Chapter Fourteen The Presidency Presidential and Parliamentary Systems

Presidential and Parliamentary Systems • Presidents may be outsiders; prime ministers are always insiders,

Electoral College • Almost all states use a winner-take-all system • If no candidate

The First Presidents • The office was legitimated by men active in independence and

• Jacksonians • Reemergence of Congress 18361936 • Exceptions- A Lincoln, T Roosevelt,

• Imperial Presidency Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 6

Powers of the President • Potential for power found in ambiguous clauses of the

The Power to Persuade • Presidents try to transform popularity into congressional support for

Figure 14. 2: Presidential Popularity Thomas E. Cronin, The State of the Presidency (Boston:

Figure 14. 3: Presidential Victories on Votes in Congress, 1953 -2002 Copyright © Houghton

White House Office • Did not have much staff until 1857 • Has grown

White House Office • • President’s closest assistants Typically worked on campaign Does not

White House Office • Pyramid structure: most assistants report through hierarchy to chief of

White House Office • Circular structure: cabinet secretaries and assistants report directly to the

Figure 14. 1: Growth of the White House Staff, 1945 -2002 Harold W. Stanley

Executive Office of the President • Composed of agencies that report directly to the

• • OMB Assembles budget Develops reorganization plans Reviews legislative proposals Has become

The Cabinet • Not explicitly mentioned in Constitution • Presidents have many more appointments

Table 14. 1: The Cabinet Departments Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Independent Agencies, Commissions, Judgeships • President appoints • Indep agency heads can only be

Appointments • Pres actually appoints very few personally • Modern tendency to appoint experts

Presidential Character • Kennedy: bold, articulate, amusing leader; improviser who bypassed traditional lines of

Presidential Character • Reagan: set policy priorities and then gave staff wide latitude; leader

The Power to Persuade • Can use office and duties to enlarge powers •

Power to persuade • Popularity – often affected by factors beyond control • Highest

The Veto Power • Veto message sent within ten days of the bill’s passage

Executive privilege • Confidential communications between president and advisors – Justified by separation of

Impoundment of funds • Presidential refusal to spend funds appropriated by Congress • Budget

The President’s Program • Resources in developing a program include interest groups, aides and

• Presidential approach may be influenced by public opinion – Trustee: act for

Attempts to reorganize • Tried by almost everyone since 1928 • Try to change

Presidential Transition • Only fourteen of forty-one presidents have served two full terms (George

The Vice President • Prior to 2000, only five vice presidents won the presidency

Problems of succession • What if President falls ill? • Examples – Garfield, Wilson,

The 25 th Amendment (1967) • Allows vice president to serve as acting president

Impeachment • Judges most frequently subjects of impeachment, not pres • Indictment by the

Constraints on the President • Both the president and the Congress are more constrained

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Chapter Fourteen The Presidency

Presidential and Parliamentary Systems • Presidents may be outsiders; prime ministers are always insiders, chosen by the members of the majority party in parliament • Presidents have no guaranteed majority in the legislature; prime ministers always have a majority • Divided government: one party controls the White House and another controls one or both houses of Congress Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 2

Electoral College • Almost all states use a winner-take-all system • If no candidate won a majority, the House would decide the election • The Electoral College ultimately worked differently than expected, because the Founders did not anticipate the role of political parties Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3

The First Presidents • The office was legitimated by men active in independence and Founding politics • Minimal activism of early government contributed to lessening the fear of the presidency • Relations with Congress were reserved: few vetoes; no advice from Congress to the president Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 4

Powers of the President • Potential for power found in ambiguous clauses of the Constitution—e. g. , power as commander in chief, duty to “take care that laws be faithfully executed” (executive power) • Greatest source of power lies in politics and public opinion Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7

The Power to Persuade • Presidents try to transform popularity into congressional support for their programs • Presidential coattails have had a declining effect for years • Popularity is affected by factors beyond anyone’s control – consider Bush’s approval ratings following the September 11 th attacks Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8

Figure 14. 2: Presidential Popularity 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 -2004. Reprinted by permission of the Gallup Poll News Service. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 9

White House Office • • President’s closest assistants Typically worked on campaign Does not require approval Rule of propinquity: power is wielded by people who are in the room when a decision is made • Three types of structure Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 13

White House Office • Pyramid structure: most assistants report through hierarchy to chief of staff, who then reports to president – Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Clinton (late in his administration) Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 14

White House Office • Circular structure: cabinet secretaries and assistants report directly to the president – Carter (early in his administration) • Ad hoc structure: task forces, committees, and informal groups deal directly with president – Clinton (early in his administration) Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 15

Figure 14. 1: Growth of the White House Staff, 1945 -2002 Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Niemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics, 2003 -2004 (Washington, D. C. : Congressional Quarterly Press, 2003), 254 -255. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 16

Executive Office of the President • Composed of agencies that report directly to the president • Appointments must receive Senate confirmation • Office of Management and Budget probably most important Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 17

The Cabinet • Not explicitly mentioned in Constitution • Presidents have many more appointments to make than do prime ministers, due to competition created by the separation of power • Presidential control over departments remains uncertain—chief executives (secretaries) become advocates for their departments Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 19

Independent Agencies, Commissions, Judgeships • President appoints • Indep agency heads can only be removed “for cause” • Serve fixed terms • Executive Agencies serve at president’s pleasure, appointment must be confirmed • Judges can only be removed by impeachment Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 21

Appointments • Pres actually appoints very few personally • Modern tendency to appoint experts • Must consider region, groups, organizations to make appointmetns • Rivalry between WH staff and dept heads Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 22

Presidential Character • Kennedy: bold, articulate, amusing leader; improviser who bypassed traditional lines of authority • Nixon: expertise in foreign policy; disliked personal confrontation; tried to centralize power in the White House Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 23

Presidential Character • Reagan: set policy priorities and then gave staff wide latitude; leader of public opinion • Clinton: good communicator; pursued liberal/centrist policies • George W. Bush: tightly run White House; agenda became dominated by foreign affairs following the September 11 th attacks Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 24

The Power to Persuade • Can use office and duties to enlarge powers • Three audiences – Fellow politicians in Wash – Party activists outside DC – Various publics • Coattail effect – limited today • Tries to transform popularity into congressional support for programs Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 25

Power to persuade • Popularity – often affected by factors beyond control • Highest immediately after an election • Declines by midterm and pres’s party usually loses seats in midterm election Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 26

The Veto Power • Veto message sent within ten days of the bill’s passage • Pocket veto (only before Congress adjourns at the end of its second session) • Congress rarely overrides vetoes • President does not hold line-item veto power Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 27

Executive privilege • Confidential communications between president and advisors – Justified by separation of powers – Need for candid advice • US v Nixon (1973) – limited exec privilege • Further weakened by Clinton Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 28

Impoundment of funds • Presidential refusal to spend funds appropriated by Congress • Budget Reform Act of 1974 – Requires president to notify Congress of funds he does note plan to spend – Congress has 45 days to delete items – President must notify Congress of delays in spending – Congress may pass resolution requiring immediate release of funds Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 29

The President’s Program • Resources in developing a program include interest groups, aides and campaign advisers, federal departments and agencies, and various specialists • Constraints include public and congressional reactions, limited time and attention, and unexpected crises Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 30

• Presidential approach may be influenced by public opinion – Trustee: act for public good, regardless of public opinion – Delegate: act as constituents Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 31

Attempts to reorganize • Tried by almost everyone since 1928 • Try to change the structure of staff, depts, agencies • Try to reduce number of agencies, etc • Easier to reorganize than to get rid of program or agency Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 32

Presidential Transition • Only fourteen of forty-one presidents have served two full terms (George W. Bush will be the 15 th if he finishes his full 2 nd term) • Eight vice presidents have taken office upon the president’s death Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 33

The Vice President • Prior to 2000, only five vice presidents won the presidency in an election without having first entered the office as a result of their president’s death • The vice president presides over Senate and votes in case of tie • “A rather empty job” Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 34

Problems of succession • What if President falls ill? • Examples – Garfield, Wilson, Eisenhower, Reagan • Succession act 1886, amended 1947 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 35

The 25 th Amendment (1967) • Allows vice president to serve as acting president if president is disabled • Illness is decided by president, by vice president and cabinet, or by two-thirds vote of Congress • New president must appoint a new VP. The new vice president must be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses • Ex. - Agnew, Nixon Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 36

Impeachment • Judges most frequently subjects of impeachment, not pres • Indictment by the House, conviction by the Senate • Presidential examples: Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon (pre-empted by resignation), Bill Clinton • Neither Johnson nor Clinton was convicted by the Senate Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 37

Constraints on the President • Both the president and the Congress are more constrained today due to: – Complexity of issues – Scrutiny of the media – Greater number and power of interest groups – SO … • Act early – honeymoon period • Establish top priorities • Use White House staff wisely with supervision Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 38