Chapter 12: Presidency

Bully Pulpit

Theodore Roosevelt’s notion of the presidency as a platform from which the president could push an agenda

Cabinet

a group of advisors to the president, consisting of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch who head the fifteen executive departments

Executive Agreement

an international agreement between the president and another country made by the executive branch and without formal consent by the Senate

Executive Office of the President

the administrative organization that reports directly to the president and made up of important offices, units, and staff of the current president and headed by the White House chief of staff

Executive Order

a rule or order issued by the president without the cooperation of Congress and having the force of law

Executive Privilege

the president’s right to withhold information from Congress, the judiciary, or the public

Going Public

a term for when the president delivers a major television address in the hope that public pressure will result in legislators supporting the president on a major piece of legislation

Impeachment

the act of charging a government official with serious wrongdoing, which in some cases may lead to the removal of that official from office

King Caucus

an informal meeting held in the nineteenth century, sometimes called a congressional caucus, made up of legislators in the Congress who met to decide on presidential nominees for their respective parties

Line-Item Veto

a power created through law in 1996 and overturned by the Supreme Court in 1998 that allowed the president to veto specific aspects of bills passed by Congress while signing into law what remained

Office of Management and Budget

an office within the Executive Office of the President charged with producing the president’s budget, overseeing its implementation, and overseeing the executive bureaucracy

Rally Around the Flag Effect

a spike in presidential popularity during international crises

Signing Statement

a statement a president issues with the intent to influence the way a specific bill the president signs should be enforced

War Powers

describe the constitutional authority of the U.S. President to initiate military action. While Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war and fund the military, Article II designates the President as Commander in Chief, allowing them to deploy troops and respond to sudden attacks.

Honeymoon Period

this is the time when the president is most powerful and is given the benefit of the doubt by the public and the media

Presidential Visits

can build support for policy initiatives or serve political purposes, such as helping the president reward supporters

Presidential Pardon

is an executive clemency power granted by the U.S. Constitution that allows the President to legally forgive someone for a federal crime. It completely removes the legal punishments, fines, and civil disabilities (like the loss of voting rights) associated with the conviction

Power to Persuade

is the ability of leaders—particularly the President—to influence other politicians, bureaucrats, and the public to support their policy agenda.

The Vice President

• often chosen for electoral reasons and had little power

• more recently they have taken on more significant roles

VP becomes president if the president:

• death or incapacitation of the sitting president

• removal from office of the sitting president

• (25th Amendment to the Constitution)

The First Lady

the wife to the president, and they served as private advisers to their husbands.

the role now is to advocate less controversial policies