POL 106: The Presidency Introduction Housekeeping: syllabus, course website What do we want to understand about the U.S. presidency (and the executive branch more generally)? course outline The changing American presidency? Last night’s debate: discussion

housekeeping grading: two essay assignments (15 pct each), midterm (30 pct) and final exam (40 pct) website is –has links to syllabus, lecture notes, readings and assignments you can view your grades on-line at MyUCDAVIS

What do we want to understand about the U.S. presidency (and the executive branch more generally)? Elections: Who runs? Who participates? How do voters decide? What information do they need? What do they have? Policy: What is the president’s role in the legislative process? What is his role in the implementation process?

Thematic Outline What is the empirical structure of prez campaigns and elections? –Campaign finance law. –Who gives? –Who participates (and how)? Do campaigns matter? What are presidential election outcomes measuring? –Theories of learning –Theories of marketing and the media –Theories of voting behavior: retrospective voting, sociotropic voting, etc.

Outline, cont. Presidents and legislation –Negative agenda power: the veto and veto threats –Positive agenda power –Priming and framing –Action-forcing powers and presidential initiative –Proposal powers and first-mover advantages Presidents and implementation –Nominations, appointments and removals –Recissions and impoundments: budgetary gatekeeping –Executive orders

The changing American Presidency? Pika and Maltese argue that the modern U.S. presidency is embedded in “mythic dimensions.” –most scholars contend that presidents are like head coaches or quarterbacks – they receive popular credit for good outcomes and blame for bad ones well beyond their probable, actual impact on events. –Why? P&M point to the FDR administration as the breakpoint between “traditional” and “modern” conceptions of the presidency

The presidency before FDR “chief clerk”: Few domestic responsibilities were delegated by Congress or the Constitution to the presidency, beyond distributing patronage jobs –weak institutional capacity: the scope of national policymaking institutions was small and shallow a short leash: the U.S. maintained only a small navy and standing army. Domestic opposition to controlling overseas colonies further limited the president’s opportunities to project force on his own initiative limited outreach: presidents could not easily go “over the heads” of Congress to the American people – limited communications technology

The Crisis The Great Depression was qualitatively different than earlier economic crises –25% unemployment; 30% drop in (real) GNP; 50 % drop in industrial production; 75% drop in durable goods production; 60% drop in prices to farmers; 84% drop in stock prices (from 1929 high to low) –more than 9,000 U.S. banks closed during –many cities, counties and states went bankrupt or nearly so –private relief agencies were swamped

The response Democrats won sweeping victories in the elections Going public: FDR’s “fireside chats”. Growth of radio in 1920s created national networks that made mass communication possible in a new way Congress enacted a plethora of new regulatory programs and gave the president “reorganization” authorities Mass taxation policies and nationalized retirement pensions –Democrats create Social Security and unemployment insurance, funded with payroll taxes; followed by new, mass-incidence income taxes with payroll deductions Wagner Act secures union rights to bargain collectively, focuses more attention on prez’s role in labor relations

The next crises: World War II and the Cold War massive economic and military mobilization for the war limited demobilization afterwards: US occupies Germany and Japan, secures numerous bases around the world US opposition to communist expansion – large standing army; long-range bombers, subs and missiles; nuclear weapons and conventional arms races development of television further expands president’s ability to communicate to a mass audience CIA, NSA, FBI: spying, dirty tricks and crime-fighting capacities expanded

The modern president The national government now is a major player in the U.S. economy and is the international military superpower Presidential ability to communicate to a mass audience Voters hold the president personally accountable for macro-economic outcomes (growth, inflation, unemployment) Voters hold the president personally accountable for national security

Questions to ponder Do different kinds of candidates emerge today as compared to pre-WWII? Or do they just pursue different rhetorical strategies?

Last night’s debate Who “won”? –Why? Will it make any difference? –Why or why not?