Chapter 12 - The President at Work Section 1 - Presidential Politics: The Struggle for Power The Need for Persuasive

Power Presidents enjoy significant explicit and inherent powers. In addition, they need to use their power to persuade to convince others of their agenda. Those others include:

Members of Congress The courts The public State and local officials Bureaucrats Foreign leaders Going Public Going public = Appealing to the public By going public, presidents can build support and put pressure on Washington insiders. Visiting constituents and giving speeches are ways to put pressure on other politicians. Example: In President Bill Clintons 1998 State of the Union Address, he summarized his successes and plans. The public was so impressed that even as the Monica Lewinsky scandal unfolded, his approval rating rose.

The Presidency and the Media Presidents are acutely aware of the power of all media. One way for presidents to stay powerful and popular is to get positive media reports. The more often presidents appear in public, the greater their chances of receiving favorable press attention. People around the president try to shape media coverage to make it as positive as possible. The White House Press Corps reports on the president.

The Ratings Game The presidents approval rating is the percentage who approve of how the president is handling the job of chief executive. A high approval rating makes it easier for the president to gain public support and be persuasive.

Factors That Affect the Presidents Popularity The cycle effect: The president usually starts with high ratings that drop over time. The economy: A growing economy tends to benefit the presidents approval rating, and vice versa. Current events:

Unifying events can raise approval ratings. Example: President George H. W. Bushs actions during the Gulf War Divisive events can lower approval ratings. Presidential Approval Ratings Given what you know about presidential approval ratings, what was likely happening to the U.S. economy between 1995 and 1999? You may choose multiple answers. Working with Congress The president and Congress often disagree because of philosophical and partisan differences. Conservatives disagree with liberals, and Republicans disagree with Democrats. The president and Congress must please different constituencies with different interests. The legislative liaison office helps presidents gain the support of Congress. Presidents must build coalitions with Congress to get their policies enacted.

Partisanship and Divided Government The government is divided if the president is from a different political party than the majority in Congress. Divided government makes it harder for the president to get programs passed.

Even with a divided government, important legislation can pass if the nation really needs it.

A divided government exists when the presidents opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress. Section 2 - Managing the Presidential Establishment The Cabinet The president cannot function without the bureaucracy, though goals of the two may conflict. The bureaucracy is divided into 15 departments. Those 15 departments form the presidents cabinet. The president appoints the head of each department. The heads of the cabinet are usually chosen to do two things:

Represent the constituencies most affected by their departments. Satisfy the interests of those constituencies. Supply the name of the current member for each department in the presidents cabinet. Appointing Cabinet Members Recent presidents have appointed more women and members of minority groups. Presidents consider several characteristics when choosing cabinet members:

Their reputation How loyal they would be How ideologically similar they are Few candidates have these attributes. One who did was Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Executive Office of the President The cabinet is not always loyal to the president. As a result, the president often looks to the Executive Office of the President (EOP) for advice.

The EOP is a group of agencies that develops and implements the policies of the president. Sometimes presidents use the EOP to bypass the bureaucracy. Example: President Nixon had National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger carry out diplomatic work usually handled by the State Department.

Executive Office of the President The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) helps the president prepare and implement the federal budget. The OMB ensures that the budget reflects the presidents agenda and approves other agencies regulations. The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) predicts the economys future and suggests appropriate policies. The National Security Council (NSC) gives the president daily updates about events around theworld.

White House Office The White House Office is composed of staff members who work closely with the president:

The chief of staff is responsible for the operation of all White House personnel. The press secretary heads an office that handles contact between the White House and the media. The White House Office focuses on three main areas: policy making, outreach, and internal coordination.

Staffers versus Cabinet Members Staffers are expected to be loyal to the president.

If things are going well, the president takes the credit. If things are going poorly, the staff takes the blame. Staffers want presidential political goals to take precedence over cabinet members desires to advance the missions of their departments.

More and more power has been shifted to the White House and away from departments to help meet these political goals.

The Vice President The 12th Amendment provides for electors to choose both the president and the vice president. Vice presidents are usually selected to help the president get elected. Example: John F. Kennedy (from Massachusetts) chose Lyndon Johnson (from Texas) to pick up southern votes. Many vice presidents (including Johnson) have had little influence and power. Some vice presidents (also including Johnson) later become president.

The First Lady Two views describe the role of the modern first lady:

The traditional role of first lady as supporting the president and being in charge of the family. Barbara Bush is an example. The activist role of first lady as openly and actively participating in policy decisions. Hilary Clinton is an example. Several first ladies have advocated for public policy issues. Name one of those first ladies and the issue she promoted. Section 3 - Presidential Character Classifying Presidential Character Scholars have developed schemes to explain key characteristics of presidential personalities. These schemes help explain how and why presidents act in certain ways in certain situations. James David Barbers scheme classifies personalities on two dimensions: energy level (passive or active) and orientation toward life (positive or negative). The schemes are not perfect. However, they may help us understand the differences between presidencies.

Presidential Style Presidents project different presidential styles, representing how they would like to be perceived. External events can undermine the presidents image. Example: The negative media and public perception of how the government handled Hurricane Katrina undermined President George W. Bushsimage.

Examples of Presidential Styles Harry Truman projected a straight-talking style. Dwight Eisenhower projected a diplomatic style. John F. Kennedy projected an image of youth and energy. Jimmy Carter projected honesty and competence. Ronald Reagan projected enthusiastic optimism. Bill Clinton projected intelligence and compassion. George W. Bush projected a focus on results and an openness about discussing religion and morality. Barack Obama projected a calm and optimistic demeanor.

Section 4 - The Citizens and the Presidency An Example: Bill Clinton Citizen support can be crucial to a presidents success. When Bill Clinton lied about an affair with an intern, his personal approval ratings plunged. Simultaneously, his job approval ratings stayed high. Clintons high job approval ratings helped him survive the congressional investigation of the affair. Clintons high job approval ratings also made it possible for Democrats to win elections after the investigation.

An Example: George W. Bush George W. Bush had fewer popular votes than Al Gore, but he won the electoral vote. After September 11, 2001, Bushs approval ratings shot up to 90 percenthigher than that of any other president. By the end of his first term, his approval ratings had dropped to about 50 percent. During his second term, his approval ratings dropped further because of the way he handled Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq war.