AP Gov’t UNIT V:
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH: THE PRESIDENCY

Readings: CHAPTERS 13, 15 & 20

Testing: Chapter 13, 15 & 20 Quizzes, Unit V Essays, Unit V Exam

Assignments: Presidential Cabinet Memo, Unit V Term Cards,West Wing Questions

KEY TERMS TO DEFINE AND REMEMBER: UNIT V

Directions: Define 15 terms from each lecture.

oEach term must be defined on its own note card.

oEach term must appear on 1 side of the card with the corresponding definition on the back.

oNo points will be given for terms defined on anything other than note cards.

  • No points will be given for Term Cards not in your own handwriting.
  • Term Cards will always be due the day of the multiple-choice portion of the unit exam.
  • Term Cards are worth 1 point a piece.

oFor your own sanity’s sake, do not wait until the night before the exam to define all your terms!

Chap. 13
  1. 22nd Amendment
  2. 25th Amendment
  3. Bully Pulpit
  4. Cabinet
  5. Chief Diplomat
  6. Chief Executive
  7. Chief Legislator
  8. Chief of State
  9. Chief of the Party
  10. Commander in Chief
  11. Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
  12. Executive Agreement
  13. Executive Order
  14. Executive Privilege
  15. Honeymoon period
  16. Impeachment
  17. Indicted
  18. Lame Duck Period
  19. Legislative Veto
  20. Line-item veto
  21. Mandatory Spending
  22. Midterm Elections
  23. National Security Council (NSC)
  24. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
  25. Party Polarization
  26. Pocket veto
  27. Presidential coattails
  28. Rally Event
  29. Recess appointments
  30. Veto
  31. War Powers Resolution
  32. Watergate

Chap. 15

  1. Administrative discretion
  2. Bureaucracy
  3. Cabinet Departments
  4. Civil Service
  5. Command-and-control policy
  6. Consumer Product Safety Commission
  7. Deregulation
  8. Executive orders
  9. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  10. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
  11. General Services Administration
  12. Governmental corporations
  13. GS (General Schedule) rating
  14. Hatch Act
  15. Independent executive agency
  16. Independent regulatory agency
  17. Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)
  18. Iron triangles
  19. Issue networks
  20. Merit Principle
  21. Munn vs. Illinois
  22. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
  23. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
  24. Patronage
  25. Pendleton Civil Service Act
  26. Plum book
  27. Policy implementation
  28. Regulation
  29. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
  30. Senior Executive Service
  31. Standard operating procedures
  32. Street-level bureaucrats
  33. Voting Rights Act of 1965

Chap. 20

  1. Arms race
  2. Balance of trade
  3. Bush Doctrine
  4. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  5. Cold War
  6. Containment doctrine
  7. Détente
  8. Director of National Intelligence (“Intelligence Czar”)
  9. Economic Sanctions
  10. European Union (EU)
  11. Foreign aid
  12. Foreign policy
  13. Foreign Service
  14. Interdependency
  15. International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  16. Isolationism
  17. Joint Chiefs of Staff
  18. McCarthyism
  19. Military Industrial Complex
  20. Monroe Doctrine
  21. National Security Advisor
  22. National Security Council (NSC)
  23. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
  24. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Country (OPEC)
  25. Secretary of Defense
  26. Secretary of State
  27. Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT)
  28. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)
  29. Tariff
  30. Trade deficit
  31. United Nations (UN)
  32. UN General Assembly
  33. UN Secretary General
  34. UN Security Council
  35. World Trade Organization (WTO)

UNIT V BRIDGE NOTES (better than Spark Notes)

The Constitution both grants power to and limits the power of the president, who must share power with the other branches of government. Because the constitutional powers of the president are stated in broad terms, it has been possible to interpret them in ways that have permitted a vast expansion of presidential influence. The Congress and the president appear to be in a continuous "struggle" for control of policy making.

A combination of historical and institutional forces provides at least a partial explanation for the increased prominence and power of the presidency in the twentieth century. These include America's expanded role in world affairs, the expansion of government responsibilities in domestic affairs and the accompanying growth of the executive branch, and the changed relationship between the president and the public stemming from the growth of the electronic media.

The presidency itself encompasses a sizable bureaucracy. Presidents mold this bureaucracy to fit their particular leadership styles and objectives. The presidential bureaucracy, particularly the White House staff, exercises great influence over administration policy making. Effectively utilizing and controlling this presidential bureaucracy are two major problems modern presidents have to confront.

Presidential power depends heavily on public support - a fragile commodity that is subject to sharp fluctuations depending on economic and world conditions.

The president plays a major role in establishing the congressional policy agenda. But presidential success with Congress is strongly affected by whether or not the president's party controls Congress and by the president's level of public support.

Presidents exert preeminent influence on foreign policy, but even in this area they must share power with Congress, which can restrict presidential initiatives through its legislative and funding powers.

The bureaucracy is the complex of agencies that administers government programs and policies. It is an essential part of the governmental system, but it lacks the legitimacy accorded the presidency, the Congress, and the courts.

The process of interpreting and implementing the laws passed by Congress and the executive orders of the president is inevitably political in character because these administrative acts of the bureaucracy have consequences for individuals and groups in society. Bureaucracies exercise considerable discretion in policy implementation, necessitating control by Congress and the president.

The organizational elements of the federal bureaucracy include departments, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations. The vast majority of bureaucrats are selected on the basis of merit, with only a small percentage appointed at the discretion of the president.

AP RELEASE FRQ’s COVERED IN UNIT V

  1. 2002: The concept of “divided government” in the United States means that one political party can control the executive branch while another controls the legislative branch. This poses problems for the president in making appointment to federal offices.
  1. Describe two problems that divided government poses for the President in making federal appointments.
  2. Identify and explain two ways Presidents try to overcome the problems described in A.
  1. 2003:Presidential approval ratings fluctuate over the course of each presidential administration.
  1. Identify two factors that decrease presidential approval rating and explain why each factor has that effect.
  2. Identify two factors that increase presidential approval rating and explain why each factor has that effect.
  1. 2004:Presidents are generally thought to have advantages over Congress in conducting foreign policy because of the formal and informal powers of the presidency.
  1. Identify two formal constitutional powers of the President in making foreign policy.
  2. Identify two formal constitutional powers of Congress in making foreign policy.
  3. Identify two informal powers of the President that contribute to the President’s advantage over Congress in conducting foreign policy.
  4. Explain how each of the informal powers identified in C contributes to the President’s advantage over Congress in conducting foreign policy.
  1. 2006:The United States Congress and the President together have the power to enact federal law. Federal bureaucratic agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law. However, in the carrying out of these laws, federal agencies have policy-making discretion.
  1. Explain two reasons why Congress gives federal agencies policy-making discretion in executing federal laws.
  2. Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the policy area over which it exercise policy-making discretion AND give one specific example of how it exercises that discretion.
  3. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  4. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  5. Federal Reserve Board
  6. Describe two ways Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent.
  1. 2007:Conflicts between Congress and the President over war powers have their origin in the United States Constitution. In 1973 Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in an attempt to clarify the balance of powers between the two branches of government.
  1. Describe the primary constitutional conflict between Congress and the President over the decision to go to war.
  2. Describe two provisions of the War Powers resolution that were designed to limit the President’s power over war making.
  3. The War Powers Resolution has received mixed reviews, but Congress has other powers over war making. Other than the constitutional power you describedin A, identify and explain two other formal powers Congress has over war making.
  1. 2008:A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.
  1. The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy.
  2. Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policymaking in Congress.
  3. mandatory spending
  4. party polarization
  5. lame-duck period
  1. 2010:The federal bureaucracy as part of the executive branch exercises substantial independence in implementing governmental policies and programs. Most workers in the federal bureaucracy are civil-service employees who are organized under a merit system.
  1. Describe one key characteristic of the merit system.
  2. For each of the following, describe one factor that contributes to bureaucratic independence.
  3. The structure of the federal bureaucracy.
  4. The complexity of public policy problems.
  5. For each of the following, explain one Constitutional provision that it can use to check the bureaucracy.
  6. Congress
  7. The courts
  8. Interest groups
  1. 2010:The framers of the Constitution created a political system based on limited government. The original Constitution and the Bill of Rights were intended to restrict the powers of the national government. Later constitutional developments also limited the powers of the state governments.

Explain how each of the following limits the power of the national executive.

  • Federalism
  • Checks and balances
  1. 2011:The Constitution of the United States creates a government of separate institutions that share power rather than a government that delegates power exclusively to a single branch. Frequently, this means that presidents and Congress struggle with each other.
  1. For each of the presidential powers below, explain one way that congressional decision making is affected by that power.
  2. Veto power
  3. Power to issue executive orders
  4. Power as commander in chief
  5. For each of the congressional powers below, explain one way that presidential decision making is affect by that power.
  6. Legislative oversight power
  7. Senate advice and consent power
  8. Budgetary power