Transcript The President I - St. Edward's University

The President IV
2/21/2012
Clearly Stated Learning Objectives
• Upon completion of this course, students will
be able to:
– understand and interpret the United States
Constitution and apply it to the present (the
sections on the presidency and Electoral College).
– assess the 2008 & 2012 Presidential Elections
without resorting to partisan bickering.
– identify and explain the role of formal and
informal institutions and their effect on policy.
Office Hours and Readings
• Readings- Chapter 10 on the Bureaucracy
• Office Hours
– Today 12-2
– Wednesday 8-11
Presidential Success
USING OTHER POWERS
Executive Stuff
Executive Orders
• Carry the weight of law
Executive Agreements
• Bilateral agreements with
other nations
• Must be on a single issue
• Carry the weight of a treaty
• Cannot require new
revenues
• Not that great of a power
• Die when the president
leaves
• The Senate hates these
The Veto
• The “Smart Bomb” in
the legislative process
• Most vetoes are
sustained
• Can be overused
• Threats work better
Politics by other Means
INFORMAL POWERS
The Power to Persuade
• Richard Neustadt
• Presidential Power is
the Power To Persuade
Persuasion
• What is Persuasion
• You have to convince
them by what ever means
necessary
• Getting Decision makers
to do what you want
– The Johnson Treatment
Getting things Done: Trading Favors
• Prestige of the office
• Granting New Favors
• Calling in Past Favors
Getting Things Done: Reprisals
• Monetary Threats
• Campaign Threats
• Policy Threats
Why Persuasion Fails
• Threats are Not
Credible
• Favors are not worth it
• Electoral Security and
temporal forces
Why President Obama is Currently
having difficulty persuading
• Republicans do not want to compromise
• Democrats are already on board
• The Election is getting close
Everything is inside
Samuel Kernell
GOING PUBLIC
Going Public
• Using presidential
popularity to by-pass
Congress and take the
message to the people.
• A Two Step Model
Requirements
• High reliance on the
media
• Use the same tools as
the campaign
Who is good at “Going Public”
• Political Outsiders
• Popular Presidents
• Presidents who are
good communicators
• Presidents facing
divided government
How it Can fail: No Coverage
How it Can Fail: Missteps
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HOBTUCv4o0
How it can Fail: Disinterest
How it Can Fail: Getting off Message
How it can fail: A guy throws a shoe at
you
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM3Z_Kskl_U
Going Public is Risky
• You must have public
support on the issue
• You cannot do it too
much
• Unpopular presidents
will not be able to do it
WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE THE
PRESIDENT?
The Media hate the President
• They punish failure
• They do not reward
success
• Bad news is better for
ratings
Congress hates the president
• Different Goals
• Different Time frames
• Divided Government
The People Turn on the President
• Term Limits
• We Grow tired of the
president
• The realities of the
office
Keeping your head above water
IS THE PRESIDENT DOOMED TO
FAIL?
Presidential Approval
The Key’s To Presidential Popularity
• Strong Economy
• Staying away from Scandal
• Rally around the Flag events
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7TTBL6WXAY
How to Lose it
President Obama: On the Ledge
Bureaucracy
What is a Bureaucracy
The Bureaucracy
• are the organizations that
administer programs and
policies in both government
and the private sector
• Where we see it
– SEU
– Business
– The Government
Bureaucrats
• the individuals in these
organizations.
Why A Bureaucracy?: The Tasks of
Government
• The Constitution sets up
a need for bureaucrats
• You have to have
people to administer
these tasks
Why a Bureaucracy: The Public Goods
Problem
• What are public goods?
• Business will not touch
it
• How do you
protect/provide these?
Why a Bureaucracy? Size
Why a Bureaucracy: Human Resources
• 2 million employees
• 1.4 million active duty
personnel
• 24% of Total GDP
The Bureaucracy in the Constitution
• No specific mention
• Article II- implies a bureaucracy
• The Founders didn’t expect a large role
The Pendleton Act and The Spoils
System
• “To the victor goes the
spoils”
• James Garfield (RIP)
• The Pendleton Act
(1883)