Term
| Which Article of the Constitution affirms that one person shall hold the presidency? |
|
Definition
| Article II (two) of the Constitution states that "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." Article I (one) focused on the legislative branch, which was originally envisioned as the most important branch. At this point, though, most of the popular political discourse in the U.S. focuses on the Presidency. |
|
|
Term
| If a majority of electors cannot agree on the winner of the Presidential election, who decides? |
|
Definition
| If a majority of electors can not agree on the winner, the House of Representatives makes the decision about which candidate becomes the President. |
|
|
Term
| Why did the Parties create nominating conventions? |
|
Definition
| In the beginning, Presidential candidates were chosen by the party members in Congress, but this led to claims that the President was beholden to Congress (as opposed to providing checks and balances on Congress), so the Parties began holding nominating conventions to eliminate that perception. |
|
|
Term
| Who has the power to create laws? |
|
Definition
| The Congress has the power to create laws. However, the President has the option to veto bills passed by Congress, thus preventing them from becoming law. |
|
|
Term
| Who has the power to execute laws? |
|
Definition
| The Congress delegates the power to enact and "faithfully execute" the laws to the President and the Executive Branch of the federal government. |
|
|
Term
| What are the "Expressed Powers" of the Presidency? |
|
Definition
Expressed Powers, or those powers granted to the President by the Constitution include:
1) Commander-in-Chief of the MILITARY
2) JUDICIAL - power to grant reprieves and pardons
3) DIPLOMATIC - power to make treaties, by and with the consent of the Senate
4) EXECUTIVE - Authorizes the President to faithfully execute the laws, and to appoint, remove and supervise executive officers and to appoint all federal judges.
5) LEGISLATIVE - The power to participate authoritatively in the legislative process (veto power) |
|
|
Term
| If the President vetos a bill passed by both houses of the Congress, can the bill become law? |
|
Definition
Yes, if the President vetos a bill passed by both houses of the Congress, it can still become law as long as the House and Senate override the veto with a 2/3 vote.
In the case of a pocket veto, Congress does not have the option of overriding the veto, because the pocket veto only applies when Congress is not in session. |
|
|
Term
| What are the "implied powers" granted to the President according to common interpretation of the Constitution? |
|
Definition
| Implied powers include the ability to issue Executive Orders, and to be granted other powers as needed in unforeseeable situations. |
|
|
Term
| Which branch of government has the power to declare war? |
|
Definition
| According to the Constitution, the Congress has the power to declare war, but in the last 50 years, this has been ignored, so the President has been the one to declare war in practice. |
|
|
Term
| Can the President deploy troops within the United States? |
|
Definition
Yes, the President is empowered to deploy military troops within the United States under certain unusual conditions:
1) In an emergency, such as a natural disaster
2) To enforce a federal judicial order
3) To protect federally guaranteed civil rights |
|
|
Term
| What are the Diplomatic Powers held by the President? |
|
Definition
The President's Diplomatic Powers include:
1) The President is the Head of State
2) Receives and negotiates with "Ambassadors and other public ministers"
3) Acknowledges, on behalf of the United States, which foreign governments are legitimate
4) Negotiates Treaties/Executive Agreements |
|
|
Term
| What is it called when the President addresses a joint session of Congress (meaning both houses) at the same time? |
|
Definition
| The State of the Union address, typically once annually, in January. |
|
|
Term
| The President submits proposals for legislation to the Congress. However, if the Congress fails to enact legislation, what might the President do to circumvent the legislature in achieving his or her policy goals? |
|
Definition
| The President can issue Executive Orders that bypass the legislative process. This is typically done when the legislative process is too slow for a given situation, or when the legislature is not willing to pass legislation in support of the Presidents policy initiatives. |
|
|
Term
| When Congress creates agencies that must use discretion to fulfill their missions, to whom does the Congress delegate powers? |
|
Definition
| Congress delegates powers to the executive branch when it creates agencies that must use discretion to fulfill their missions |
|
|
Term
| What is the President's Cabinet? |
|
Definition
| The President's Cabinet is the term that refers to the heads of the major departments within the executive branch, such as the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense. |
|
|
Term
| What is the difference between White House staff and the Executive Office of the President? |
|
Definition
White House staff refers to the analysts and political advisors who inform the President about policies and their political implications.
The Executive Office of the President refers to the permanent agencies that perform specific management tasks for the President, such as the Department of Defense, or the Department of Homeland Security, or the Department of Justice. |
|
|
Term
| What is the mission of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ? |
|
Definition
| Every proposal from an executive agency that requires spending must first receive the approval of the Office of Management and Budget. |
|
|
Term
| What is the only Constitutional role of the Vice-President specified in the Constitution? |
|
Definition
| The only Constitutional role of the Vice President is to preside over the Senate. However, the Vice President is expected to remain informed enough to take over immediately as President in the event of the death of the President under whom he or she serves. |
|
|
Term
| What is the role of the First Lady/First Spouse in a Presidential administration? |
|
Definition
| While the First Lady/First Spouse has no Constitutional role, the role of the spouse varies from one Presidential administration to another. While traditionally, the First Lady performed primarily ceremonial roles, increasingly, the First Spouse takes a more active role in the administration's policy promotion and public outreach efforts. |
|
|
Term
| What are the three key sources of Presidential power today? |
|
Definition
The three key sources of Presidential strength are:
1) Party (The President is more influential when his/her Party also controls Congress, and less so when the opposing Party controls Congress)
2) Popular mobilization (Presidents must carefully cultivate their public image in order to influence American citizens/voters)
3) Administration - the way the President faithfully executes the laws through his approach to administration greatly influences how strong an impact he or she has on the nation. |
|
|
