The Presidency
Name the three types of powers that the president has and explain each one
Expressed powers- powers defined in the constitution
Delegated powers- powers assigned/delegated to the president
Inherent powers- powers assumed by presidents, often in times of crisis
What is the basic definition of a bureaucracy, what is it responsible for?
a group of non-elected officials within a government or other institution that implements the rules, laws, ideas, and functions of their institution through a system of administration.
Responsible for policy implementation and administration, allows the government and the state to operate.
Give the basic outline of the two different structures in congress, and how the number of those members are determined.
House of Reps- 435 members, proportionally by state population
Senate- 100 senators, 2/state
The United States operates on a _____ party system. The two major US parties are _____ and _______. A ______ party is a smaller, minority party. An example of this is ____________.
Two
Democratic, Republican
Third
Libertarian, green party
Describe the process of elections for the president
Primary elections ---> General Elections
General Elections: Citizens vote in each state, those votes are led to the electoral college who casts their vote for the president. President needs 270 electoral college votes to win.
What is the veto power? Can this power be overridden and if so, how?
Veto power: The presidential power to block an act of Congress by refusing to sign it.
Override: The process by which Congress can overcome a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
_______ ______ reform was tackled with the _______ _______ ________ act of 18_ _ In response to the assassination of president __________. It mandated that positions within the federal government should be awarded on the basis of __________________ instead of political affiliation.
Civil Cervice
Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883
Garfield
expertise and qualifications
What are the main responsibilities of congress?
Organization to solve institutional problems. Representation, policy-making, deliberation or problem solving, appropriation or distribution of resources, oversee exec branch, reject or ratify other institutional decisions.
Name three demographic groups that tend to lean towards each political party.
Republican- mormon/evangelical/christian, while, men, southerners, silent generation/older people.
Democrat- Black/Asian/hispanic, religiously inaffiliated, post-graduate women, jewish, millennial/younger generation
Give 2 instances in which the popular vote differed from the electoral college vote in a presidential election
John Adams cs Andrew Jackson (1824)
Rutherford Hayes vs Samuel Tilden (1876)
Benjamin Harrison cs Grover Cleveland (1888)
Gore vs. Bush (2000)
Trump vs. Hillary (2016)
Describe the powers the president has as the chief bureaucrat.
Appointment power: Senate approval of cabinet and lower political executives not covered by Civil Service Acts
Calling executive orders
Name at least four different cabinet agencies.
department of state, treasury, defense, justice
the interior, agriculture, commerce, labor, transportation
housing/urban development, health/human services, energy, education, veterans affairs, homeland security
Describe the leadership roles/structure in the house and the senate.
House: 1. Speaker of the House 2. House Majority Leader 3. House Majority Whip 4. House Minority Leader 5. House Minority Whip
Senate: 1. US Vice President-Senate Pro Tempore 2. Senate Majority Leader 3. Senate Majority Whip 4. Senate Minority Leader 5. Senate Minority Whip
Describe Duverger's Law and Median Voter Theory
Duverger's Law- Single member districts create 2-party systems. Plurality-rule elections (such as first past the post) structured within single-member districts tend to favor a two-party system, whereas "the double ballot majority system and proportional representation tend to favor multipartism".
Median Voter Theory- Anthony downs, a majority rule voting system will select the outcome most preferred by the median voter along the political spectrum
How many members are in the electoral college, and where do those members come from? How many electoral college votes does one need to win the presidency?
538 members: 100 senators, 435 representatives, +3 from DC
Winner needs 270 or more votes
Accodring to morone and kersh, what do political scientists Larry Saboto and Karen O'Connor have to say about the Modern Presidency?
“A President’s ability to get his programs adopted or implemented depends on many factors, including his leadership abilities, his personality and powers of persuasion, his ability to mobilize public opinion to support his actions, the public’s perception of his performance, and Congress’s perception of his public support.”
What are the five characteristics of all modern bureaucracies?
Hierarchy, Division of labor, fixed routines, equal rules for all, technical qualifications
What power does the president have over congress and how can congress override this?
Veto power, congress can override with a 2/3 majority vote
Explain the difference between single member district plurality and Proportional Representation
SMDP- First past the post, majority rules, US system
PR- Representation is proportionate to all parties, including minority parties. Not based on a majority system.
Define: Gerrymandering, packing, and cracking
Gerrymandering- redrawing district boundaries to give the advantage to one party.
Packing: placing like-minded voters in one district
Cracking: spreading opposition party members across multiple districts to perpetually be a minority
What is PAR? Does PAR stay consistent throughout a president's term?
Give at least one example of something that might affect a president's PAR.
Presidential Approval Ratings- measure of presidential approval ratings that affect their power. Does not always stay consistent throughout presidency, varies.
Bills passed into law/"getting things done"
Wars
Other external conflicts
National tragedies
War reconstruction
Unemployment
Who is Max Weber and what did he believe?
German sociologist, believed that bureaucracies were a rational way for complex societies to organize themselves.
What is political polarization? What are it's consequences?
When members of both political parties consistently vote along ideological lines.
Consequences: Elitism, less productivity, lower incentive to cross party lines, close margins of political control, increased apathy and lower rates of participation/engagement
How has the two-party system developed in the US over the years?
Federalists -> National Republicans -> Whig -> Republican
Democratic-Republican ->->->->->Democratic
Give a brief definition of voter turnout and VAP,1 factor that may affect voter turnout and 1 solution to these problems.
Voter turnout: proportion of voting-age-population (VAP) that votes in a given election
Problems:
More than 30% of VAP not registered to vote
Eligibility (citizenship, crime record)
Solutions:
Election day holiday, early voting, easier registration