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presidential selection
electoral college
presidential term
4 years, max of 2 terms
22nd amendment
Limits the president to two terms.
presidential qualifications
- natural born US citizen
- at least 35 years old
- live in the US for 14 years prior to running
How many cabinet departments currently are there?
15
Chief Executive
The role of the president as head of the executive branch of the government.
Chief Diplomat
The role of the president in recognizing foreign governments, making treaties, and effecting executive agreements.
Chief Legislator
term for the president as architect of public policy and the one who sets the agenda for congress
Commander in Chief
term for the president as commander of the nation's armed forces
Impeachment in Congress
HoR: articles of impeachment
Senate: holds trial and convicts to remove
US v. Nixon (1974)
Allowed for executive privilege, but not in criminal cases; "Even the President is not above the law;" Watergate.
12th Amendment
Brought about by the Jefferson/Burr tie, stated that presidential and vice-presidential nominees would run on the same party ticket. Before that time, all of the candidates ran against each other, with the winner becoming president and second-place becoming vice-president.
VP in the Constitution
- President of Senate
- Breaks tie in the Senate
25th Amendment
Presidential succession
Chief of party
term for the president as the leader of his or her political party
approval rating
a measure of public support for a political figure or institution
What is the trajectory of bureaucracy and why?
GROWING due to increases in population, boundaries, and demands
responses to crises has also increased in size and scope
Constitutional Basis of the Bureaucracy
Article 2 (president must "execute" the laws -- leads to the creation of the bureaucracy)
First Administration Cabinet Departments
State (Jefferson)
War (Knox)
Treasury (Hamilton)
Attorney General
Federal Bureaucrats Levels
1. Executive Political Appointees
- cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries
2. Senior Executive Service (SES)
- expected to use their authority to achieve concrete results
3. Career Civil Servants
- job rank clearly defined according to GS levels
- hired based on merit
- job protection from political processes
4 general types of bureaucracies (and examples)
Cabinet --> defense, homeland security
Commissions --> federal communications commission
Executive Agencies --> EPA
Corporations --> Amtrak and Post Office
Hatch Act
A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics.
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.
Vesting Clause
Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution, which states that "executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America," making the president both the head of government and the head of state.
Presidential Checks on the Bureaucracy
- appoint and remove individuals at the top layers
- write an annual budget
- harder to control lower level
Congressional Checks on Bureaucracy
- Senate confirmation of presidential appointees
- Legislation terminates or creates agencies and programs
- oversight (congressional hearings, GAO)
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
monitors if funds are being spent appropriately
Powers of the President
- commander in chief
- granting pardons
- making treaties
- appointing ambassadors, Justices, etc
- fill up vacancies in Senate
Presidential Powers CHECKED by Senate
- securing treaties
- appointing federal positions and Justices
Both require approval
political patronage
filling administrative positions as a reward for support, rather than solely on merit
Pendleton Act
an act of Congress that created the first United States Civil Service Commission to draw up and enforce rules on hiring, promotion, and tenure of office within the civil service. Also known as Civil Service Reform Act of 1883.
federal civil service
the merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces and political appointments
merit system
a system of hiring and promotion based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualifications rather than politics and personal connections
iron triangle
coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals
issue network
webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates
implementation
the bureaucracy's role in putting into action the laws that Congress has passed
bureaucratic discretion
the power to decide how a law is implemented and, at times, what Congress actually meant when It passed a given law
regulation
the process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law, to carry out the laws passed by Congress
bureaucratic adjudication
when the federal bureaucracy settles disputes between parties that arise over the implementation of federal laws or determines which individuals or groups are covered under a regulation or program
signing statement
text issued by presidents when signing a bill into law that usually consists of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but that may also include a president's interpretation of the law itself
executive order
policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval
War Powers Resolution
a law passed over President Nixon's veto that restricts the power of the president to maintain troops in combat for more than sixty days without congressional authorization
impeachment
the process of removing a president or government official from office
Executive Office of the President
a collection of offices within the White House organization designed mainly to provide information to the president
bargaining and persuasion
an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support his or her policy initatives
bully pulpit
presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support his or her policies
going public
a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people with the hope that the people will, in turn, put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president's policy goals
federal bureaucracy
the departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation
bureaucrat
an official employed within a government bureaucracy
executive branch
the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch
formal powers
powers of the president expressly granted in the Constitution
informal powers
powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties
treaty
an agreement with a foreign government negotiated by the president and requiring a two-thirds vote in the Senate to ratify
State of the Union
the annual speech from the president to Congress updating that branch on the state of national affairs
veto
formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress
pocket veto
an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session
presidential pardon
presidential authority to forgive an individual and set aside punishment for a crime
executive privilege
a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress
executive agreement
an agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability in the American system as a treaty but does not require Senate ratification