1. What is it?What is it? What is its roleWhat is its role

2. The Cabinet is NOT MENTIONED. “ IT HAS BEEN INSTITUTIONALISED BY USAGE ALONE” “It is used because it’s used” The institution is totally in the hands of the President

3. It is simply an advice-giving group appointed by the President to enable them to make effective decisions It is much lower status than in the UK and its influence has been in decline

4. Membership in the US can be determined by: 1.TRADITION: Made up of 15 Executive Departments 2.PRESIDENTIAL DISCRETION: The President can grant people ‘cabinet rank’ The President will choose members carefully based on a number of factors

5. 4 Factors restricting a President when Choosing a Cabinet? THEY MUST NOT BE PART OF THE LEGISLATURE (Due to Separation of Powers) THEY MUST be ACCEPTABLE TO THE SENATE (To get through the hearings) (last rejected in 1989) THEY MUST have RELAVANT EXPERTISE (They are usually experts in their fields) Eg Condoleeza Rice for G Bush as Secretary of State. She was a National Security advisor previously THEY should be DIVERSE (Race, gender, ideology and region) Clinton called it a Cabinet that looked like America

6. The scale of work in each department means the Cabinet members 1.Work fairly independently from one another 2.Can be easily manipulated by ‘Divide and Rule’ 3.Can be competing for the Presidents attention Cabinet meetings are much more irregular in the US – sometimes once a month /sometimes 2-3 a YEAR! (Clinton) WHY? The President can have increasing calls on their timeThe President can have increasing calls on their time Some Presidents can get disillusionedSome Presidents can get disillusioned Some of the functions of the Cabinet are no longer applicableSome of the functions of the Cabinet are no longer applicable

7. The US Cabinet is VERY DIFFERENT to the British Cabinet.

8. 1.In the UK Cabinet is chosen from the legislature 2.UK cabinet members do not rely on the PM to the same degree. They can still go back to being backbenchers 3.Cabinet members are GENERALIST 4.They are answerable to Parliament for their actions 5.They may be reshuffled by PM 1. In the US separation of powers prevents members of the Executive holding office 2. US cabinet members are not elected. They are appointed by the President and therefore DEPENDENT on them. 3.Cabinet members tend to be SPECIALISTS 4.They are independent of Congress but may face committee scrutiny 5.There is no need to reshuffle in US

9. The President listened to the group with thinly disguised impatience Very often they were a waste of time – you could get very bored very soon Nothing of substance was discussed. There was no disagreement because there was nothing to disagree about. Things over which one may have disagreed were not discussed

10. BUT CABINET MEETINGS DO HAVE A FUNCTION: They help team spirit They help team spirit They look consultative They look consultative They give information to all Cabinet members They give information to all Cabinet members They get advice from them in return They get advice from them in return Debate policies Debate policies They check on legislation and its progress They check on legislation and its progress It also allows them to see the President and gives them prestige It also allows them to see the President and gives them prestige EXAMPLE Before very important Malta summit with the Soviets Bush conducted a very important Cabinet meeting