US politics
Chapter 19 – US presidency definitions
Federal bureaucracy – the administrative bodies of
the US presidency consisting of departments,
agencies and commissions which act on the
president’s direction
Presidency/ executive branch – the entire branch of
government operating under the direction of the
president, comprising those who work in the white
house and the executive office of the president,
the cabinet and the federal bureaucracy
Expressed powers – powers specifically laid out in
the constitution
Domestic policy – issues and policies that concern
affairs within the borders of a nation such as
healthcare and immigration and education
Foreign policy – issues and policies dealing with
how the country manages and deals with other
countries e.g., treaties, agreements, diplomacy
and military protection
, States of the Union – the annual address delivered
by the president in congress, outlining his
legislative agenda for the coming year
Recess appointments – temporary appointments of
the president made without the approval of the
senate when it is in recess
Executive order – a directive issued to the federal
bureaucracy regarding how the president would
like a piece of legislation or policy to be interpreted
and or enforced
Signing statement – a statement issued by the
president regarding a bill that he has just signed
into law
Pardon – the power of the president to forgive a
persona of a federal crime, erasing it from their
criminal record
Commutation – the ability of the president to
reduce the sentence issued for a crime
Informal powers – powers that are not granted
explicitly by the constitution, but which are either
taken anyway or allow the president to gain power
, Powers of persuasion – power of the president to
bargain and persuade those around him in order to
achieve their policy goals
Bully pulpit – a strong and significant platform from
which the president can advance his policy. In the
US it refers to the white house as a stage from
which considerable pressure can be placed on
lawmakers
Electoral mandate – the authority gained at an
election by a political leader to act on behalf of
their constituents, in force until the next election
Coattails effect – the ability of a president to bring
out supporters for other members of his party due
to his or her own popularity
Imperial presidency – A presidency who is overly
powerful due to a lack of effective checks and
balances
Imperilled presidency – A president who finds it
difficult to exercise his powers due to overly
effective checks and balances
, Lame duck president – formally: A president
holding office after an election that he hasn’t won.
Informally: A weak president
Chapter 19 – US presidency
The presidency & the constitution
Qualifications for being president:
Natural born US-citizen
At least 35 years old
US resident for at least 14 years
An American monarch?
Ensuring that the people of the US would never
suffer oppression at the hands of a powerful,
unrestrained leader, was the central aim of the
founding fathers when they produced the
Constitution
In modern times the president of the united states
has routinely been described as the most powerful
person in the world primarily due to the bully’s
pulpit – the world media
Chapter 19 – US presidency definitions
Federal bureaucracy – the administrative bodies of
the US presidency consisting of departments,
agencies and commissions which act on the
president’s direction
Presidency/ executive branch – the entire branch of
government operating under the direction of the
president, comprising those who work in the white
house and the executive office of the president,
the cabinet and the federal bureaucracy
Expressed powers – powers specifically laid out in
the constitution
Domestic policy – issues and policies that concern
affairs within the borders of a nation such as
healthcare and immigration and education
Foreign policy – issues and policies dealing with
how the country manages and deals with other
countries e.g., treaties, agreements, diplomacy
and military protection
, States of the Union – the annual address delivered
by the president in congress, outlining his
legislative agenda for the coming year
Recess appointments – temporary appointments of
the president made without the approval of the
senate when it is in recess
Executive order – a directive issued to the federal
bureaucracy regarding how the president would
like a piece of legislation or policy to be interpreted
and or enforced
Signing statement – a statement issued by the
president regarding a bill that he has just signed
into law
Pardon – the power of the president to forgive a
persona of a federal crime, erasing it from their
criminal record
Commutation – the ability of the president to
reduce the sentence issued for a crime
Informal powers – powers that are not granted
explicitly by the constitution, but which are either
taken anyway or allow the president to gain power
, Powers of persuasion – power of the president to
bargain and persuade those around him in order to
achieve their policy goals
Bully pulpit – a strong and significant platform from
which the president can advance his policy. In the
US it refers to the white house as a stage from
which considerable pressure can be placed on
lawmakers
Electoral mandate – the authority gained at an
election by a political leader to act on behalf of
their constituents, in force until the next election
Coattails effect – the ability of a president to bring
out supporters for other members of his party due
to his or her own popularity
Imperial presidency – A presidency who is overly
powerful due to a lack of effective checks and
balances
Imperilled presidency – A president who finds it
difficult to exercise his powers due to overly
effective checks and balances
, Lame duck president – formally: A president
holding office after an election that he hasn’t won.
Informally: A weak president
Chapter 19 – US presidency
The presidency & the constitution
Qualifications for being president:
Natural born US-citizen
At least 35 years old
US resident for at least 14 years
An American monarch?
Ensuring that the people of the US would never
suffer oppression at the hands of a powerful,
unrestrained leader, was the central aim of the
founding fathers when they produced the
Constitution
In modern times the president of the united states
has routinely been described as the most powerful
person in the world primarily due to the bully’s
pulpit – the world media
