POLS 1101 1st edition Lecture 18Outline of Previous LectureI. How is Congress organizedII. Congress’s GoalsIII. BarriersIV. Senate Party LeadershipOutline of Current Lecture I. Paradox of the PresidencyII. Reasons for the high expectations of the presidentIII. Constitutional ResourcesIV. Presidential HeroesV. Congress becomes independentVI. President as a Clerk has basic tasks to doVII.Expansion of Power Current Lecture - From Clerk to the Focal Point of GovernmentI. Paradox of the Presidency Most prominent government office People expect the world of the president He doesn’t have enough resources or the power to accomplish it allExpectations > resources, this ends up setting presidents up to disappoint Americans almost by default II. Reasons for the high expectations of the president Mythology-reserves special place for Presidents (Washington, Lincoln, FDR) Historical figures create huge expectations Can serve as source of power Americans thus expect president to be dominant policymaker President’s constitutional resources are quite limited in comparisonIII. Constitutional Resources Framers’ feared a strong executive branch Veto power Foreign policy Implementing congressional decision making President as Legislator Modern presidents largely set the agenda State of the Union messageIV. Presidential HeroesThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute. Early presidents were revolutionary heroes Washington set precedent for successorsV. Congress becomes independent First party leaders Wrestled power from president Led by younger, less public-spirited general Priority was to serve in state, not DCVI. President as a Clerk has basic tasks to do Responses to wars, rebellions, crises Hand out federal patronage Post office jobs Rewarded important party factions Lincoln complained about time taken to do this stuf Top of the party ticket President was not the face of government Media paid little attention to the person and the office outside of presidential campaigns Focus was on congressVII. Expansion of Power Precedent from past actions Lincoln: spending without congressional appropriations Suspending habeas corpus, military trials for draft resisters Naval blockade of southern ports W. Bush: military tribunals President can act in security emergencies Growth of federal bureaucracy, more information to the president (Congress delegating to the president State of Union sets the political agenda. Media dissects every piece, intense coverage President proposes federal budget, further setting political agenda each
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