Chapter 12: The Presidency

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards to review key concepts, roles, and powers related to the U.S. presidency as covered in Chapter 12 of the OpenStax American Government text.

Presidency

The most visible position in U.S. government; a single executive empowered by the Constitution and restrained by checks and balances.

Electoral College

Body that formally elects the president; a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win.

Electoral Vote

A vote cast by a member of the Electoral College representing a state’s combined total of senators and representatives.

Impeachment

The constitutional process of charging a government official, including the president, with serious wrongdoing.

Federalist No. 70

Essay in which Alexander Hamilton argued for a strong, energetic single executive.

Presidential War Power

Authority of the president to direct the nation’s armed forces and respond to national security threats.

Executive Privilege

The president’s power to withhold information from Congress or the courts in matters of national security or confidential advice.

Executive Order

A unilateral directive issued by the president that has the force of law without congressional approval.

Unilateral Powers

Actions a president can take alone, including executive orders, proclamations, memoranda, pardons, and removals.

Commander-in-Chief

The president’s constitutional role as head of the U.S. armed forces.

Head of State

Ceremonial and symbolic role of the president representing the nation, often on diplomatic occasions.

Checks and Balances on the President

Limits placed by Congress (appropriations, lawmaking, oversight, impeachment) and the judiciary (judicial review).

Primary Election

State-level election in which party members vote to choose their presidential nominee.

Caucus

Local party meeting where members select delegates to a nominating convention.

Nominating Convention

Party gathering that formally selects its presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Usually held after primary and caucus season

Swing State

State where electoral support is closely divided; receives high campaign attention because it can decide an election.

Cabinet

Group of the president’s top advisors heading the fifteen executive departments, subject to Senate confirmation. Most senior appointed by President officers

Recess Appointment

Temporary presidential appointment made while the Senate is not in session.

Pardon

Presidential power to forgive an individual for a federal crime and remove all penalties.

Signing Statement

Written comment issued by the president when signing a bill, sometimes indicating how the law will be interpreted.

Line-Item Veto

Presidential authority (now unconstitutional) to strike specific provisions from legislation without vetoing the entire bill.

Honeymoon Period

The first hundred days of a new presidency when public and media are most supportive.

Going Public

Strategy where the president appeals directly to citizens, often through a televised speech, to pressure Congress.

Executive Agreement

Formal international agreement made by the president that does not require Senate ratification.

Power to Persuade

Political scientist Richard Neustadt’s idea that a president’s real power lies in persuading others to support his agenda.

First Lady

The president’s spouse; role has evolved from private advisor to public advocate and policy promoter.

Office of the First Lady

Formal staff established in 1977 under Rosalynn Carter to support the first lady’s initiatives.

Vice President

Second-highest executive officer; often performs important substantive work alongside the president.

Executive Memorandum

Less formal presidential directive than an executive order but still instructs government action.

Appropriations

Congressional legislation that allocates federal funds, providing a key check on presidential initiatives.

Judicial Review

Power of the courts to declare presidential acts unconstitutional, limiting executive authority.

Federal Census

Decennial count of the U.S. population that determines each state’s number of House seats and corresponding electoral votes.

Bully pulpit

Theodore Roosevelt's notion of the presidency as a platform where the president could push an agenda

Executive office of president

Organization that reports directly to the president made up of important offices, units, and staff of current president. Headed by the chief of staff

King caucus

An informal meeting held in the 19th century made up of legislatures in Congress to meet to decide presidential nominees for their parties.

Office of Management and budget

An office within the executive office of the president charged with producing the president's budget, and overseeing its implementation.

Rally around the flag effect

A spike around the presidents popularity during international crisis