Chapter 12:

The Presidency
 The Constitutional
Basis of Presidential Power
Requirements for the presidency
U.S. born citizen

At least 35 years of age

Has lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years

*Political Experience i.e governor, senator, military
Wealthy, Law Degree, Business Owner, young??
Male, healthy, public relations skills, clean family
background, past family member in politics

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 The Constitutional
Basis of Presidential Power
Powers of the presidency
Act as administrative head of the nation

Serve as commander in chief of the military

Convene Congress

Veto legislation

Appoint top officials

Make treaties

Grant pardons

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 The Expansion of Presidential Power

Formal Powers
Involved in policymaking through:

Veto power

Reporting to Congress on state of the Union

Commander in chief

Presidents have become more aggressive in their use of

these powers

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 The Expansion of Presidential Power

Inherent Powers
Inherent powers: authority claimed by the president that is not
clearly specified in the Constitution
Forces Congress and the courts to acquiesce or restrict the power
Success in claiming power leaves legacy of expanded authority

Executive orders: presidential directives that create or modify

laws and public policies, without the direct approval of Congress

Executive agreements: similar to executive order, but used in

foreign policy

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 The Expansion of Presidential Power

Congressional Delegation of Power

Delegation of powers: the process by which Congress
gives the executive branch the additional authority needed
to address new problems

Example: FDR and the New Deal

Congress can enact legislation to reassert authority

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 The Executive Branch Establishment

The Executive Office of the President

White House office: the presidents personal staff

Chief of Staff

National Security Adviser

Council of Economic Advisers

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 The Executive Branch Establishment

Below top aides are the large staffs that serve

them and the president
Executive Office of the President: the presidents top
aides and their staffs; the extended White House executive
establishment

Employs almost 1600 people; $374 million annual budget

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 The Executive Branch Establishment

Major types of presidential advisory systems

Competitive (FDR)

Hierarchical (Eisenhower)

Collegial (Clinton)

Most presidents use a combination of styles

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 The Executive Branch Establishment

The Vice President

Most important duty of the vice president is to take over
the presidency in the case of presidential death, disability,
impeachment or resignation

Has traditionally carried out political chores

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 The Executive Branch Establishment

The Cabinet
Cabinet: a group of presidential advisers; the heads of the
executive departments and a small number of other key
officials

Modern presidents do not rely on the cabinet to make

policy

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 Presidential Leadership
Leadership is a function of the presidents own
character and skill and the current political
environment

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 Presidential Leadership
Presidential Character
Difficult to judge character, but it does matter

Voters claim to care about traits like integrity, competence,

empathy

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 Presidential Leadership
The Presidents Power to Persuade
Neustadt, Presidential power is the power to persuade

Presidents political skills can affect outcomes in Congress

Presidents influence is related to professional reputation

and prestige

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 The President and the Public
Presidents are in a better position to persuade
when their public popularity is high

President makes efforts to mobilize public

support

Presidents pay close attention to their standing

in public opinion polls

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 The President and the Public

Fluctuations in Presidential Popularity

Affected by economic conditions
Affected by major events
Typically lose popularity when involved in war with heavy
casualties

Concern with public opinion can be defended as

furthering majoritarian democracy

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 George W. Bushs
Presidential Approval Rating

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 The Political Context
Partisans in Congress
One of the best predictors of presidential success is the
number of fellow partisans in Congress

Divided government: the situation in which one party

controls the White House and the other controls at least
one house of Congress

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 The Political Context
Elections
By running for office, candidates align themselves with
particular segments of the population

Winning candidate wants to claim a mandate: an

endorsement by voters

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 Legislative Leadership

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 The President as National Leader
Chief Lobbyist
Presidents have become increasingly active in all stages of
legislative process

Legislative liaison staff: those people who compose the

communications link between the White House and Congress,
advising the president or cabinet secretaries on the status of
pending legislation

Tries to build consensus by working cooperatively with legislators

White House also works with interest groups to build support

When agreement cannot be reached, president may veto a bill

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 The President as National Leader
Party Leader
President has informal duty to lead his party

President is fundraiser in chief

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 The President as World Leader
Foreign Relations
For 40 years, the presidents priority as world leader was
to contain communism

New Era 4 Fundamental Objectives

National Security

Fostering a Peaceful International Environment

Protection of U.S. Economic Interests

Humanitarian Concerns and Protection of Democracy

Throughout the World

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 The President as World Leader
Crisis Management
The president may face a grave situation in which conflict is
imminent or a small conflict threatens to explode into a larger war
Guidelines for crisis management
Drawing on a range of advisers and opinions
Not acting in haste
Having a well-designed formal review process with thorough analysis
and open debate
Rigorously examining the reasoning underlying all options to ensure
that assumptions are valid

Guidelines do not guarantee mistakes wont be made; each crisis is

unique
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