Presidency

Question 1

where does CinC come from in constitution?

Answer 1

article II, section II

Question 2

what does CinC mean?

Answer 2

• president is head of US armed forces - Army, Navy, Air Force, coast guard and Marines
• has power to decide where troops will be stationed, ships positioned and how weapons used

Question 3

give an example of Trump using his power as CinC

Answer 3

• Trump launched air strikes on Syria in April 2018 targeting Syrian chemical weapon sites
• tweeted “mission accomplished”

Question 4

how does this show CinC as powerful

Answer 4

• Demonstrates power of president as they can launch such a major attack without consulting congress
• Shows the president to be strong in foreign policy - leading to the idea of an ‘imperial’ presidency

Question 5

give example pres being limited as CinC

Answer 5

President Obama in is Rose Garden speech August 2013 asked Congress for permission to take military action against Syria

Question 6

what did Obama do in 2011?

Answer 6

Libya 2011, Obama ordered air strikes w/out consulting congress

Question 7

what check does congress have on pres in foreign policy?

Answer 7

power to declare war

Question 8

when was the last time Congress declared war?

Answer 8

WW2

Question 9

why are congress unlikely declare war w/out pres?

Answer 9

Unwilling to undermine president or show division and weakness

Question 10

where does veto come from?

Answer 10

article I, section 7

Question 11

what is the veto?

Answer 11

Gives the president authority to veto legislation passed by congress

Question 12

how many vetoes did Clinton make and how successful?

Answer 12

Clinton made 36 vetoes and had success rate of 94%

Question 13

how does the veto give pres power?

Answer 13

Gives president power in enabling change and controlling congress in times of divide govt

Question 14

how many vetoes did bush and Obama use?

Answer 14

12

Question 15

why are Congress unlikely to force a veto?

Answer 15

• Congress reluctant to force a veto if there is perception that electorate feels they are risking national interest for local interest
• Congress wouldn’t want had work to be overturned

Question 16

what happens if pres uses veto too often?

Answer 16

• If used too often risks alienating congress
• Pres needs to congress to carry out policy goals
• Congress can rally together to form 2/3 supermajority needed for veto override

Question 17

give an example of a veto override

Answer 17

Sept 2016, Congress overrode Obama’s veto, allowing families of those killed in 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia

Question 18

what happens to power of veto if used too often?

Answer 18

if overused can be seen as an empty threat

Question 19

give an example of Trump overusing veto

Answer 19

• Trump threatens to veto March 2018 $1.3 trillion spending bill
• Signs it 3hrs later

Question 20

when is veto used most often?

Answer 20

towards end of presidency - 2nd term

Question 21

how do national events effect presidential power?

Answer 21

Events can reduce the time president has to devote to other policies, as they have to focus directly on the matter in hand and dealing with that

Question 22

how do events affect presidential popularity?

Answer 22

If a president deals with the event well it can boost their public approval, conversely, if they handle it poorly it can have a detrimental effect to their public approval

Question 23

what major event affected Obama and how?

Answer 23

• The 2008 banking crisis and economic collapse meant that Obama had to prioritise an economic stimulus package, before pushing his flagship health care policy
• Opposition to his health care policy increased, forcing Obama to water it down - which he might have had to do if he could of introduced it earlier

Question 24

give an example of an event boosting presidential power?

Answer 24

• George W. Bush’s power surged dramatically after democrats 9/11 as the unity of pubic support for the president increased. The spirit of unity dampened any Democrat opposition to the president - strengthening his power.
• This allowed Bush in the following years to exert huge control of both domestic politics and foreign policy

Question 25

what power does congress have that limits president control of FP?

Answer 25

power of purse

Question 26

how does power of purse work in congress?

Answer 26

reps start money bills, then goes to senate

Question 27

how does power of purse limit pres in FP?

Answer 27

allows congress to have power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and to raise and support armies

Question 28

give an example of congress using power of purse to limit congress?

Answer 28

2007, democratically controlled house of reps defunded the iraq war

Question 29

how does Iraq War example show congress ability to limit pres control of FP?

Answer 29

although pres can control troops as he is CinC, congress can remove their funding, so they cannot fight

Question 30

why, in reality, is congress reluctant to use power of purse for FP?

Answer 30

could be seen as an act of disloyalty to American soldiers

Question 31

when only would Congress be willing to defund army?

Answer 31

if it was what the public wanted as they are elected representatives of the people and will be seeking to be re-elected at their next election

Question 32

why were congress willing to defund iraq war in 2007?

Answer 32

people had had enough of the war - in 2007 alone, 904 US soldiers had been killed in Iraq