Thursday, March 1st

Using the internet, you will research how the bureaucracy of the US Government works (or doesn't work!),  Then you will create a board game that forces the players to work their way through the federal bureaucracy to achieve a certain goal.  It could be something as simple as getting a stop sign put in or something as comlex as building a nuclear power plant. Think about issues such as the iron triangle, layers of red tape, and overlapping jurisdiction. Here are some sites to help get the process started:

 http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/boardgame/BoardGameDesign1.html

http://danielsolisblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/5-tips-for-elegant-efficient-board-game.html

 We will be playing these games on Wednesday.  Rubric is below:

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/boardgame/boardgamerubric.html

The Roles of the President

You are to create a glog that displays what you perceive as the most important action President Obama has done in each of the seven roles of president during the last year. You can link websites, video, or any other medium that help explain, but please use proper citing.  Rubric will be provided.  Glogs are due on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Glog examples:

http://www.glogster.com/nakiadouglas75/barack-obama-male-leadership-academy-at-bf-darrell/g-6m3vlacs8kho6vl8mcmb7a0

http://www.glogster.com/lilmissunshine/message-for-obama/g-6o3nc4jtepv9rl9avob86se

The Cabinet

The Origin of the Cabinet

The Cabinet is a team that was developed to counsel the president on various issues and to operate the various executive departments within the national government. The Cabinet consists of the heads of the executive departments who serve as Cabinet members according to tradition. There is no Constitutional or congressional mandate that requires Cabinet members to serve. However, Article Two, Section Two of the U.S. Constitution does give the president the power to seek the opinion of executive department officers.
The first executive departments established by Congress in 1789 were the Department of State, Department of Treasury, and Department of War. The attorney general handled the functions of what was later to become the Justice Department. The State Department deals with matters of international concern, and the Treasury Department is concerned with the nation's financial resources. The War Department was established to coordinate national defense, and the attorney general focuses on domestic legal issues.
The first Cabinet members serving under George Washington were Henry Knox, who headed the War Department, Attorney General William Randolph (Justice Department), Alexander Hamilton, who served as chief of the Treasury Department, and Thomas Jefferson, who led the State Department.
As the nation and its needs grew, Congress, often at the request of the president, established new departments to handle these needs. The first new department that did not replace or incorporate some function of the four original departments was the Department of Interior, which was established in 1849.
While the Cabinet's importance has varied depending on the administration, every U.S. president has had a Cabinet. Cabinets were very important in the administrations of Presidents George Bush (1989-1993) and Bill Clinton (1993-2001) but had less of a role in John F. Kennedy's administration. In fact, Kennedy was quoted as describing Cabinet meetings as a "waste of time."

The Budget

The Office of Management and Budget

The federal budget is a financial plan for the coming fiscal year. The budget describes the revenues the United States government expects to receive from various sources and also what it expects to spend on entitlements, interest on the debt, defense, and other programs. The budget functions as a blueprint for operating the government and for implementing federal policy. It expresses the intent of the federal government in financial terms.
The budget originates in the White House and is the responsibility of the president. The actual planning and writing of the budget, however, is the job of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is part of the executive branch. The OMB is the second largest and most influential office of the executive branch after the White House itself. The director of the OMB is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The OMB also monitors federal spending once the budget is in place.
During the summer months of each year, all government departments and agencies submit their budget proposals to the OMB. These departments depend on presidential support for their funding. The president has certain objectives for the overall budget as well as programs he would like funded. Sometime these objectives are driven by campaign promises to save the taxpayers money or create programs the public supported during the election.
Under the president's direction, the OMB draws up a presidential budget that includes cuts to some departments and increases to others. The OMB possesses the economic, financial, and accounting expertise to advise the president on technical aspects of the budget-making process. When the president is satisfied with the budget, he sends it to Congress for review and action.
Lobbyists can also have an impact on the disposition of money in the budget. Lobbyists represent many diverse groups who have a vested interest in the activities of the government and how it allocates resources. Lobbyists may represent industries, companies, unions, groups of voters who feel strongly on certain issues, or even foreign countries.
State and local governments can also have an interest in how federal money is dispersed. For example, departments of agriculture at the state level may want legislators in Washington to know how crucial federal funding is for food production in their state. Intergovernmental lobbies may include mayors, governors, superintendents of schools, state directors of public health, county highway commissioners, and other groups that have become dependent on federal dollars. Lobbyists can be valuable sources of information about the concerns of their interest group.

Presidential Roles

Express Roles

The United States Constitution outlines several of the president's roles and powers, while other roles have developed over time. The presidential roles expressly defined, or enumerated, in the Constitution include those of Commander-in-Chief, Chief Executive, Head of State, Chief Diplomat, and Legislator.
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution defines the president's role and powers as Commander-in-Chief. In this role, the president controls the United States military by working through the Department of Defense. Originally called the Department of War, this department was established by the first Congress to advise the president on military matters.
Members of the Department of Defense include the secretary of defense, who is also a Cabinet member, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who are the leaders of each branch of the military. These people and their respective staffs are responsible for giving the president advice in his role as Commander-in-Chief.
In addition to working with the Department of Defense, the president also works closely with the House and Senate committees on armed services and the appropriation committees that designate funding for the military. These groups help determine military expenditures and defense policy for the United States.
Although the Constitution gives military control to the president, this power is shared with Congress. Congress has the power of appropriations and to declare war. Congress last used its power to declare war in 1941, when it approved the United States' involvement in World War II.
In 1973, after many years of escalating American involvement in the Vietnam War, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution. The war, which did not enjoy broad popular support, had grown when successive administrations committed more and more troops and equipment to it. The War Powers Resolution stipulates that a president must get Congressional approval if he wants to commit troops on an emergency basis, even for a limited time.
Whether or not the president abides by the War Powers Resolution is a political decision. While every president has claimed that the resolution is unconstitutional, it has proven to be politically more efficient to go along with it than to challenge it.

Occasionally, the president appeals to the public to prompt Congress to give him powers to conduct war when he sees fit. Public fear of the spread of Communism helped President Truman garner congressional support for the United States' involvement in the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953.
Fear of Communism also played a role in the passage of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which authorized United States military involvement in the Vietnam War. President Lyndon Johnson urged passage of this resolution in August 1964 after a supposed North Vietnamese attack on U.S. destroyers located in the Gulf of Tonkin. Similarly, in 2002, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed the Iraq Resolution, authorizing use of military force in Iraq.
As Commander-in-Chief, the president also exercises power over military leaders to ensure that national security goals are met. For example, President Truman removed General MacArthur as the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers during the Korean War when MacArthur overstepped his powers and threatened China with nuclear weapons.
Another presidential role, that of Chief Executive, is principally defined in Article II, Sections 1 and 3 of the Constitution. As Chief Executive, the president is the champion of the United States Constitution. He is sworn to uphold and defend its laws, as well as to make sure those laws are executed.
Two roles—Administrator and Crisis Manager—can be seen as extensions of the Chief Executive role. As an Administrator, the president is the head of an immense Bureaucracy, which includes the Cabinet, government agencies, commissions, and other entities. In fulfilling his role as Administrator, President Clinton tasked Vice President Al Gore with making the government more efficient by figuring out how and where to apply quality-improvement measures similar to those used in large corporations.
In addition to appointing people to positions within the Bureaucracy, the president proposes budgets for the agencies. As modern presidents have taken a greater role in budget development, the role of Chief Financial Officer has also been added to their agendas.
As a Crisis Manager, the president handles national crises, such as the Oklahoma City bombing during Bill Clinton's presidency and the September 11, 2001, attacks during George W. Bush's presidency. People in the United States and throughout the world judge the president on how well he functions during times of crises. John Kennedy was not viewed as a strong president until his forceful handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
While Kennedy, Clinton, and Bush received high approval ratings for their role as Crisis Manager, not all presidents have handled crises decisively and quickly. Two presidents who lost public approval following crises were Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter. President Hoover's response—or lack of response—to the Stock Market plunge and Depression in 1929 eroded people's confidence in him and marred his presidency. President Carter's handling of the Iran Hostage Crisis was perceived as weak and ineffective.
Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution names the president the Head of State and Chief Diplomat. As Head of State, the president attends state dinners, acts as the ceremonial leader of the nation, and meets with foreign leaders in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the president represents the people of the United States at official functions, such as funerals or weddings of important foreign officials, treaty signings, and goodwill trips abroad.
Closely related to the Head of State role, being Chief Diplomat involves meeting with foreign diplomats, appointing ambassadors, and fulfilling obligations to negotiate treaties, agreements, and understandings with foreign powers. These responsibilities are typically executed with help from the Department of State.
Several U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan, were highly regarded for their skillful diplomacy. President Reagan's relationship with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev were some of the strongest ties among world leaders in modern times. It was President Reagan's rapport with Gorbachev that helped them establish an arms-reduction agreement, called the INF Treaty, in 1987.
As Chief Diplomat, the president can enter into executive agreements, which do not require the Senate's approval. These agreements typically expand on existing legislation or treaties. One noteworthy executive agreement, referred to as the Lend-Lease Policy, was reached in 1940 between the United States and Great Britain. At the time, Britain was already at war with Germany and needed more ships to combat the German submarines. President Franklin Roosevelt agreed to give Great Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for 99 years of access to military bases from the North to South Atlantic.
The president's role as Legislator is partially enumerated and partially traditional. According to Article II, Section 3, the president must present to Congress a State of the Union message each year. This message in modern times has indicated the legislative package the president intends to send to Congress, including the budget he is preparing. In most years, a president will give this address to a joint session of Congress. However, presidents can opt simply to send the message to Congress to be read. President George W. Bush followed this procedure in 2001.
Beginning with the first 100 days of Franklin Roosevelt's administration, Congress has looked to the White House for the legislative agenda. White House personnel send bills to Congress, actively lobby individuals and groups to support the president's agenda, and use the Bureaucracy to encourage the passage of favored programs and bills.
President Lyndon Johnson, one of the nations most prolific legislators while serving as a Texas Senator, was able to translate his Senate skills to the role of chief legislator. In the 1960s, he and his administration created the Great Society programs to expand federal funding for social services. With support from the Bureaucracy and political allies, they successfully lobbied Congress to pass many of the programs.
Commander-in-Chief, Chief Executive, Head of State, Chief Diplomat, and Legislator—having so many roles severely limits the president's time. Presidents are often so busy that they become reactive, responding to crisis situations as they occur. The demands on the president's time regularly require him to set aside his Agenda, limiting the time he has to spend promoting his policies.
The president's time is often not his own and is dictated by the roles and duties he must Constitutionally or traditionally fulfill. It has been suggested that the job of the president has become too large with too many roles. One solution that has been suggested is to use vice presidents more effectively. The Constitution defines only two roles for the vice president. One is to be President of the Senate, where the principal duty is to cast the tie-breaking vote, when necessary. The other role is the help determine whether a president is disabled.
Historically, vice presidents have remained in the background, playing only minor public and policy-making roles. In the last several administrations, however, the vice presidents have played a more vital role. For example, Al Gore and Dick Cheney have both had high-profile responsibilities under their respective presidents, including making appearances and speaking on the president's behalf.

Presidential Politics, Polls, and the Press

Approval Ratings and Public Perception

A new president generally enjoys very high public approval for the first 100 days of his administration. In part, this is because the electorate expects that the new president will address the problems of the nation with vigor and carry out the promises made during his campaign. During this "honeymoon" phase, a president can honestly claim he has the mandate of the people since they have just elected him to office. This claim is often employed to prod a reluctant Congress to pass the new president's favored legislation. The 100 days after Franklin Roosevelt's inauguration in 1933, when Congress passed a substantial portion of his New Deal legislation, stands as the best example of this phenomenon.
Exceptions to the honeymoon period can occur when the Electoral College has elected a president—such as George W. Bush in 2000—even though he did not receive a majority of the popular vote. The mandate theory argument does not work in this case, and the new president must rely on other means to persuade Congress to act on his legislative agenda. Even so, the glow of the first 100 days provides the president with an opportunity to establish his leadership, outline his policies, propose new laws, and generally set the tone of his next four years in office.
To maintain support for his programs, the president tries to gauge the public's response to his policies and proposals. He and his staff will turn to approval polls, which private polling organizations regularly conduct, for this information. The press and news media also watch the presidential approval ratings and report the results back to the people. Polls help the president to shape policy, the media to spot problems in the new administration, and the people to make judgments about the new president.
In the nineteenth century and early in the twentieth century, presidents could also count on a honeymoon period with Congress because legislators wanted to share in the glory of the newly elected president and perhaps "ride his coattails" back into office in the next election. Later in the term, as differences of opinion between the president and Congress often became more serious, the president was likely to find his proposals languishing in committee or stalled by debate.
Modern presidents are no longer automatically granted concessions from Congress during their first 100 days in office. Newly elected presidents now expect to have to negotiate to get their legislative agenda positively considered by Congress. Success in this area carries a high premium, since being able to pass legislation, especially popular programs or those that benefit large numbers of people, can boost a president's approval rating.
In addition to getting legislation passed, a strong economy nearly always translates into high presidential approval ratings. Low taxes and inflation, high employment rates, steady cost of living, absence of recession, and a strong stock market are all elements that encourage a positive view of the president even though he may have little or no influence over these circumstances. On the strength of a booming economy, President Bill Clinton enjoyed positive approval ratings by the public throughout most of his presidency in spite of disapproval of his personal conduct that nearly led to his removal from office.
A national crisis can raise a president's approval rating if he handles it well. Americans traditionally "rally around the flag" and support the president in an emergency. Clinton's approval was given a boost following the Oklahoma City bombing, as was George W. Bush's in the wake of the September 11 tragedy. A president who effectively manages the nation's response to aggression or disaster will score high ratings. Other examples of presidents solidly supported by the people in their handling of a crisis include Roosevelt following Pearl Harbor, Truman after the North Korean attack, and Kennedy in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Foreign travel can boost a president's popularity because a trip abroad can also trigger a "rally around the flag" effect. Americans feel a sense of pride when they see foreign crowds cheering a U.S. president, and they are angry when foreign nationals demonstrate against their Commander-in-Chief. Nixon's China trip where he scored diplomatic victories in the midst of the Vietnam War, as well as his trip to Russia where he negotiated arms reductions agreements and established détente during the Cold War, boosted his popularity to unexpected heights. Likewise, when George W. Bush traveled to Iraq in support of the troops, his approval rating rose.
War can also boost presidential approval. When the United States engages in conflict, Americans support their Commander-in-Chief, at least initially. For war to have this positive effect, it must be short, successful, and have few American casualties. When Reagan ordered troops to Grenada and George Bush Sr. sent armed forces into Iraq in Desert Storm, their approval ratings increased. With Operation Iraqi Freedom, George W. Bush preserved a positive approval rating in spite of an economic recession.
Presidential approval often falls over time, as new programs begin to lose their luster. This approval decline frequently extends to the president's political party, which often loses seats in Congress at the midterm election. Weakness in the economy can produce a further decline in presidential approval. High inflation, a recession, rising unemployment, an increase in deficit spending, rising interest rates, and a drop in the stock market are all circumstances that can hurt an administration's ratings. In spite of the fact that the president often has very little control over these events, people see him as responsible for the economic well-being of the nation. George Bush Sr. suffered a severe decline in public approval and lost his bid for re-election due to a long recession in the late 1980s. This happened even after his successful and popular military victory over Iraq.
Foreign difficulties can depress a president's public approval as well. Public opinion turned against President Clinton when a humanitarian mission in Somalia went disastrously wrong and many U.S. soldiers were wounded and some lost their lives. Likewise, the Iran Hostage Crisis so damaged President Carter in the polls that it contributed to his losing his bid for re-election. A failure in foreign policy can cause the public to extend disapproval to a president's policies in general, thus increasing resistance to his legislative program in Congress.
Scandal can seriously dampen public enthusiasm for a president as well. Clinton's troubles with Whitewater, Monica Lewinski, and Jennifer Flowers are examples of such scandal. In the 1970s, the Watergate debacle forced Nixon to resign the presidency. Though the facts of his involvement with covering up for the perpetrators of the Whitewater break-in were against him, his case was further damaged when tapes of private conversations he had with White House staffers were made public with numerous "expletives deleted." Nixon's use of profanity made him seem inarticulate and desperate.
At one time, the press generally refrained from publishing personal information that would be damaging to a president. Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy all benefited from reluctance of the press to engage in scandal mongering. The American public's appetite for sensational stories along with more intense competition among the many media sources has lead to less restraint in reporting on the personal life of presidents. President Carter's beer-loving brother, Billy, provided ample fuel to the media and weighed on President Carter's approval ratings. Political parties are now more careful to consider the character and complete history of a candidate because of the intense scrutiny that candidates receive.
Perception that a president is unable to fulfill campaign promises can gravely damage his approval rating. During the heat of campaign, politicians often make lofty pledges that are difficult to keep even in ideal conditions. When Herbert Hoover was elected president in 1928, the American economy was approaching a decade of phenomenal boom. No one had any idea that within a year, America—and indeed the world—would be in the grip of a terrible depression. In his campaign, Hoover had promised an end to hunger, poverty, and want for every American. His campaign slogan, "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage," was turned into a mockery that was used against him before his term in office was over. Though the causes of the Great Depression were beyond Hoover's power to correct, the people remembered the promise and in bitterness blamed Hoover for the Depression.
Prolonged war or overseas conflict that has no foreseeable end can damage a president's approval rating. Though the public will usually give a president high ratings at the beginning of conflict, as war wears on, approval will drop. Especially harmful to ratings are casualties that are out of proportion to the objective. Johnson's thrashing in the polls over Vietnam is a classic example. By 1968, the U.S. had half a million troops in Southeast Asia and had suffered casualties of over 30,000 Americans with Vietnamese losses being many times that number. The political objective of the war remained unclear to most Americans, however, and no end to the conflict was in sight. Public reaction against the war was so severe that Johnson felt his chances of re-election were hopeless, and he consequently withdrew from the race in favor of his vice president, Hubert Humphrey. In contrast to this extreme response to Vietnam, America's intervention in Bosnia did little to harm Clinton because there were few American casualties.
In spite of making every effort to retain public approval, most presidents leave office with lower approval than when they began. Americans maintain extraordinarily high expectations of their presidents—expectations that often exceed a president's ability to fulfill. Americans may feel sorry for a beleaguered president, but they never cease to expect him to achieve the best possible outcome in every situation, and they become angry if he fails to do so. This anger finds its expression in approval ratings that are ever harder to maintain as a presidency wears on. As President Lincoln observed, "You can't please all of the people all of the time."

Nature of the Presidency

To become president of the United States, a person does not need to meet a long list of qualifications. In fact, the Constitution outlines only three requirements; a president must be 35 years old, a natural-born citizen of the United States, and must live in the United States for 14 years prior to taking office. The Constitution does not require that the 14 years be consecutive. For example, Dwight Eisenhower had spent many years living outside of the United States during the 1940s, but was elected in 1952.
The term "natural-born citizen" raises the issue of whether a person born outside the United States to an American mother or father qualifies as natural born. To date, this scenario has not been tested, but the first nine presidents were born in the colonies before the United States was formed. Since then, all of the presidents have been born in the United States.
A sitting president must satisfy three audiences: politicians, party activists, and the public. Gaining the approval, cooperation, and support of all these groups takes highly developed leadership and management skills. Several political scientists and historians have studied and developed theories about the characteristics of a good president and what skills are required to fulfill the duties of office.
Political scientist and historian Richard Neustadt asserted that the president's real, most vital power is the power to persuade. Although the president is one of the most powerful people in the world, he cannot simply issue a series of orders to carry out his agenda. Harry Truman once said that he spent all of his time trying to get people to do what they were supposed to do in the first place. Truman's experience supports Neustadt's theory.
Another political scientist, Clinton Rossiter, notes that the president must be able to fill many different roles as well as excel at multi-tasking. The president has at least five roles—head of state, chief executive, commander-in-chief, diplomat, and legislator—each of which carries significant responsibility and demands on time. Even if a president is good at all but one role and accomplishes several objectives while in office, people and history might judge him harshly for failure in one role.
Presidential biographer James MacGregor Burns suggests that a great president has a clear, focused agenda that can be achieved during his term. Of course, fulfilling objectives requires cooperation from Congress and other parties. The more objectives achieved during his tenure, the greater the president's success.
Another political scientist, James David Barber, studied the personalities of the presidents. In doing so, he analyzed whether each president had a clear agenda and purpose and whether he was active or passive. Additionally, he looked at whether each president had a positive or negative perception of the job. Presidents who have a clear agenda and purpose, are active, and have a positive perception of the position are more likely to be seen as strong leaders.

Congress Review Questions 1

Congressional Main Ideas #1

A.P. U.S. Government – 2012

Directions: Use your text to help you answer the following questions. Use pages 234-249.

1. Where in the Constitution will you find information about the Legislative Branch?

2. What section lays out the majority of Congress’ powers? Name two powers not listed in that section.

3. Why did the Framers feel that “House members would be more responsible to the people”…?

4. Even though things like a national bank are not mentioned in the Constitution, what part of the Constitution has given Congress the ability to create and run a national bank? Why do you think some people fear this aspect of the Constitution?

5. What is impeachment and how does the process work? (in terms of the involvement of the two houses)

6. Political parties are not part of the Constitutional make up of Congress, but they obviously play a major role. How have parties affected the committee system?

7. What are the basic responsibilities of the Speaker of the House and how has that position’s power changed over the years? (specifically since the start of the 20^th Century)

8. What is the president pro tempore and how does that position differ from the Speaker of the House?

9. What is the committee system in Congress and what is its main function?

10. Briefly describe the four main types of committees:

   1. Standing:

  2. Joint:

 3. Conference:

 4. Select:

11.  Predict how being the party in power will play a role in committee make up and how that, in turn, plays a role in the legislative process.