The Presidency

The Presidency

1. Functions of executives

2. POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT

   • To propose legislation to congress
   • To submit the annual budget to congress
   • To sign legislation that has been approved by congress
   • To act as chief executive
   • To nominate officials to the executive branch
   • To nominate judges
   • To negotiate treaties on behalf of the US
   • To act as Commander-in-chief (can send troops but congress has the power to recall them after 60 days, cannot declare war, direct troops in an emergency
   • To pardon felons
   • To veto legislation that has been passed by congress

3. THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT:Top staff agencies in the white House that assist the president in carrying out the major responsibilities of office

   • 1937 Brownlow committee set up by Franklin D Roosevelt look into effectiveness of Executive branch and make reform proposals
   • Created after 1939 report which said the president needs help
   • Why did the President need help? Federal gov had grown, federal gov was looked into for help after the great depression, role as Commander-in-chief was becoming increasingly demanding as USA became a major player on world stage
   • 12 offices including White house office, national security council, office of management and budget
   • Most important personnel work in west wing
   • The white house office is divided into 36 offices including the office of cabinet affairs, the office of legislative affairs (provide the primary liason between the president and congress and the president and cabinet)
   • Over seen by the white house chief of staff
     • THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF
       • Most important decision president will make
       • some become too obtrusive or powerful
         • Don Regan under Ronald Reagan or John Sununu under George Bush Senior
       • Some were overwhelmed by lack of executive experience
         • Thoms Mclarty under Bill clitnon
       • Seek presidents interests above their own
       • Andrew Card under George bush Junior was successful due to experience and was an honest broker who ensured all views were heard
       • Trumps 1st chief of staff Reince Priebus was fired after less than a year in the job after struggling to maintain control
   • OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
     • Created by Nixon 1970
     • 3 functions: advise president of allocation of federal funds in annual budget, oversee spending of federal departments and agencies, act as a clearing for legislative and regulatory initiatives coming from executive branch
     • analyses legislation from executive for budgetary implications and compatibility with programme
     • Leon Panetta for clinton was successful in getting budgets through congress
     • Richard Darman encouraged Bush senior to go back on 1988 'no new taxes pledge' in order to get 1990 budgets through congress
   • NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
     • Headed by advisor, designed to help coordinate foreign, defence and security policy
     • National security advisor is seen as 'honest broker' and 'facilitator' bringing arguements forward for presidents consideration
     • Trump appeared to be re-politicising the role by appointing the chief strategist, Steve Bannon as NSC members however he was removed
   • VS THE CABINET
     • Can be tensions
     • EXOP think cabinet are distant and disloyal
     • The cabinet think the EXOP are too close and too loyal to the president: physical distance (in white house and washington), divided loyalties (cabinet heads are loyal to congress as they hold them to account and vote on budgets, are loyal to staff in departments and to interest groups but the EXOP is only loyal to the President)
     • Policy Czars: members of admin in charge of policy making area, leads to tension as cabinet heads become frustrated at dilution of roles and czars become frustrated as do not have control over budgets and can not order cabinet ministers to do their bidding
       • Obama used them and this signalled policy making would happen in the white house and not the 15 departments

4. THE CABINET

   • FUNCTIONS OF CABINET MEETINGS
     • team Spirit: important early on
     • Collegiality: appear friendly and consultive
     • Exchange inofrmation
     • policy debate
     • Present ideas such as budget
     • prompt action from the cabinet
     • Personal contact
     • Get to know eachother
     • Solve dispotues
     • Speak to colleagues- rarely meet
     • Increased status- know what president wants
   • CABINET MEETING
     • Taken place since 1789
     • some held more meetings in their 1st year reducing throughout time in office
       • Reagan 36 in year 1 12 in year 4, Clinton met 6 times in year 1 (total of 24 over 3 years), George W~Bush held 9 in first year then averaging at 6, Obama held 3 or 4 a year
   • MAKE UP
     • President considers race ethnicity and gender
     • Gender: no longer acceptable to have an all male cabinet
       • George W Bush 3 women in 2001, Obama 4 women in 2009, Trump 2 women (Chao for transportation and Devas for education)
     • Ethnicity: since 1966 when Lyndon Johnson appointed Robert C Weaver as the 1st African American cabinet minister it is expected the cabinet should not be all white
       • Bush Junior appointed 5 (2 to top positions Power and Rice to secretary of state), Obama appointed 6, Trump appointed 3
     • Regions: Presidents home state and region does well, attempt to select people from different regions to show he can govern the whole country
     • The younger the president the younger the cabinet
       • The youngest president was John F Kennedy with cabinet average at 47 (youngest cabinet), Trump oldest president and oldest cabinet averaging at 63
     • Ideological mixture: ensure ideological wings from party are supported, use those from opposing party
       • Obama appoint Republican Chuck Hegal to defence
   • Article 2 of the constitution gives the president powers to seek external authority
   • confirmed and rejected by majority vote
   • Limited power as only advisory
   • includes the VP and heads of 15 executive departments
   • The big 4= most important members: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of defence, attoreny general
     • state: Rex Tillerson, Treasury: Steven Mnuchin, Defence, James Mattis, Gerneral: Jeff Sessions
   • Was originally only war, state and treasury
   • Part of line of succession
   • Not mentioned in the constitution

5. PRESIDENTIAL PERSUASION

   • WHY?
     • Powers are checked by congress
     • Party links have not been much help
       • Clinton and Obama only had a fully democratic congress for the first 2 years of presidencies
     • No guaranteed success
     • Persuade people through perks, used others to persuade people for him
   • PERSUASION THROUGH PEOPLE: can use 4 groups
     • Vice President: As president of the senate they have foothold in congress, has an office there
       • All VPs since 1977 have been former members of congress, Joe Biden was senator for 36 years, Democrats in congress preferred to talk to Biden than Obama
     • Members of Office of Legislative Affairs: members of white house that work full time as lobbyists, meet with members of congress and their staff, some focus on working with house and some with the senate
     • Cabinet Officers: deployed by the white house to talk with members of congress in own policy areas
       • 2001 George W Bush sent Colin Powell to persuade congress to support authorisation of us of US troops in Iraq
     • Party Leadership in congress: includes speaker, majority and minority leaders in chambers, party whips, committwee chairs and ranking minority members. helps if president and majority party leader are from the same party
       • Clinton and Reagan found it easier to develop relationships with members of congress than private obama

6. PRESIDENTIAL POLICY MAKING

   • FOREIGN POLICY
     • President: Commander-in-chief, negotiate treaties, appoints ambassadors, secretaries of state, defence and homeland security, chairman of Joint Cheifs of stand, direvtor of CIA
     • Congress: declares war, controls the purse strings, ratifies treaties (senate), confirms appointments (senate)
     • extra-constitutional powers: negotiate and sign executive agreements with foreign powers and set the tone of foreign policy through speeches
       • Truman and Bush gave their name to new 'doctrine' of foreign policy
     • The President is in charge of crisis foreign policy making but Congress has larger influence in long-term policy making. All major policy players report to the President, he gets daily briefing each morning on the current state of world trouble-spots. In times of crisis it is the president that has the facts but it was this power of the Presidents which led to people saying the presidency had become imperial
     • Imperial presidency: term to refer to a presidency characterised by the misuse and abuse of power and high-handedness in dealing with congress
       • For: increased use of war making powers, excessive secrecy, high-handedness in dealing with congress, illegal activity, failure of effectiveness of trad. checks and balances
         • Johnson 1963-69 and Nixon 1969-74
       • Against: Johnson was forced to decide not to stand for re-election in 1968, Nixon was forced to resign 1974, by the late 1970's talk of an imperilled presidency

7. PROBLEMS OF COORDINATION OF EXECUTIVE BRANCH

8. RELATIONS WITH CONGRESS

   • Presidential Persuasion
   • CHECKS BY CONGRESS
     • Needs congress's agreement but this is not easy due to the system of 'separated institutions sharing powers'
     • President cannot do anything without congress
     • Propose Legislation Congress can amend/block it
     • Veto Legislation Congress can override it
     • Nominate judges and exec officials Senate confirms
     • Commander-in-chief Congress have power of the purse
     • Chief executive Congress investigate/impeach/trial/removal
   • The president and the majority of congress may be of different parties
     • This was the case within the last 2 years of George W Bush's presidency 2007-2009, Rep President, Dem Congress
   • No guarantee of action even when the two branches are controlled by the same party
     • Bill Clinton experienced difficulties in failed attempts for healthcare reform 1993-93