Chapter 12- The Presidency: Leading the Nation

The Presidency Article II

Powers of the Chief Executive Appoints officials Commander-in-Chief Sign/veto legislation Grant Pardons Chief Diplomat

Treaties, Send/ receive ambassadors

Qualifications 35 years of age Natural born citizen 14 year resident of U.S.

Limits Two 4-year terms (22nd Amendment) Impeachment (Article I) Congress & the Courts (Acts & rulings)

The Presidency The Framers’ vision of the presidency

National Leadership Administration of the Laws Statesmanship in foreign affairs Executive accountability

The presidency has become much stronger than the Framers envisioned constitutional roles have expanded Foreign policy role has expanded since the U.S.

has become a world power

Foundations of the Modern Presidency

Asserting a Claim to National Leadership Whig Theory- a limited or constrained

Constitutional authority James Buchanan- “My duty is to execute laws and not

my individual opinions.” Stewardship Theory- calls for an assertive

pres. that is confined only at points specifically prohibited by law

Theodore Roosevelt- “bully pulpit”, challenged the power of business monopolies

FDR- felt he was permitted “to do anything that the needs of the Nation demand unless such action was forbidden…”

Foundations of the Modern Presidency

The Need for Presidential Leadership of an Activist Government Foreign Policy Leadership

As sole representative of the U.S. the president can act quickly and speak authoritatively for the nation as a whole

Domestic Policy Leadership Role has grown as the U.S. has gone from an

agrarian to industrialized nation Budget & Accounting Act of 1921 Executive Office of the President Importance of the Cabinet has declined as the rest of

the Executive Branch has grown

Executive Office of the President Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Choosing the President Toward a More “Democratic” System of

Presidential Election Electoral College

270 votes needed out of 538 Electors tied to state’s popular votes House of Reps. chooses if no candidate receives

a majority Open Party Caucuses

Andrew Jackson ended the practice of nominating by Congressional caucus

Primary Elections Used more extensively in recent decades

Choosing the President The Campaign for Nomination

Momentum Early “Mo” is a big factor Early states vs. late states

disenfranchisement Money

$20 million to $30 million to run an effective nominating campaign

Candidate with the most money wins most of the time

GW Bush nominating campaign in 2000 $ 75 Million

Choice of Vice President (running mate) Nominee’s choice at the convention

Choosing the President The Campaign for Election

Election Strategy Electoral College/Popular vote

Media and Money Television: Debates and advertising

About ½ spent on TV Kennedy-Nixon 1st televised debate

Federal Funding Matching funds

The Winners

Presidents who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College

John Quincy Adams Rutherford B. Hayes Benjamin Harrison George W. Bush

Election of 2000 Gore won the popular vote Bush won Florida by 537 votes The Supreme Court blocked a count of ballots in

Florida Bush receives 271 Electoral College votes, one

more than the 270 needed

Electoral College Results- 2004

Presidential Voting by County- 2004

Electoral College Results- 2008

Presidential Election of 2012Obama - 332 Romney-206

Staffing the Presidency Presidential Appointees

The Executive Office of the President The Vice President The White House Office Policy Experts

The President’s Cabinet Other Presidential Appointees

The Problem of Control Too many people to see much less control Career bureaucrats dominate

Factors in Presidential Leadership

The Force of Circumstance It’s the economy stupid Accomplishments usually depend on

circumstances outside their control The Stage of the President’s Term

Honeymoon Period- 1st 100 days Strategic Presidency

The need to move quickly on important issues while conditions are favorable

May run out of ideas, get caught up in scandal, or exhaust political resources

Factors in Presidential Leadership

The Nature of the Issue: Foreign or Domestic Two presidencies theory

Broad powers to act as the “sole arm” of the U.S. when reaching out to other nations

More likely to get the backing of Congress on foreign policy issues

Factors in Presidential Leadership Relations with Congress

Seeking Cooperation from Congress Benefiting from Partisan Support in Congress Colliding with Congress

To veto or not to veto… G.W. Bush-

2 vetoes in first five years 700+ Signing statements

War Powers Act, Impeachment

House of Reps. – Impeachment Charges Andrew Johnson William Jefferson Clinton

Senate- Impeachment Trial 0 presidents convicted

G.W. Bush had an 87 % success rate with Congress in his first year in office

Factors in Presidential Leadership

Public Support Presidential Approval Ratings Events and Issues

From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina Economy

The Televised Presidency Scandal is the largest threat to the pres. ability

to control the media The Illusion of Presidential Government

Too much credit Too much blame