200 words summary needed in 3 hours
Arun1990
moudel_8.ppt*
The Executive Branch
Outline
- Roles of the President
- Formal Presidential Powers
- Informal Presidential Powers
- California Executives
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Roles of the President
(1) Chief of state –
the role of the president as the ceremonial head of government
(2) Chief executive
head of the executive branch – the bureaucracy
e.g. Dept of Defense, Health and Human Services, Education
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Roles of the President
(3) Commander-in-chief of the armed forces
e.g. Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Vietnam, Korean War
does not need a declaration of war
(4) Chief diplomat
recognizing governments
making treaties
(5) Chief legislator –
proposes bills and signs or vetoes them
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Formal Presidential Powers
Derive from the Constitution or a law
(1) Chief legislator
Make proposals in State of the Union Address
Veto powers
(2) Emergency Powers
in times of national emergency, presidents have expanded powers
e.g. Japanese internment during WW II
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Formal Presidential Powers
(3) Executive Orders
Have the force of law
e.g. Truman integrated military in 1948
(4) Executive Privilege
Certain information is privileged and should not be released to the public or Congress
e.g. Nixon withheld tapes on Watergate break in
US v. Nixon (1974) president has to release info relevant to a criminal proceeding
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Informal Presidential Powers
Derive from nonlegal sources
(1) Popularity
when approval ratings of a president are high, they have more influence with Congress to pass legislation
(2) Political Time
certain times are more favorable to a president
Honeymoon period – presidents are usually more popular in their first year in office – media gives them favorable attention
Times of crisis/rally effects – great presidents can be products of the times or public will rally to support the president in times of crisis
e.g. 9/11 – Bush’s approval was 90%
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Presidential Popularity
Source: Gallup Polls
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California Executives
Governor
- Elected to a 4-yr term
Similarities with the president
- Veto Power
- Proposes legislation and the budget
Differences from the President
- Line-item veto power
- Can be recalled
- Plural executive
Attorney General – Kamala Harris (D)
- Chief law enforcement officer in state
- Sues companies on behalf of the public
e.g. Energy crisis companies
- Responsible for capital appellate cases
