1. THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
By Loren Miller

2. THE PRESIDENCY
“No man will ever bring out of the Presidency the reputation which carries him into it. To myself, personally, it brings nothing but increasing drudgery and daily loss of friends.”
Thomas Jefferson

3. THE PRESIDENCY
“As to the presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it.”
Martin Van Buren

4. THE PRESIDENCY “After the White House what is there to do but drink!”
Franklin Pierce

5. “Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now.”
THE PRESIDENCY
After Vice President Truman heard about the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he said to a small collection of reporters:
“Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now.”

6. THE PRESIDENCY
“All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.”
Harry Truman

7. EVOLUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY Chief Clerk: 1789-1836
Presidents perform administrative duties that Congress requests.
Government is best that governs the least.
Presidents focused their attention on foreign affairs while Congress focused on domestic matters.
Madison found himself unable to fund the War of 1812 and unable to raise an army.
The Monroe Doctrine
Congress forged key compromises on slavery and paid of most of the national debt.
Andrew Jackson, an outsider, grabs the reins of government and remakes the presidency.
Forced out Cabinet members who disagreed with him.
Introduced the spoils system.

8. EVOLUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY Weakened Presidency: 1837-1900
Andrew Jackson’s popularity and energetic personality raised the profile of the office. However, those who followed Jackson (with some exceptions) reverted back to “chief clerk.” Exceptions include:
James Polk: westward expansion; used his power as commander in chief to instigate war with Mexico; acquired California, Arizona and Oregon Territory.
Abraham Lincoln: blockaded southern ports; suspended the writ of habeas corpus; spent money without Congressional approval; raised an army without Congressional approval.
Abraham Lincoln reinterpreted Article II into a source of executive authority during emergencies.

9. EVOLUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY The Modern Presidency: 1901-1945
As the United States industrialized and became a significant player in an interconnected world, the power of the presidency grew accordingly.
Theodore Roosevelt used the office as a “bully pulpit.” He wanted to be “the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral.”
Bold assertions of presidential power: The Stewardship Theory
Breaks up corporate monopolies
Initiates a Panamanian revolution
Wins a Nobel Peace Prize (mediating Japan/Russia) settlement
Sends fleet around the world
First president to travel to a foreign country

10. EVOLUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY The Modern Presidency: 1901-1945
Woodrow Wilson achieved some significant successes and suffered some great failures.
Achieved industrial reforms
Led the United States into World War I
Led efforts to create a League of Nations
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal
Permanent bureaucracies
Social Security and unemployment insurance
Use of the media to communicate directly with the public—fireside chats
Lend-Lease Program prior to U.S. involvement in WWII (without consent of Congress)
Gave Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for rights to build military based on British territory (without consent of Congress)
The national government became the focus of power

11. EVOLUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY Imperial Presidency Under Attack: 1945-1980
By the end of World War II, the presidency had become a very powerful office and emphasis on the “cold war” in the 1950s and 1960s added to the president’s power.
The Truman Doctrine
Sending troops to Vietnam
Watergate, Richard Nixon’s resignation and Jimmy Carter’s inability to resolve the Iranian hostage situation frustrated the public and the presidency came under increasing attacks from Congress.

12. EVOLUTION OF THE PRESIDENCY The Contemporary Presidency: 1980-
Following the Vietnam War and Watergate, the powers of the modern presidency has been diminished as the resources for presidential power fall short of the tasks he is expected to perform
- divided government became the norm
- a high national debt and budget deficits limited the expansion of federal programs
What is required to succeed on the campaign trail is different from what is needed to handle the global demands of a modern president.

13. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PRESIDENT
at least 35 years of age
have lived in the United States 14 years
be a natural born citizen of the United States

14. PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA Only divorced president: Reagan
Only bachelor president: Buchanan
Shortest Term: Harrison (1 month)
Largest President: Taft (350 pounds)
Smallest President: Madison (95
pounds)
Youngest President: Roosevelt (42)
Oldest President: Reagan (77)

15. INFORMAL CRITERIA FOR PRESIDENT
Political Experience
gubernatorial experience preferred
senatorial experience preferred
1972 to the present ???????
Vice-president??

16. THE VICE PRESIDENCY John Adams, our first Vice President John Adams
If Washington is called “Mr. President,” then you need to call me “Your superfluous excellency.”
John Adams, our first Vice President
“[The Vice Presidency] is the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”
John Adams

17. THE VICE PRESIDENCY
“The Vice Presidency isn’t worth a warm bucket of piss.”
John Nance Garner, one of FDR’s Vice Presidents
“I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead.”
Daniel Webster, on not accepting the Vice Presidency

18. THE VICE PRESIDENCY
“A little over a week ago, I took a rather unusual step for a vice president I said something.”
Spiro Agnew, Vice President under Richard Nixon
“Look at all the Vice Presidents in history. Where are they? They were about as useful as a cow’s fifth teat.”
Harry S Truman, one of FDR’s Vice Presidents

19. THE VICE PRESIDENCY
“Once the election is over, the Vice President’s usefulness is over. He’s like the second stage of a rocket. He’s damn important going into orbit, but he’s always thrown off to burn up in the atmosphere.”
An aide to Vice President Hubert Humphrey
“The Job of the Vice President is to go to weddings and funerals.”
Harry S Truman

20. THE VICE PRESIDENCY
“The person with the best job in the country is the Vice President All he has to do is get up in the morning and say, “How’s the President?’”
Will Rogers

21. THE VICE PRESIDENCY
Possibly our worst Vice President was Thomas Marshall (Wilson’s VP)
“As vice president, I am responsible
for nothing and influential nowhere”
“My job is like a monkey cage– except
that visitors do not offer me peanuts”
In his inaugural address he promised to “acknowledge the insignificant influence of the office”
He once told a bodyguard that “his job was pointless as
no one every shoots a Vice President”

22. INFORMAL CRITERIA FOR PRESIDENT
Vice-president??
VPs who became President by election:
1800s – Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren
1900s – T. Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, Nixon, Johnson, Bush
Military Hero??

23. INFORMAL CRITERIA FOR PRESIDENT
Executive Ability
the ability to hire good people
Ideology
middle of the road

24. INFORMAL CRITERIA FOR PRESIDENT
Physical Stamina
Mental Stability
Knowledge of the Issues
Nominated by one of the two major parties

25. PRESIDENTIAL OATH
“I _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
-- Washington added “So help me God” and others followed this tradition
-- Why do presidents have the choice of “swear or affirm”
-- So Quakers could run for the office
-- Only Franklin Pierce (1853) “affirmed”

26. OATH OF OFFICE
Germany: “Promote the general welfare” and “protect the people from harm.”
Philippines: “Do justice to every man.”
Taiwan: “Safeguard the security of the State,”
Ukraine: “Enhance the prestige of Ukraine in the world.”
Iran: “Follow the example of the Prophet of Islam.”
Mexico: “Look for the good and prosperity of the union.”

27. THE JOB OF PRESIDENT Act as Commander in Chief Negotiate Treaties
Receive Foreign Ambassadors
Nominate Top Federal Officials
Veto Bills
Faithfully Administer Federal Laws
Pardon Persons for Federal Offenses
Address Congress and the Nation

28. WHAT WE LOOK FOR 1995 2005 Sound Judgment 76% 76%
Sound Judgment 76% 76%
High Ethical Standards 67% 67%
Compassion 64% 63%
Saying What One Believes 59% 56%
Consistent Positions 51% 52%
Forcefulness and Decisiveness 50% 49%
Willingness to Compromise 34% 38%
Experience in Public Office 30% 37%
Political Savvy 31% 36%

29. THE BEST & WORST THE BEST THE WORST 1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. George Washington
4. Theodore Roosevelt
5. Thomas Jefferson
6. Harry Truman
7. Woodrow Wilson
8. Dwight D. Eisenhower
9. John F. Kennedy
10. Ronald Reagan
1. James Buchanan
2. Franklin Pearce
3. Warren Harding
4. William Henry Harrison
5. Andrew Johnson
6. George W. Bush
7. Millard Fillmore
8. John Tyler
9. Herbert Hoover
10. Benjamin Harrison
2014

30. GREAT PRESIDENTS ARE: Blessed with a great crisis
Resolve the crisis in an innovative and creative way
Leave a legacy

31. CONCEPTS OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER
Narrow (Whig Model)-- presidential power is limited to the specific grants of power enumerated in the Constitution
Pre-TR and Taft, Harding and Coolidge
Broad (Stewardship Model) -- presidential power is greater than what is enumerated in the Constitution
the role of precedent

32. PRESIDENTIAL CHARACTER
What should we look for in a president?
James David Barber, Duke University
Presidential Character is the “way a President orients himself toward life.”
Developed mainly during childhood
Self-esteem underlies character.
The better people feel about themselves, the more likely they will be able to accept criticism, think rationally, and learn on the job.

33. PRESIDENTIAL CHARACTER
Based on two dimensions
1. The amount of energy a person puts into being president
active or passive
Plays the roles of being president aggressively
Rarely plays the roles of being president aggressively except during crisis
2. How a person feels about being president
positive or negative
Enjoys the job of being president; flexible
Unhappy in the job; anxious; a sense of duty

34. PRESIDENTIAL CHARACTER
Positive
Negative
        Active        
ADAPTIVE: self-confident; flexible; creates opportunities for action; enjoys the exercise of power, does not take himself too seriously; optimistic; emphasizes the "rational mastery" of his environment; power used as a means to achieve beneficial results.
COMPULSIVE: power as a means to self-realization; expends great energy on tasks but derives little joy; preoccupied with whether he is failing or succeeding; low self-esteem; inclined to rigidity and pessimism; highly driven; problem managing aggression.  
    Passive
COMPLIANT: seek to be loved; easily manipulated; low self-esteem is overcome by ingratiating personality; reacts rather than initiates; superficially optimistic.
WITHDRAWN: responds to a sense of duty; avoid power; low self-esteem compensated by service to others; responds rather than initiates; avoids conflict and uncertainty. emphasizes principles and procedures and an aversion to politicking.  

35. PRESIDENTIAL CHARACTER

36. PRESIDENTIAL STYLE

37.  Constitutional Powers
PRESIDENTIAL ROLES
 Constitutional Powers

38. LEGISLATIVE LEADER
When does Congress follow the lead of the president?
The Honeymoon Period
International Crisis

39. NOTHING LIKE A GOOD CRISIS !
President Event Increase in Approval
Truman Korea Invaded
Eisenhower Egypt Seizes Suez Canal
Kennedy Cuban Missile Crisis
Johnson Bombing Halt of N. Vietnam
Nixon Vietnam Peace Agreement
Carter Hostages Seized in Iran
Bush Iraq Invasion of Kuwait
Clinton Invasion of Haiti
Bush September 11th

40. LEGISLATIVE LEADER
When does Congress follow the lead of the president?
The Honeymoon Period
International Crisis
Luck
Commanding majority in Congress

41. LEGISLATIVE LEADER
When does Congress follow the lead of the president?
The Honeymoon Period
International Crisis
Luck
Commanding majority in Congress
Skilled at manipulation (LBJ Treatment)

44. Presidents Under Unified Government

45. Presidents Under Divided Government

46. APPROVAL RATINGS

47. APPROVAL RATINGS

48. APPROVAL RATINGS

49. APPROVAL RATINGS

50. APPROVAL RATINGS

51. APPROVAL RATINGS

52. APPROVAL RATINGS

53. APPROVAL RATINGS

54. APPROVAL RATINGS

55. Approval Ratings Average High Low Truman 45 87 23 Eisenhower 65 79 48
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
Ford
Carter
Reagan
H.W. Bush
Clinton
G.W. Bush
Obama
2012

56. Why Approval Ratings Go Down Over Time
Expectations rise in campaigns and are dashed as time limits resources
Things get blamed, rightly or wrongly, on the president
Major negative events influence how people evaluate presidents
Press and media criticism accumulate over time

57. The Buck Stops at the Top

58. New Requests to Congress
PRESIDENTIAL AGENDA
New Requests to Congress

59. Do Presidents Veto Many Bills?
VETO POWER
Threat of a Veto
Line Item Veto
Only on money bills
Supreme Court declared this unconstitutional in 1997
Do Presidents Veto Many Bills?

60. PRESIDENTIAL VETOES AND OVERRIDES

61. PRESIDENTIAL VETOES AND OVERRIDES

62. PRESIDENTIAL VETOES AND OVERRIDES
Only one two term president did not veto a single bill Who was he?

63. SIGNING STATEMENTS AND EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Signing Statement (do not have the force of law)
When the president signs a bill into law, he may attach a statement which indicates how the executive branch wants the bureaucracy to interpret the law.
Most often rhetorical but sometimes contrary to congressional intent
Executive Order (they have the force of law but can be overturned by subsequent administrations
Proclamation – ceremonial
National Security Directive and Presidential Decision Directive – deal with national security and defense matters
Emancipation Proclamation
Integration of the Armed Forces

64. Signing Statements President Total % with Constitutional Objections
Johnson %
Nixon %
Ford %
Carter %
Reagan %
Bush %
Clinton %
Bush %
Obama (2012) %

65. # of Executive Orders Per Year

66. Presidential power is the power to persuade
OPEN & CLOSED POLITICS
Open
Closed
State of the Union Message
Special Message
Veto Power
Press Conferences
Personal Contact
Patronage
Pork Barrel
Presidential power is the power to persuade

67. State of the Union
“The president shall from time to time give to the Congress information on the State of the Union
Article II, Section 3, Clause 1
: Known as the “Annual Message”
1st Radio Broadcast: Coolidge, 1923
1st Television Message: Truman, 1947
The Longest: Taft, 1910 (27,651 words)
The Shortest: Washington, 1790 (1,089 words)

68. PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHES
In Thousands
Obama

69. PRESS CONFERENCES

70. COMMANDER IN CHIEF
Lincolnian View -- an expansive view of presidential authority
Wilsonian-FDR View -- an executive- legislative partnership in war leadership; statutes passed giving broad powers to the president

71. COMMANDER IN CHIEF
The president is the ultimate decision maker in military matters
Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb
Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia
Reagan sent troops to Lebanon and to Grenada
Clinton sent troops to Haiti and to Bosnia
Obama sent special forces to Pakistan to assassinate Osama bin Laden

72. PARTY LEADER
The President is deprived of the advantage of a strong party organization that other heads of government enjoy
Federalism has led to fragmentation where we have 50 separate and autonomous state organizations
Therefore, Presidents are heavily dependent on their own personal skills

73. State Party Committees
County Party Committees
Municipal Party Committees
Precinct Party Committees
Private Clubs and Organizations

74. CHIEF DIPLOMAT The Two Presidencies Thesis Receive Ambassadors
Summit Conferences

75. CHIEF DIPLOMAT Treaties and Executive Agreements
Emergency Powers to be used during time of crisis (Inherent Powers)
Lincoln suspended civil liberties at the start of the Civil War
Lincoln called state militias into national service
Truman seized the steel mills during the Korean War to prevent a strike (overturned by the Supreme Court)

76. DOMESTIC PROVISIONS
. . . he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed (Art. II, sec. 3)
Inherent Executive Powers
Presidents have assumed “inherent powers” (not specifically mentioned in the Constitution).
Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana
Bush’s suspension of civil liberties of foreign nationals held in military prison at Guantanamo Bay

77. DOMESTIC PROVISIONS
• and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. (Art. II, sec. 2)
-- amnesty (blanket pardon)
-- Andrew Johnson gave amnesty to all
former Confederate soldiers
-- Jimmy Carter gave amnesty to Vietnam
era draft resisters

78. PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS • Can a pardon be rejected?
-- if you accept a pardon that is an admission of guilt
When does a president give most of their pardons?

79. PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS
Per Year

80. PUBLIC LEADER Presidents are news . . . Even when they do nothing
With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.”
Abraham Lincoln
Presidents are news Even when they do nothing
Presidents keep their eyes on public opinion polls
Trial Balloon

81. IS IT TOO MUCH FOR ONE PERSON?
The responsibilities are awesome
There is no “vacation”
The remuneration is poor

82. IS IT TOO MUCH FOR ONE PERSON?
The president fulfills two roles that, in other nations, are performed by two different people
Head of Government
Chief of State
“The office of President is such a bastardized thing, half royalty and half democracy, that nobody knows whether to genuflect or spit.”
Jimmy Breslin