The Presidency

The Presidency

Roles and Powers of the President: Topic 2.4, 2.5, 2.6

Understandings, Objectives and Knowledge

• ENDURING UNDERSTANDING :The presidency has been enhanced beyond its expressed constitutional powers.

• LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain how the president can implement a policy agenda.

• ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE :Presidents use powers and perform functions of the office to accomplish a policy agenda.

Formal and informal powers of the president include:

• Vetoes and pocket vetoes—formal powers that enable the president to check Congress

• Foreign policy—both formal (commander-in-chief and treaties) and informal (executive agreements) powers that influence relations with foreign nations

• Bargaining and persuasion—informal power that enables the president to secure congressional action

• Executive orders—implied from the president’s vested “executive power,” or from power delegated by Congress, executive orders allow the president to manage the federal government

• Signing statements—informal power that informs Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president 

Formal and informal powers of the president

• Vetoes and pocket vetoes—formal powers that enable the president to check Congress

• Power of the President Alone, only he can veto a bill

• The word “veto” does not appear in the Constitution

• Interpretation: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. ---U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 7, clause 2

TOPIC 2.5 Checks on the Presidency

• ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: The presidency has been enhanced beyond its expressed constitutional powers.

• LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain how the president’s agenda can create tension and frequent confrontations with Congress.

• The potential for conflict with the Senate depends upon the type of executive branch appointments, including: Cabinet members-Ambassadors-White House staff

• Senate confirmation is an important check on appointment powers, but the president’s longest lasting influence lies in life-tenured judicial appointments.

• Policy initiatives and executive orders promoted by the president often lead to conflict with the congressional agenda.

The Presidential Veto

• The Framers of the Constitution gave the President the power to veto acts of Congress to prevent the legislative branch from becoming too powerful

• This is an illustration of the separation of powers

•  The veto allows the President to “check” the legislature by reviewing acts passed by Congress and blocking measures he finds unconstitutional, unjust, or unwise

• The veto power does not give the President the power to amend or alter the content of legislation

• If the President does not sign the bill within ten days it becomes law unless Congress has adjourned (pocket veto)

• If Congress adjourns before the President has signed the bill and the President does not want the bill to pass the President may simply fail to sign the bill

Congressional Veto Override Process

• Congress can override a veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate

• This check prevents the President from blocking an act when significant support for it exists.

• The President’s veto power is significant because Congress rarely overrides vetoes

• Out of 1,484 regular vetoes since 1789, only 7.1%, or 106, have been overridden

• Congress cannot vote while in adjournment a pocket veto cannot be overridden. 42% of all Presidential vetoes from 1789-2004 have been pocket vetoes.

Multiple Choice

The President has all of the following options when presented with legislation EXCEPT.

• Veto It

• Sign It

• Leave it unsigned on his desk for 10 days

• Ignore it

Multiple Choice

to reject

• veto
• bill
• Cabinet
• census

Multiple Choice

Which branch of government is responsible for enforcing laws?

• Executive
• Judicial
• Legislative

Multiple Choice

If the president vetoes a law Congress can still pass an...

• override

• veto

• exit ticket

• appropriation

Multiple Choice

A president's power to reject a bill passed is called a...

• constituent

• override

• impeachment

• veto

Multiple Choice

A president's power to reject a bill passed is called a...

• constituent

• override

• impeachment

• veto

Multiple Choice

In which of the following scenarios is the president most likely to use an executive order to make important policy?

• Congress cannot reach a compromise

• The vice president does not support the policy

• The president’s party controls Congress

• The Supreme Court is not in session

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the president’s formal and informal powers?

• Comparison A

• Comparison B

• Comparison C

• Comparison D

Multiple Choice

On the last day of its session, Congress passes a law that the president strongly opposes.

Which of the following may the president do to limit the power of Congress?

• Neither sign nor veto the bill, allowing it to die

• Persuade members of Congress to vote against the law

• Refuse to allocate tax money to fund the law

• Declare the law unconstitutional, thereby killing it

Multiple Choice

President Bellingham’s administration wants to limit the development of chemical weapons in key nations in the Middle East, but Congress is unlikely to back a formal treaty.

Which of the following is an action the president may take to accomplish their policy agenda?

• Use the State of the Union address to persuade Congress to negotiate a treaty with the Middle Eastern governments

• Pass a bill appropriating tax money for research into the harmful effects of chemical weaponry

• Persuade the Supreme Court to declare the use of chemical weapons unconstitutional

• Negotiate an executive agreement with the heads of the Middle Eastern governments

TOPIC 2.6 Expansion of Presidential Power 

• ENDURING UNDERSTANDING : The presidency has been enhanced beyond its expressed constitutional powers.

• LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.

• ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE: Justifications for a single executive are set forth in Federalist No. 70.

• Term-of-office and constitutional-power restrictions, including the passage of the Twenty-Second Amendment, demonstrate changing presidential roles.

• Different perspectives on the presidential role, ranging from a limited to a more expansive interpretation and use of power, continue to be debated in the context of contemporary events

Expansion of presidential power

Fed 70-Hamilton

• Can a vigorous and strong president be compatible with a republican form of government

• An energetic and forceful president is essential to good government

• A single executive is needed for national defense, sound administration of the law, and the protection of property rights all depend upon the vitality of the Presidency.

• An energetic president best protects liberty when faction, anarchy, and the excessive ambitions of others threaten it. 

• An energetic executive branch must be characterized by unity, sufficient powers, and a certain degree of secrecy. 

• Conflict and argument are dangerous in the executive branch where decisions must be prompt

• Overall compensation for such a job would be to great for more than one man

Multiple Choice

According to Federalist #70, what type of executive will be best to react quickly to foreign attacks?

• a strong singular executive

• a strong plural executive

• a weak singular executive

• a weak plural executive

Multiple Choice

Federalist #70 talks repeatedly about the importance of ______ in the executive branch.

• energy

• juice

• substance

• caution

Multiple Choice

In Federalist #70, Hamilton argued for the importance of ______.

• a strong singular executive

• a strong plural executive

• a weak singular executive

• a weak plural executive

Multiple Choice

Federalist #70 relates mostly to which branch of government?

• The Executive

• The Judiciary

• The Legislature

• The States

Multiple Choice

Federalist #70 relates mostly to which branch of government?

• The Executive

• The Judiciary

• The Legislature

• The States

Presidential Communication 2.7

• ENDURING UNDERSTANDING: The presidency has been enhanced beyond its expressed constitutional powers.

• LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain how communication technology has changed the president’s relationship with the national constituency and the other branches.

• ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE: The communication impact of the presidency can be demonstrated through such factors as:

• Modern technology, social media, and rapid response to political issues

• Nationally broadcast State of the Union messages and the president’s bully pulpit used as tools for agenda setting

Historical parallels between the press and presidencies

• Richard Nixon and Donald Trump – stand out for conscious efforts to undermine the accountability function of the media. 

• Nixon admonished his Cabinet: “Always remember, the men and women of the news media approach this as an adversary relationship. 

• Nixon ordered illegal wiretaps on the phones of journalists, instructed then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to assemble information on homosexuals in the Capitol press corps

• Presidential press conferences began being televised in 1955

• Early on presidential press conferences drew significant audiences.

• From '69-70 presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter could secure a 9 p.m. slot for their presidential addresses or press conferences.

• Cable channels now offer places for partisan audiences to watch presidential press conferences and rallies live and social media platforms

Historical parallels between the press and presidencies: The press as a watchdog

• Presidential press conferences generally remained civil, until Trump

• The impact of of Social Media and true or false news

• Investigative reporting involves original work, issues, problems, revealed information

• A dollar invested in this type of reporting can generate several hundred dollars in net policy benefits to society.

Why the Media Love Presidents and Presidents Hate the Media

• Until the 1920’s, the news media consisted entirely of print media: newspapers and magazines. 

• In 1920, there were two radio stations in the United States, one in Pittsburgh and one in Detroit. Two years later there were 500 stations.

• You didn't have to know how to read to be in the know.

• The president speaks with one voice, and almost always in a scripted, coherent way.

• Franklin D.Roosevelt was the first to grasp fully not only the technology of radio, but also the setting in which people listened to radio. The Fireside Chat

•  The 1950’s were for television what the 1920’s had been for radio: in 1950, 90 percent of American homes did not have a television set; by 1960, 90 percent did

• 1960 John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debate

Why the Media Love Presidents and Presidents Hate the Media

• Kennedy assassinated

• Nixon Watergate

• Reagan Iran Contra

• Clinton/lewinsky

• Obama/Benghazi

• The news is always there.

• President can counter with the Bully Pulpit- great opportunity to attract media and public attention

Multiple Choice

What does it mean to broadcast a message?

• to spread it across media outlets

• to withhold a part of it from view

• to tailor it to a certain audience

• to say it out loud

Multiple Choice

Theodore Roosevelt first used the term “bully pulpit”.

What did Roosevelt most likely mean by the word “bully”?

• the same thing as “great” and “wonderful”

• the same thing as “bad” or “difficult”

• something that is controversial or emotional

• someone who unfairly picks on another person

Multiple Choice

In 1981, a president went on television and made a direct plea to the American people. He asked them to call their representatives and ask them to support his tax plan.

Which president was this?

• Ronald Reagan

• Theodore Roosevelt

• Harry Truman

• Franklin D. Roosevelt

Multiple Choice

Why does the president have to give a State of the Union address?

• They don’t have to; it’s just a tradition.

• Major news outlets lobby the government for it.

• It’s required by the Constitution.

• The American public petitions the government for it.

Open Ended

List 2 items you learned today

Poll

This lesson was

• Understandable

• objective driven

• Gave examples

• Needs Help

Open Ended

Select an objective and write what you know about it

1.Explain how the president an implement a policy agenda.

2.Explain how the president’s agenda can create tension and frequent confrontations with Congress

3.Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.

4.Explain how communication technology has changed the president’s relationship with the national constituency and the other branches.