Chapter 13
The Presidency
The Presidency
The Constitutional Basis of the Presidency
Constitutional Basis of the Presidency
•Article II: “The executive power shall be vested in aPresident of the United States of America.”
–This affirmed that one person would hold the presidency,allowing for “energy” in times of need.
Constitutional Basis of the Presidency
•Presidential selection controversy: by Congress orthe voters?
•Republican solution:(form of government, not the party)
1. State legislatures would select slates of electors.
2. Voters would choose one of the slates offered by thelegislature.
3. If a majority of electors could not agree, the decision wouldbe made by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Constitutional Basis of the Presidency
•Presidential candidates were first chosen by theparty members in Congress.
–Led to claims the president was beholden to Congress
•Parties later created nominating conventions.
–Delegates initially selected by state party leaders.
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Delegated powers: the president “shall take Carethat the Laws be faithfully executed.”
–Congress delegates the power to enact its will to theexecutive branch.
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Expressed powers: powers granted to the presidentby the Constitution
–Military
–Judicial
–Diplomatic
–Executive
–Legislative
Expressed Powers
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Inherent powers: presidential powers implied, but notdirectly stated, by the Constitution
–Executive orders
–Other powers as needed
Expressed Powers
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Military powers
–President is commander in chief
–Congress has power to declare war, but in last 50 yearsthis has been ignored (without controversy)
–Can deploy troops domestically in an emergency, toenforce a federal judicial order, or to protect federallyguaranteed civil rights
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Judicial powers
–President can “grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offencesagainst the United States, except in Cases ofImpeachment.”
–The president appoints members to the Supreme Court forlife terms (must be approved by the Senate).
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Diplomatic powers
–President is the head of state
–Receives ambassadors and other public ministers
–Acknowledges which foreign governments are legitimate
–Treaties/executive agreements
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Executive powers
–President must make sure that all laws are faithfullyexecuted
–Can appoint, remove, and supervise all executive officers
–Has power to appoint all federal judges
•Not just Supreme Court nominees, the entire federalbench are presidential appointees
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Legislative powers
–Addresses Congress on the state of the union
–Submits proposals for legislation
–Can veto bills
–Has power to issue executive orders
•Effect of law
•Congress cannot override an executive order.
•Congress must pass a new law to override an executiveorder.
The Veto Process
The Roles of the President
Constitutional Powers of the Presidency
•Delegated powers
–Congress delegates powers to the executive branch whenit creates agencies that must use discretion to fulfill theirmissions.
The Presidency as an Institution
•Thousands of staffers work for the president’sadministration.
The Presidency as an Institution
The Presidency as an Institution
•The Cabinet
–Origin: early presidents had a secretary who would storethe president’s papers in a cabinet.
–The Cabinet: heads of the major executive branchdepartments
The Presidency as an Institution
•White House staff
–Analysts and political advisers who inform the presidentabout policies and their political implications
–Not to be confused with the Executive Office of thePresident
The Presidency as an Institution
•Executive Office of the President
–Permanent agencies that perform specific managementtasks for the president
•Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
–Must approve every proposal from an executive agencythat requires spending
The Presidency as an Institution
•Vice presidency
–The role of the vicepresident varies.
–Only constitutional roleis to preside over theSenate
–Expected to remaininformed enough totake over immediatelyas president
The First Spouse
The Presidency as an Institution
•The first spouse
–This role also varies from administration to administration.
–Traditionally performed primarily ceremonial roles
–Now, often take a more active roll; defining the position canbe difficult
Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power
•Sources of presidentialstrength:
–Party
–Popular mobilization
–Administration
Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power
•Party
–When the president’s party controls Congress and theyshare policy goals, the president can have tremendousinfluence IF the party is cohesive.
–This is a double-edged sword when the opposing party isin power.
Presidential Success on Congressional Votes
Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power
•Going public
–Nineteenth century presidents were expected to be unifiersand not speak out in public about policies.
–Now, presidents must carefully cultivate their public image.
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
U.S. Presidents
Key
SOURCE: The Miller Center, “American President:
A Reference Resource,” millercenter.org (accessed10/15/12).
Federalist
Democratic-Republican
Whig
Unionist
Democrat
Republican
White
African American
Christian: Protestant
Christian: Catholic
PARTY
RACE
RELIGION
*Waxhaw area, on North Carolina–South Carolina border
PRESIDENT
RELIGION
PARTY
RACE
STATE
Washington
Adams
Jefferson
Madison
Monroe
Quincy Adams
Jackson
Van Buren
W. Harrison
Tyler
Polk
Taylor
Fillmore
Pierce
Buchanan
VA
MA
VA
VA
VA
MA
*
NY
VA
VA
NC
VA
NY
NH
PA
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
U.S. Presidents
Key
SOURCE: The Miller Center, “American President:
A Reference Resource,” millercenter.org (accessed10/15/12).
Federalist
Democratic-Republican
Whig
Unionist
Democrat
Republican
White
African American
Christian: Protestant
Christian: Catholic
PARTY
RACE
RELIGION
PRESIDENT
RELIGION
PARTY
RACE
STATE
Lincoln
A. Johnson
Grant
Hayes
Garfield
Arthur
Cleveland
B. Harrison
McKinley
T. Roosevelt
Taft
Wilson
Harding
Coolidge
Hoover
KY
NC
OH
OH
OH
VT
NJ
OH
OH
NY
OH
VA
OH
VT
IA
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
U.S. Presidents
Key
SOURCE: The Miller Center, “American President:
A Reference Resource,” millercenter.org (accessed10/15/12).
Federalist
Democratic-Republican
Whig
Unionist
Democrat
Republican
White
African American
Christian: Protestant
Christian: Catholic
PARTY
RACE
RELIGION
PRESIDENT
RELIGION
PARTY
RACE
STATE
F. Roosevelt
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
L. Johnson
Nixon
Ford
Carter
Reagan
H.W. Bush
Clinton
W. Bush
Obama
NY
MO
TX
MA
TX
CA
NE
GA
IL
MA
AR
CT
HI
WHO ARE AMERICANS?
U.S. Presidents, by Region
Presidents
SOURCE: The Miller Center, “American President:
A Reference Resource,” millercenter.org (accessed10/15/12).
1
2
0
4
7
8
The Administrative State
Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power
•The administrative state: presidents have tried toincrease their power vis-à-vis Congress throughthree administrative mechanisms:
–Enhancing the reach and power of the Executive Office ofthe President
–Increasing White House control over bureaucracy
–Expanding the role of executive orders and otherinstruments of direct presidential governance
Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power
•Executive Office of the President
–400 staff in WHO and 1,400 in EOP
–President’s staff are equal to the task of proposinglegislation and countering Congress
•Regulatory review
–White House determines how agencies should operate
Contemporary Bases of Presidential Power
•Governing by decree
–Executive orders
–Presidential decrees
–Executive agreements
–National security findings and directives
–Proclamations
–Reorganization plans
–Signing statements
Significant Executive Orders,1900–1995
Thinking Critically about Presidential Power andDemocracy
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Public Opinion Poll
Which branch of government do you believe is most
powerful?
a)Congress
b)Presidency
c)Judiciary
d)They are equally powerful.
Public Opinion Poll
Which of the following do you believe is the mostimportant role of the president?
a) Commander in chief (in charge of the military)
b) Chief diplomat (managing our relations with othernations)
c) Chief executive (as “boss” of the executive branch)
d) Chief legislator (legislative powers)
e) Chief politician (party leadership)
Public Opinion Poll
Which branch of government do you believe should be
most powerful?
a)Congress
b)Presidency
c)Judiciary
d)None, they should be equally powerful.
Public Opinion Poll
Members of Congress and the U.S. Senate are not
term-limited. Members of the U.S. Supreme Court
serve life terms. Should a president be able to run for a
third term if the voters supported it ?
a)Yes
b)No
Public Opinion Poll
Should the vice president be elected independently of
the president (no tickets) where one could vote for a
president and vice president of different parties if they
wished to do so?
a)Yes
b)No
Chapter 13: The Presidency
Following this slide, you will find additional images,figures, and tables from the textbook.
Establishing the Presidency
The President versus the World: How PresidentsSeized Control of War Power
Expressed Powers
Delegated Powers
The Administrative State
The Administrative State
