1. Unit V: Review Baseball! The Executive Branch

2. What age would you have to be to start running for the office of President? Explain Steal a base… Who’s the most “accidental” of all “accidental” presidents? Why? As president, who would you rather have angry with you, the House or the Senate? Explain. Steal a base… Who, specifically, does the 22 nd Amendment impact?

3. What are the formal (as in Constitutional) requirements for holding the office of president? Steal a base… What are the informal “requirements” and what have been their exceptions? What would have to occur for the Secretary of Homeland Security to succeed to the office of president? Steal a base…As President, if you needed a new VP, who would you pick, how does that process work, and which amendment lays out the rules for the process?

4. Aside from picking a new VP, what else is the 25 th Amendment good for? Steal a base…in the arena of National Security powers, list 3 constitutional powers of the president. In the arena of Legislative powers, what’s the main constitutional power of the president? Steal a base…In the arena of Judicial powers, list 1 constitutional power of the president.

5. What does the Constitution say about the duties of the VP? Steal a base…If you were president, would you use a treaty or an executive agreement to create a international agreement regarding climate change? Explain If we needed a new cabinet department, how would the process of creating one probably work? Steal a base…How are the Plum Book, the president and the Senate involved in the process of picking cabinet secretaries?

6. Aside from Cabinet Secretaries, list 2 other important jobs the president gets to make appointments for. Steal a base…Who writes the president’s version of the budget? Who coordinates US foreign and defense policy? Who referees at their meetings? Steal a base…Talk to me about the Executive Office of the President…

7. Which cabinet department helps the president with foreign policymaking and treaty negotiations? Steal a base…who is the president most dependant on for advice, information and analysis? List 2 top titles that fall in this category. Pocket veto v. veto – which would you use if you had the choice? Why? Why doesn’t a president always have that option? Steal a base…do you think the president should have the power of a line-item veto? Explain.

8. As a member of Congress, what are your primary considerations when casting your ballot? Which one is usually the trump card? Steal a base… does the president really have any coattails? Explain. How is an electoral mandate different than a mandate attached to a federal grant? How is it similar? Steal a base… Should The War Powers Resolution Act of 1973 be overturned by the Supreme Court? Explain.

9. When people talk about there being “Two Presidencies”, assuming they aren’t referring to a president with multiple personalities, what are they talking about? Steal a base… What kinds of things can cause a fluctuation in president approval ratings? Roughly, how many federal civilian bureaucrats are there? Steal a base... If your fingers or elbows are double jointed.

10. What’s the opposite of giving out jobs based on patronage? How does that system work? Steal a base… if the federal government offered you a starring role in their new production of “Star Wars”, would you take it? Explain. Which piece of legislation created the federal civil service system? Steal a base … Which piece of legislation prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan politics?

11. What is the largest agency based on dollars spent? Steal a base … The Interstate Commerce Commission and the Federal Reserve Board are examples of which type of bureaucratic structure? Amtrak and the Postal Service are examples of which type of bureaucratic structure? Steal a base … The General Services Administration and NASA are examples of which type of bureaucratic structure?

12. What does the federal bureaucracy actually DO? Steal a base … Explain 2 obstacles to the successful implementation of a policy by the bureaucracy. Street-level bureaucrats, SOPs, administrative discretion … make some sense out of this list of terms. Steal a base … What’s up with The Voting Rights Act of 1965?

13. List the 3 points on an Iron Triangle Steal a base… What tools does the president have to control the bureaucracy? What tools does Congress have to control the bureaucracy? Steal a base… If the Postal Service delivered executive orders, who would they be addressed to and whose name would be on the return address label?

14. In the context of the federal bureaucracy, what is regulation? Give an example. Steal a base… Munn v. Illinois, give an example of a group that would support the Supreme Court overruling this decision. Why did you pick that group? Why is that overruling never going to happen? After Congress passes a law and hands it off to the bureaucracy for implementation, what is usually the first step for the bureaucracy before implementation can take place? Steal a base… Which is stronger, an Iron Triangle, or an Iron Rhombus? ‘Splain

15. What’s probably the most prestigious job you can hold in the US military? Steal a base… What do we know about the CIA? What do we not know about the CIA? What checks can Congress exercise on the national security powers of the president? Steal a base… List 1 way president power has expanded since the time George Washington held the office.

16. As the US Ambassador to the United Nations, how would you answer a country that accused the US of manipulating the UN? Steal a base… True or false – NATO is a new type of subway sandwich. Explain. Are you concerned about the United States’ balance of trade? Why or why not? Steal a base… True or false – détente is a new type of sauce to put on your NATO sandwich. Which president would most likely have ordered a NATO with détente? Explain.