What are the powers granted to the president in the Constitution? What are the nonconstitutional sources of presidential power? When were these sources of power first used?
The president powers are found in article 2, which include chief diplomat, commander of chief, executive and legislature. He is the commander of chief in charge of armed forces and also has the power to appoint officials. He is head of state and has executive privilege and order. As for non-constitutional sources of power, he can make treaties and appoint both ambassadors and chief legislature. He is the leader of public opinion.
- What are executive orders? Executive agreements? What are the president's alternatives to using them?
- How does the Constitution contribute to struggles between the president and Congress over who has the power to commit troops?
• How did the presidency of the 1800s differ from that of today? In particular, how did the president's interactions with his party and his cabinet change over time?
• How do presidents' prospects for success change under divided government? In what ways do presidents strategically adapt when facing a Congress controlled by the opposite party?
• What are the trade-offs between the collegial and chief-of-staff models of presidential staff organization? Which model seems to have predominated with recent presidents?
- What is "going public"? What specific tools or resources are available to the president when he chooses to use this strategy?
- How has the rise of cable and satellite television affected the president's ability to communicate with the public?
• Why don't members of Congress go public as often as the president does? Why doesn't the president use this tactic on every issue?
The Bureaucracy
- Why is a bureaucracy necessary? What are the general characteristics of bureaucracies as set forth by Max Weber?
• What powers does the president have over the bureaucracy? What powers does Congress have over the bureaucracy? Why would political actors ever choose to have less control over a bureaucratic actor?
• Explain the difference between "fire alarm" and "police patrol" oversight. Which one does Congress rely more heavily on and why?
• How were members of the bureaucracy selected in George Washington's time? Andrew Jackson's? The present? How do the ways in which bureaucrats get their jobs relate to their performance once in office?
• What political considerations go into a decision to establish a bureaucratic agency? How about the decision to grant a bureaucracy cabinet-level status?
• What considerations are involved in creating an independent executive agency, an independent regulatory commission, or an independent government corporation as opposed to giving the task to a cabinet-level agency?
- Why are bureaucratic tasks increasingly delegated to the states or to private organizations?
- How can the rules or procedures Congress establishes for bureaucratic agencies affect how those bureaucracies do their jobs?
• If everybody hates "red tape," why does it still flourish? Why might bureaucrats themselves prefer to have detailed rules governing some of their actions?
• What sorts of activities are rewarded in bureaucratic service? How does the bureaucratic reward system differ from that of private industry?