...effectively use. Write an essay in which you discuss the limits to presidential power, the importance of the presidency’s informal powers. Explain whether you think the nature of presidential power makes the Presidency too weak, or too strong. In 1776 America declared independence from British Empire and became forming a national government. In 1777 Congress adopted The Article of Confederation. This attempt to structure an American government failed; The Article of Confederation was unsuccessfully because it restricted the national government; most power was concentrated on the states’ level. The states kept their autonomy. The national government was lack of authority, it was hard to collect taxes from each state; foreign trade was suffering because foreign counties which wanted to conduct business with the United States had to negotiate separate agreements with Congress and a state. In addition to all of these problems the Article of Confederation did not even include a president or any other executive leader because people were in their zeal to reject monarch; everybody was tried of British tyranny and they were worried if they used this model of government it would lead to the same results as they had during British colony’s time. However, in 1787 Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia (Bianco & Canon, 2013, p.33). The framers of the Constitution understood that confederation did not work. So framers based the new American government on an entirely...
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...Christina L. Lyons represents a dispute that Congress is having with President Obama believing that he is overstepping his authority with executive power. To begin with, Republicans are making accusations saying that Obama is accusing Obama for abusing the Constitution and Democrats are defending him by saying he’s taking action because Congress is taking long to respond. Many presidents have overstepped the boundaries of using executive power to accomplish policy goals. But the debate over executive power has been building up over the years and has led a conflict between Republicans and Democrats. Between the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branch there has been a great gridlock with no one coming to an agreement. Due to the gridlock the conflict between Republicans and Presidential power has been a battle. Eventually, both sides will have to come to some sort of a compromise, whether a law comes into place of presidents having a limit to executive power. (Lyons, 2015, p. 219) During President Obama’s presidency, he has exceeded his power of enforcing executive orders over 210 times. That’s an average of 33 executive orders a year issued by President Obama alone. Executive orders are unbreakable legal orders given by the President to Federal Administrative Agencies. This power allows the president to create laws or determine how existing laws should be carried out. President Obama has overstepped his authority through the use of executive power by ignoring immigration laws, altering...
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...To what extent does congress remain a powerful body? Congress can be argued to be an ineffective body. Though it is furnished with great power from the constitution it fails to successfully fulfil the roles of oversight, representation and Legislation. However, it is also argued that congress does successfully fulfil its role depending on which party is in control of the House and which is in control of the senate, therefore it can be argued that the powers congress has and how well they fulfil their roles are dependent on which party controls congress and which controls the white house. Congress has the power of oversight of the executive; one very important power relating to this is the power to override the presidential veto, this power of congress supports the argument that congress does remain a powerful body as they have the power to go against the presidents wishes. The separation of powers in the United States causes this power to be extremely effective, because they work independently, they can oversee the executive work and therefore hold them accountable. In addition, members of congress are experienced and therefore are very skilled at overseeing the work of the executive, an example of this is Senator Leahy, who has seen the confirmation of hundreds of federal judges who are appointed by the executive. However this power of oversight is limited mainly towards divided government, during a united government congress acts as a lapdog, and do not wish to embarrass the...
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...There are multiple reasons as to why power has increased so much in the presidency, and why historically the presidents have grown in knowledge. One can find that such a growth in technology and great changes in the country is the reasoning behind such growth and overall change to keep up with modern times. There are also multiple reasons that there has been such an increase in presidential powers. One is that the people of the United States have always expected their chief executives and leaders to address the nation’s problems and to act when needed. The people want their president to take charge in important situations, but they do not want them to receive too much power, so in turn the people look to the other branches of government to...
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...country that lives under a democratically elected government. However, when one takes the time to look outside of the box one can describe the U.S. as a country with an Imperial Presidency. An Imperial Presidency is one that is developed through an over expansion of the powers of the president. An Imperial Presidency is a presidency where the balance of power is shifted towards the Executive Branch. The Presidents have used such tools as the constitution, media and pop culture, monetary freedom, and committees and executive orders to expand the presidential powers. Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack H. Obama have utilized these tools to further their agendas over stepping their constitutional boundaries, congress and the people of the United States. There are many ramifications that come with the expansion of the presidential power. The Constitution, executive order, the media and pop culture, and monetary power are all tools utilized by the president to expand their powers. The Constitution is one of the main tools utilized by the presidents to expand power. Even though the presidential power is clearly outlined in Article II of The Constitution, its vagueness has provided enough wiggle room to stretch their power beyond its implementation. Therefore, one of the tools utilized by the President was actually the document created to prevent such activity from happening. In depth, Article II section I grants, “The Executive Power; followed by Article II section II witch gives...
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...1. The three branches of U.S. government are legislative, executive and judicial. For each of these, name the highest level of organization that acts for that branch and give a BRIEF description for each of that branch’s/organization’s function. a. Legislative: Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. They’re function is to vests power to legislate in the Congress of the United States. b. Executive: President; He/ she carries out federal laws and recommends them as well. He/ she is also able to veto and pass bills as a check and balance. c. Judicial: The Supreme Court; they’re power is to provide supreme judicial review for the nation and provides checks and balances for the other branches. A main priority for the Court is determining if something violates the Constitution. 2. Each of these branches is independent of the others (separation of powers) and are part of a system of checks and balances. Briefly explain what this means. a. Each branch of government has their own roles and functions, however in order to make sure that the American people are represented fairly and the best decisions for the country are made, each branch of government has a way to counteract another branch’s decision in order to check what they are doing and potentially counteract it and act as a balance 3. By what authority does a president issue an executive order? a. Executive orders do not require Congress’ consent in order to take effect. 4. The other...
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...legislative branch of the federal government consists of the Congress, which is divided into two chambers -- the Senate and the House of Representatives. The legislative branch was granted several powers by the constitution. Among those are powers to levy and collect taxes, power ti coin money and regulate its value, power to provide for punishment for counterfeiting, power to establish post offices and roads. There are only a few qualifications that one must meet to run for congress. They are: must be at least 25 years old and must have been a US citizen for at least 7 years. There is no limit on the number of terms one can serve in the house of representatives and by contract the senate members can only serve six terms. It is said that roughly 1/3 of the senate stand for reelection every two years. The duties and responsibilities do differ among the two divisions of congress. The senate has to give its approval if many of the appointment, by the president. This approval includes but is not limited to the appointment of cabinet officers, federal judges, department secretaries and US military and naval officers. Congress powers are limited to the enumerated powers on the specific right, given to it by the Constitution of the United States. Congress also has the power to impeach the president of the United States. Even though congress as a whole can impeach the president, both divisions have a different role in this process. Within congress there are congressional committee...
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...American National Government Topic 1 American Government: An Introduction Assessment 1 Chapter 1 Directions: Answer the following questions after viewing the assigned Power Point presentation and reading related materials in the text. Be sure to use complete sentences. 1. Define government and politics. Compare these two terms and cite examples of each. Explain how the two terms are distinct but related to each other. · Government is the people who run the country. Politics is the process followed by the leaders of political groups who rule the country. Government implements the policies of the lands, such as with the judicial branch to enforce the laws, the legislative branch to create the laws, and the executive branch to perform national security duties. And politics are the tool utilized by the government. They both utilize political science which is the study of government and politics. While they both perform and aid the same basic function of running the country, politics is just the process while the government is the actual facility performing the tasks. 2. What is anarchy? Can anarchy ever a viable alternative to government, in your opinion? Why or why not? · Anarchy is living in a state of lawlessness. I believe it cannot, because humans do not function correctly without some type of structure. Without structure there will be total chaos. Murders and other unmentionable crimes will occur with no repercussions being put into place. 3. What...
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...Executive Power and the Constitution Michael Gray HIS 303: The American Constitution Professor Ginger Jarvis November 29, 2012 Executive Power and the Constitution “The Constitution has never greatly bothered any wartime president,” wrote Francis Biddle, Attorney General during World War II, in his memoirs (Smith, 1999, pg.24). Biddle’s comment was in reflection on President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s decision to relocate Japanese-Americans. An examination of American history reveals the Constitution does not appear to bother president during periods of national survival. In fact, Presidents seize crisis in domestic and foreign affairs as the opportunity to expand executive power. This paper provides a brief history on powers in the Constitution, examines use of executive power in domestic and foreign affairs, and concludes with an argument on how the issue should be interpreted. Framers of the Constitution believed separation of powers and a system of checks and balances would keep one branch of government from having more power then the others. Noah Feldman (2006) writes “nothing is more basic to the operation of a constitutional government than the way it allocates power” (Our Presidential Era, para.2). Constitutional Framers created three separate branches of government independent of each other. According to Cornell University Law School (2012), the first three articles of the “Constitution outlines the branches of the U.S. Government...
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...Policy Making and Policy Implementation Public policy refers to the actions taken by government — its decisions that are intended to solve problems and improve the quality of life for its citizens. At the federal level, public policies are enacted to regulate industry and business, to protect citizens at home and abroad, to aid state and city governments and people such as the poor through funding programs, and to encourage social goals. A policy established and carried out by the government goes through several stages from inception to conclusion. These are agenda building, formulation, adoption, implementation, evaluation, and termination. 1. Agenda building Before a policy can be created, a problem must exist that is called to the attention of the government. Illegal immigration, for example, has been going on for many years, but it was not until the 1990s that enough people considered it such a serious problem that it required increased government action. Another example is crime. American society tolerates a certain level of crime; however, when crime rises dramatically or is perceived to be rising dramatically, it becomes an issue for policymakers to address. Specific events can place a problem on the agenda. The flooding of a town near a river raises the question of whether homes should be allowed to be built in a floodplain. New legislation on combating terrorism (the USA Patriot Act, for example) was a response to the attacks...
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...the landscape of American foreign policy, including a sharp rise in Presidential authority in areas of foreign policy and war. The power struggle between Congress and the Executive Branch is not new, however, but it seems to have reached to new levels in recent years. The debate over who has more authority in foreign policy issues has existed since the framing of the Constitution. I doubt the framers, however, could have imagined a world in which the President has almost unrivaled power in the realm of foreign policy. Ever since the United States became a world power following World War Two, the Executive Branch has increased in power and authority. Does the Executive Branch need more authority and flexibility when foreign policy is concerned though? When the United States is at war, we may need quick and decisive decisions that only the Executive Branch can give. When the military found Osama Bin Laden, President Obama did not wait to consult Congress. He and his advisors simply sent in the Seals and killed him. This is a good example of why so many believe the President needs more authority in times of war. Wars need a fast response when a situation arises and the country does not need Congress to endlessly debate about what to do; therefore, they have given the President more leeway in war powers over time. Congress did briefly give war powers back to themselves in the War Powers Act of 1973 during the crisis over the Vietnam War and Watergate. People such as former Senator...
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...only the federal government; each of the states Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided between a central government and several regional, or state, governments. 1. Population; the people who live within the boundaries of the state 2. Territory; land with known and recognized boundaries 3. Sovereignty; the supreme and absolute power within a state’s territory to decide its own foreign and domestic policies 4. Government; the institution through which society makes and enforces public policies 5. Force theory; the state was born of force, when one person or a small group gained control over people in an area and forced them to submit to that person’s or group’s rule. 6. Evolutionary theory; the state evolved from early families that united to form clans. Later, clans united to form tribes. As tribes settled into agricultural groups over time, they formed states. 7. Divine right theory; God created the state and gave a chosen few the right to rule. 8. Social contract theory; people voluntarily agreed to create a state and give to the government just enough power to promote the safety and well-being of all. Government exists to serve the will of the people, and the people are the sole source of political power. Chapter Outline 2 I. Section 1: Government and the State A. Definition of Government and the State 1. legislative, executive, judicial 2. state B. Political Ideas and the Purpose of Government 1. force 2. evolutionary ...
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...Principles and Articles of the Constitution Part One: Table of Primary Principles of the US Constitution Self-Government | Self-government is government that is provided by or voted on by the inhabitants of the country or group as opposed to having external governing forces. The Constitution names Self-government as the ultimate and proper means of government. The US uses majority rule as part of self-government. | Separation of Powers | Separation of powers is the division of governing powers among separate branches of the government. This idea was widely favored as many states started drafting their governments and was used as a founding principle of the US Constitution. Basically, separation of powers assigns one group of people as task and another group another task. This helps in many ways, primarily it makes sure that each group is skilled at the powers assigned to them. It also paves the way for Checks and Balances. | Checks and Balances | Checks and Balances is an elaborate system that is written into the US Constitution that requires the divided branches of government to all work together to make any major decisions. Originally, this system was designed so that no one branch of government overpowered the others. A single branch cannot act decisively without the support of the other branches. The three branches of government in the US are designed to overlap so that Checks and Balances can succeed. | Checks and Balances Over the years, the US system...
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...Final Exam Review POLI 2051 Dr. Kenny Ch 11: Congress • Approval of Congress relative to the president. o Congress tends to be less popular than the president. • Basic info. on Congress o Why is it bicameral (why are there two chambers?) 1. Practical Reasons ▪ Came from the Great Compromise 2. Philosophical Reasons ▪ To keep power spread out and dispersed • House of Representatives o Representation based on population o 435 Total o 2 year terms o Seats are reapportioned every ten years because we get the census back every ten years. o Entire membership elected in November of even number years. • Senate o 2 Per state o 100 total o 6 year terms that are staggered ▪ Staggered means that only 1/3 of the seats are up for election in each two year election cycle. This is so that it does not change radically in one election. o This means one third elected in November of even numbered years. • Congressional organization: o Leadership – the political parties work through the leadership structure of congress because the leaders of the majority political party are, at the same time, the leaders of the House and the Senate. ▪ Leaders (know the top posts) • Leadership in the House o...
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...Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT Manila EN BANC G.R. No. 180643 September 4, 2008 competing interests in the case at bar are the claim of executive privilege by the President, on the one hand, and the respondent Senate Committees’ assertion of their power to conduct legislative inquiries, on the other. The particular facts and circumstances of the present case, stripped of the politically and emotionally charged rhetoric from both sides and viewed in the light of settled constitutional and legal doctrines, plainly lead to the conclusion that the claim of executive privilege must be upheld. Assailed in this motion for reconsideration is our Decision dated March 25, 2008 (the "Decision"), granting the petition for certiorari filed by petitioner Romulo L. Neri against the respondent Senate Committees on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, 1 Trade and Commerce,2 and National Defense and Security (collectively the "respondent Committees"). 3 A brief review of the facts is imperative. ROMULO L. NERI, petitioner, vs. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC OFFICERS AND INVESTIGATIONS, SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND COMMERCE, AND SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL DEFENSE AND SECURITY, respondents. RESOLUTION LEONARDO-DE CASTRO, J.: Executive privilege is not a personal privilege, but one that adheres to the Office of the President. It exists to protect public interest, not to benefit a particular public official. Its purpose, among others, is to assure...
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