The Political President

The President is, in essence, a super-politician. The President has reached the pinnacle of the American political game. Therefore, you cannot separate the President from politics despite the wishes of some. The President uses political power in a number of ways including as the leader of his political party and through access to the media.

- Chief of Political Party
  The President has, historically, engaged in political patronage by appointing loyal party supporters to certain government jobs. While much of that was done away with in the late 1800s through the creation of the civil service, it still exists in less noticeable ways. (i.e. - US Ambassador to _name that tropical location_ )

- Power for Persuade
  The President, by the nature of the position and the media, has access to "the bully pulpit". This affords the President the opportunity to try and persuade people and/or direct the tone and nature of the debate. To be President, you have to have some ability to do this.

The President & Public Approval
The President needs the support of certain constituencies in order to get things done.
- national electorate
- party members
- key members of opposing party
- Washington

Public approval is the ultimate check on Presidential power.
- high approval ratings = get lots of stuff done
- low approval ratings = Congress won't work with you
- all Presidents start with highest approval ratings they will likely achieve (honeymoon effect)
- military action can increase popularity (rally around the flag effect)
- prolonged military action will decrease popularity
- President may "go public" to gain popular support for agenda (pressure Congress)

How has the recent Syria crisis and response illustrated the above?

But, also consider this....

When evaluating Presidential approval....


Americans tend to look at their wallets.

Agree or disagree??

A Good Example of Policy Writing

Follow the link below and you will find the work of Leia Guccione (Mrs Guccione's daughter). She is writing of a possible solution to climate change that she is in favor of. Regardless of your position on the issue or interest in the issue, you should read it and pay attention for the way in which she writes it. You will notice how she:
- Introduced the issue
- Gave a bit of background
- Clearly identified the problem that exists currently
- Overwhelmingly argued in favor of her position
- Provided evidence (through the use of statistics and hyperlinks to sources)

http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2013_10_02_microgrid_solution_to_macro_challenge_of_climate_change

Remember, your objective in this paper is to try and convince people in government to adopt your position concerning this policy issue. This is exactly what Ms Guccione is doing in this work.

psst.... it is also what Mr Edghill does in his writing.... just saying

How to be a Foreign Policy Genius

This was shared with me by a friend of mine who graduated from Nolan, taught at Nolan for a year, got his MA from Yale, and now works for the State Department. Oh, and he has also been published in The Atlantic. So pay attention.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/09/30/how_to_be_a_foreign_policy_genius_in_7_minutes?page=full&wp_login_redirect=0

Think Tanks & Sources for the Term Paper

Below is a partial list of 'think tanks' and policy centers that may be of use to you.

For focusing on domestic issues:
The Brookings Institute - http://www.brookings.edu/
The Cato Institute - http://www.cato.org/
The Heritage Foundation - http://www.heritage.org/
Center for American Progress - http://www.americanprogress.org/
American Enterprise Institute - http://aei.org/

For focusing on foreign policy:
Council on Foreign Relations - http://www.cfr.org/
Center for Strategic & International Studies - http://csis.org/
Wilson Center - http://www.wilsoncenter.org/

Wikipedia has an extensive list of think tanks. You may want to look through it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_think_tanks_in_the_United_States

High-quality journalist sources
The Atlantic - http://www.theatlantic.com/
The Economist - http://www.economist.com/
Foreign Affairs - http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
The Christian Science Monitor - http://www.csmonitor.com/

Don't forget that all of the Executive Departments (State, Treasury, etc) have their own studies and publications as well as all if the Congressional Committees (Foreign Affairs, Budget, etc).

Good luck.

The American Presidency

What does the President do?

What are the roles of the President of the United States?









Roles of the President of the United States of America
- Head of State
- Chief Executive
- Commander in Chief
- Chief Diplomat
- Chief Legislator







Formal Qualifications to be President of the United States
- minimum 35 years of age
- resident of US for minimum of 14 years
- natural-born US citizen

Unofficial qualifications??

- wealthy
- male
- WASP
- prior executive experience
- good communicator
- charisma






How does the President get elected?
Win the electoral college (not the popular vote....though it doesn't hurt to win that one too)
See graphic on p.165

Presidential succession was defined by both the Presidential Succession Act (1947) and the 25th Amendment.  (See chart on p.166)
- Vice President
- Speaker of the House
- President Pro Tempore of the Senate
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of the Treasury


Head of State
Serves in this role in addition to duties as head of government. Includes ceremonial duties as well as receiving foreign dignitaries and making official state visits to other countries.

Chief Executive
Role as head of government to make sure that the laws of the United States are faithfully executed. Includes overseeing all executive departments and the civil service of the government. To assist, the President may appoint individuals to various positions in the executive branch, federal judiciary, regulatory commissions, government corporations, etc (with the consent of the Senate). There are also a handful of unique executive powers and/or privileges.
  - grant reprieves
  - grant pardons
  - issue signing statements on laws

Commander in Chief
Unique power of the President as commander of all United States armed forces. (civilian control of the military) Commander in Chief role versus the Congressional power to declare war (A1 S8 C11) has been a tricky dynamic. War Powers Resolution/Act creates some clarity.

Chief Diplomat
Power to make treaties with foreign nations (with consent of .....), offer diplomatic recognition to foreign governments, forge executive agreements with foreign heads of state, nominate ambassadors to foreign nations, and generally lead United States foreign policy.

Chief Legislator
While not an active part of legislating (not a part of the legislative branch), the President can influence legislation in various ways.
  - suggesting/ passing along legislation to Congress
  - recommendations in addresses, especially the State of the Union (bully pulpit)
  - veto (pocket veto / line-item veto) see Table 13-1 on p.458

How a Bill Becomes a Law

Various terms associated with lawmaking
- logrolling (refer back to previous post)
- earmark
       funding appropriations specifically designated within legislation for a named project in a distrcit         or state
- pork
      concept that legislators who deliver earmarks for their constituents are 'bringing home the bacon'

So then, how does a bill become a law
   See Figure 12-5 on p.435

Committees & Leadership Positions in Congress

House Committees & Senate Committees
This is where things happen

Standing Committees
- permanent committees; usually have sub-committees that report to them
   examples House: Budget, Foreign Affairs, Rules*, Ways & Means* (*=something notable)
   examples Senate: Judiciary, Foreign Relations

Forward to minute 23 to see the Hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committe on Syria from September 2013

Select Committees
- created to carry out a specific task
   example: Watergate investigative committees

Joint Committees
- addresses issues that affect both House and Senate

Conference Committee
- members of House & Senate resolve differences in two similar bills passed for same purpose

Note importance of Committee Membership, Committee Chairs, seniority, safe seats, and what the discharge petition is

Leadership positions in the House
(selected by party caucus)
Speaker of the House (most powerful)
Party leaders (majority and minority)
Party whips (majority and minority)

Leadership positions in the Senate
(again, selected by party caucus)
Party leaders (majority and minority) special note: majority leader most powerful in Senate
Party whips (majority and minority)
President of the Senate
President Pro-tempore