U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS, SPRING 2011

PRESIDENTIAL-CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS TODAY

News summary #2 discussion, and completion of presidency material (March 4 and March 9); earlier material that was not previously covered is on the back side of this handout!

Friday, March 11

1. Inform each other about the issues raised in the two articles you found for today’s news summary assignment. Note especially anything you found particularly surprising in the articles, and why it surprised you.

2. Considering all three articles in your news summary #2, is there evidence in your articles of President Obama using his “power to persuade” to lead Congress?

3. MORE GENERALLY – is the office of President of the United States too powerful today? If so, in what ways, and what could be done to address these concerns? If the office is not powerful enough in your view, what steps would make it more powerful/powerful enough to carry out the president’s responsibilities?

4. Now that we have discussed numerous aspects of the presidency, ponder: What qualities and qualifications should American voters seek in a president? Justify your answers with reference to things we have read and discussed about the president.

5. What other questions about the presidency are still lingering in your mind?

PRESIDENCY MATERIAL WE DID NOT PREVIOUSLY GET TO!

Factors that improve or weaken relations between President and Congress

• unified v. divided government; note that unified government is no guarantee of good relations (Jimmy Carter)
• personality and abilities of president – some are better than others at ‘the power to persuade’ (examples: Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson in direct persuasion, Teddy Roosevelt & Ronald Reagan in use of ‘bully pulpit’ or ‘going public’)
• president’s interest in working with Congress versus making Congress work for him/her

MAJOR REASONS WHY PRESIDENT HAS ADVANTAGE OVER CONGRESS

• public figure #1, media access (‘going public’)
• public expectations that President is #1 political figure
• more access to information thru executive branch
• structure of Congress: hard to agree, election timing, local view, bicameralism
• persuasive power and personal abilities of president
• historical development of unchecked power - use of military, executive agreements

WAYS THAT CONGRESS HAS FOUGHT BACK

• congressional support agencies – especially the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (1973), to balance president’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
• Case Act (1972) – to limit executive agreements, didn’t work
• War Powers Resolution (1973) – to limit presidential warmaking, didn’t work, probably not constitutional
• greater oversight of appointments (Supreme Court, cabinet officers)
• impeachment (hard to use this power, though)
• attempts to go public and use the media (but also difficult to do)