirds majority vote. While Jackson and Clinton have been charged by the House, no president has been removed by the Senate.

28) Describe the circumstances surrounding President Clinton's impeachment. What specific charges were brought against him? Of what charges was he convicted? Clinton swore that what he origanally stated was the truth, and when it came out that he had lied under oath, Congress charged him for it. They believed that even through he was the President, he should be treated just like a citizen of the United States.

29) Compare and contrast the Constitutional powers of the president with the informal expansion of presidential power.

30) List and briefly describe the Constitutional powers of the president. Which are the most important, and why? Serve as commander in chief of all U.S. armed forces The most important would probably be commander chief because he has the power to send troops anywhere at anytime for a period of several weeks.
 * Commission officers of the armed forces (commander in chief)
 * Grant pardons and reprieves from Federal offenses (except impeachments)
 * Convene special sessions of Congress
 * Receive foreign ambassadors
 * Take care that Federal laws are faithfully executed
 * Wield the "executive power"
 * Appoint officials to lesser offices

31) Identify and describe the individuals and organizations that make up the executive branch of government.

The branch of the federal government which includes the President, Cabinet members and federal agencies. All agencies except the U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate Commission, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, White House Office, Office of the Vice President, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency.

32) Describe the process by which a president can veto a bill. What recourse does Congress have to respond to a veto, and how often is this recourse successful? Would you favor a line-item veto for the president? Why, or why not? The president has 10 days to sign it into law, have it become law without his signature, or issue a pocket veto. If rejected, the bill goes back to congress with reasons for the veto. Congress does not have the power to override a pocket veto but with 2/3 vote of house and senate members can override a veto. This does not recur often as only about 7% of the vetoes have been overridden since 1789. I would favor a line-item veto for the president because that would give the president the ability to approve some parts of a bill that could be beneficial without the other parts that the president doesn't want to include. It's better to have some of legislation passed than just flat out none of it.

Once a bill passes through both houses of Congress, the President has the option to veto, or reject, the bill. If he does, the bill goes back to Congress which can override the bill with a 2/3 majority vote. This option is rarely successful because most members of a Presdient's party (which usually amounts to more than 1/3 of Congress) will side with him, effectively killing a veto override. A line item veto would be even more effective because it allows the President to pass only certain parts of a bill and veto others (such as unnecessary earmarks or other "pork").

33) Describe the major strengths and weaknesses of the president in his role as chief legislator. What factors strengthen his ability to pass legislation he prefers? What factors weaken his ability to pass legislation?

34) Explain the power relationship between the president and Congress. How does the president's political party and public support affect this relationship? The President exercises a check over Congress through his power to veto bills, and more recently the threat to veto bills. Congress though, may override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in each house. The president may call either or both houses into an emergency session and the VP serves as president of the senate. if it is a divided government so a different party in the executive branch and legislative, legislation becomes very difficult to pass. The public support can sway both the executive and legislative branches dramatically.

Having public support when trying to achieve legislation is very important. If the President goes on shows like Larry King or Nightline to talk directly to the people about something he feels strongly about and how it will affect them they will give the support he needs to sway Congress. Congress is elected by the people and they want to please the people, if the people dont's see them doing what they should be doing they will not support Congress. This is a very valid way going about getting legislation passed, it involves the American people.
 * 35) How important is public support for the president in achieving legislative priorities? How does the president go about soliciting public support? Do you think the president should avoid such solicitations or not? Explain.**


 * 36) Describe the relative importance of public approval and legislative skills as resources presidents use to work with Congress. Does one depend on the other? Give examples.** //A president's approval should be his primary goal because in the US we have democracy so the people call the shots and if the people dont like the way the president is doing their job (low public approval) then they sould have listened to the people and what the had wanted. Through using his legislative skills he can raise or lower public approval with doing such thing as vetoing a bill or sighning a peace treaty.//

37) Why is the president given the power as the nation's Chief Diplomat and the Commander in Chief of the armed forces? What checks does Congress have on the president's national security prerogatives? Are these sufficient? Explain.

38) Explain the role of the president in national security policy. In particular, what powers does the president have in times of war and national crisis? The president is the Commander in Chief of the US. Under the War Powers Resolution (WPR) the president can introduce the armed forces into hostile situations only under 3 conditions: 1. Declaration of war 2. a law is passed by congress 3. National emergency created by an attack upon the US, territories, or armed forces. The president however, is required within 48 hours to send in writing the reasons for the introduction of armed forces. Within 60 days of introducing the armed forces into hostilities, he must send a report to show taht the president will terminate the armed forces. The president does not have to submit a report within 60 days if one of the following occur: 1. Congress has declared war 2. Congress has extended the law such 60 day period 3. Congress is physically unable to meet due to an attack.

39) Describe the nature of the "public presidency." How does public opinion affect the power of the president, and how can presidents gain and use public support to their advantage?

Public opinion, often represented by polls which make up the president's "approval rating," can sway the powers of the president. If the president has a large amount of support, congress is more pressured to act in accordance with his desires. Conversely, if the president is disliked, it will be more difficult for him to cooperate with congress.

40) **Why is public approval possibly the greatest resource a president has? How do presidents seek to increase, or sustain, their level of public approval?** Public approval ratings are the greatest resource a president has because it is a measure of his popularity regarding certain issues and the ways in which those issues are being handled. President's approval ratings increase when there is an attack on the US (rally around the flag) or some harm is done on the country. Mostly, however, public approval fluctuates with the economy. A president sustains or increases his level of approval by creating a strong economy and passing measures that the public wants.

41) Why is the press important to the president? How can presidents use the press to their advantage, and what advantages might the press have over the president? The press is important to the president because they often times control how the public views the president. If the press only publishes negative stories on the president, the public's view of him will change in a negative way. In this way, the press has control over the president. The president may feel the need to be accepted and approved by the press before certain actions take place. The president can use the press to his advantage by manipulating the press to only publish positive stories about himself, inorder to make the public approve of his job.

The president is part of a three-wing government with executive, judicial, and legislative checks and balances. Democracy, however, can be threatened if the president eliminates the usefulness of the many government sectors. If the president takes control as commander in chief, he reduces the power of the department of defense. Presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt who use their position as a bully pulpit make the government less of an institution ruled by the people, and more of a personal rule like a monarchy. A president's power must always be kept in check for democracy to remain intact.
 * 42) Some founding fathers feared that the president might become a monarch if given too many powers. Comment on the argument that the presidency can be a threat to democracy. What implications might a powerful president have for the size of government in America?**

Prime ministers are the leaders of their own parliaments while Presidents are just leaders of the Executive Branch. A Parliament is the ruing authority in a county; while in the U.S., the President is equal to the legislative and judicial branches, having checks and balances to prevent overpowering one branch from another. Usually, the Prime Minister is selected by the head of the current parliament (which is the leading political party in power), but the selection of a Prime Minister varies from nation to nation.
 * 43) What are the differences between the U.S. president and prime ministers in terms of identity and powers of the chief executive?**

Having just gained independence from England, the Framers were very concerned with their new government ending up like the one they just left. Mostly, they were afraid of giving the president too much power, tempting him to become adictator or tyrant like the English king had been. In conjunction, they were also afraid of giving the president too much time in office, since an unlimited time as president could be abused. Finally, the Framers were scared of the idea of, in general, giving the main governmental power to just one person. Oiginally, this is why the Articles of Confederation failed, but the Constitution's checks and balances prevented the office of the president from following a path similar to that of the British king.
 * 44) Discuss the concerns that the Framers had about the presidency.**


 * 45) Explain the three ways a president can organize his or her personal staff.**

46) Why does the president have only limited power over cabinet secretaries, making the cabinet a weak entity? //The entire Cabinet must be approved by Congress and their alligence is split between the President and their own departments and agencies.//

47) List some of the aspects of the presidential character of any three presidents from Eisenhower to Clinton. Discuss how these personality traits affected each administration.

48) Summarize what we know about presidential popularity. What impact does it have on congressional races and the president's program? What affects approval ratings and what general trends have been noticeable across previous terms? //What we know about presidential popularity is that the public's opinion changes a lot throughout a presidency. Usually, the approval ratings start out high at the beginnig of the term, but by the end of the term, they are much lower. Also, things such as scandals and economic events can sway the president's popularity. The impact that this has on congressional races and the president's program is that people remember things about a certain president so it might be hard to win a second term if the public didnt like you the first time.//

__**The Line Item Veto-**__ President Bill Clinton signed, This Act allowed the President to veto individual items of expenditures from appropriations bills instead of vetoing the entire bill and sending it back to the Congress.
 * 49) Explain the veto process and the various types of vetoes. Be careful to also explain what happens when legislation is not signed by the president.**
 * If the President approves of the legislation, he signs it.
 * If he does not approve, he must return the bill unsigned, within **ten days**, excluding Sundays, to Congressin while in session.
 * The President is constitutionally required to state his objections to the legislation in writing, and the Congress is constitutionally required to consider them, and to reconsider the legislation.
 * If the Congress overrides the veto by a 2/3 majority in each house, it becomes law without the President's signature.
 * Otherwise, the bill fails to become a law unless it is presented to the President again and he chooses to sign it.
 * A bill can also become law without the President's signature after it is presented to him and he fails to sign it within the ten days noted.
 * If there are fewer than ten days left in the session before Congress adjourns, and if Congress does adjourn before the ten days, then the bill fails to become law. This is called a pocket veto.

50) On what two grounds have presidents based their power of executive privilege? Did the Supreme Court agree? Presidents have based their power of the executive privilege on personla privacy and the security of the Nation and diplomacy. In Nixon's case, they did decide that he could implement an executive privilege in the matter of his personal privacy. The Supreme court has supported the idea that National security is a viable excuse for such privileges.

//The Twenty-fifth Amendment establishes the procedures for filling vacancies in the presidential office. The Succession Act has never been used because of this amendment, because it requires the new president to always fill a vacancy in the office of vice president. The Twenty-Fifth amendment also allows the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to deem a president unable to do his/her job.//
 * 51) What are the provisions of the Twenty-fifth Amendment?**

52) Assume you have been elected president. Your goal is to enact a legislative program. Discuss the best way to achieve this objective. Point out the strengths and weaknesses of presidential power, focusing on the factors a president can influence and manipulate.

53) The power of the president is a hotly debated issue. Some scholars refer to an “imperial presidency” despite the Founders' intention to make Congress the “first branch.” From the material in the text, argue that Congress is indeed a more powerful branch than the presidency.

54) The text takes a somewhat unconventional view of “gridlock” in government. What does scholarly research tell us about the impact of “gridlock” on legislation? What complicates the notion of “unified” government and how might it be a solution to “gridlock”? Would such a solution be good or acceptable to most Americans?