Executive Branch Flashcards

Flashcards about the Executive Branch

Nixon

Appointed Gerald Ford as VP due to Spiro Agnew's resignation in 1973.

Powers of the VP

Presiding officer of the senate, can break a tie in the senate.

Pools of recruitment for cabinet

Former governors, big city mayors, academia, and policy specialists.

Mike Pence

Used to break a 50-50 tie in the senate vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as secretary of education in 2017.

Functions of cabinet meetings for president

To instill Team spirit, collegiality, exchanging information, policy debate, presenting the ‘big picture items’, monitoring congress, prompting action, personal contact.

White House Office

Members supposed to act as ‘honest brokers.’

Functions of OMB

Advise the president on allocation of federal funds in the annual budget, oversee spending of all federal departments, act as a clearing house for all legislative and regulatory initiatives coming from the executive branch

EXOP cabinet rivalries

Physical distance, divided loyalties, policy czars. EXOP is closer to the white house creating tensions with actual cabinet members

Obama's power to persuade

Delivering a primetime televised speech (August 2011) to show stimulus for the American Jobs Act.

Presidential persuasion through people

VP, members of the office of legislative affairs, cabinet officers, party leadership in congress.

Presidential persuasion through perks

Clinton phoning Democrat house member Marjorie Margolies-Mevinsky to ensure the passage of his budget + Obama’s healthcare reform bill 2010.

Executive agreement

Agreement made between the president and a foreign nation on matters that do not require a formal treaty

Nixon

Bombed Cambodia without the knowledge or consent of congress.

Bush Doctrine

America playing an offensive rather than defensive role.

Congress and foreign policy

War Powers Act 1973 in an attempt to reassert powers over foreign policy.

Factors affecting presidential success

Electoral mandate, public approval, incumbent or not, unified/divided government, crises.