AP GOV: The Presidency (terms)

Parliamentary system

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime

minister or president.

Presidential ticket

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime

minister or president.

Treaty

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime

minister or president.

Executive agreement

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime

minister or president.

Congressional-executive agreement

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime

minister or president.

Veto

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime

minister or president.

Pocket veto

A formal decision to reject a bill passed by Congress after it adjourns – if Congress adjourns during the ten days that the president is allowed in order to sign or veto law, the president can reject the law by taking no action at all.

Take Care Clause

The constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that presidents take

care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.

Inherent powers

The constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that presidents take

care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.

State of the Union address

The constitutional requirement (in Article II, Section 3) that presidents take

care that the laws are faithfully executed, even if they disagree with the purpose of those laws.

Impeachment

Formal accusation against a president or other public official, the first step in

removal from office.

Executive privilege

The right to keep executive communications confidential, especially if

they relate to National Security.

Executive orders

Formal orders issued by the president to direct action by the Federal

bureaucracy.

Impoundment

A decision by the president not to spend money appropriated by Congress, now

prohibited under Federal law.

Line item veto

Presidential power to strike, or remove, specific items from a spending bill

without vetoing the entire package; declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Chief of Staff

The head of the White House staff.

Executive Office of the President

The cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his responsibilities. Currently the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Presidential staff the agency that serves as a clearinghouse for budgetary requests and management improvements for government agencies.

Cabinet

Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive

departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.

Rally point

A rising public approval of the president that follows a crisis as Americans “rally

’round the flag” and the chief executive.

Mandate

A president’s claim of broad public support.

Cycle of decreasing influence

The tendency of presidents to lose support over time.

Cycle of increasing effectiveness

The tendency of presidents to learn more about doing their

jobs over time.