Deck 3: Power and the Institutional Presidency

Question 1

The capacity to shape government policies through political action is known as __________.

A) political power
B) political privilege
C) political partisanship
D) political persuasion

Answer 1

political power

Question 2

What is a common characteristic of the variety of ways that presidents can use power?

A) They are all direct.
B) They are all indirect.
C) They are all aimed toward inputs.
D) They are all focused on outcomes.

Answer 2

They are all focused on outcomes.

Question 3

The State of the Union address is __________.

A) delivered to the US Senate
B) given once every two years
C) mandated by the Constitution
D) aimed at the members of the cabinet

Answer 3

mandated by the Constitution

Question 4

Citizens expect a great deal out of modern presidents because __________.

A) the number of issues confronting the nation has greatly expanded
B) recent constitutional amendments have expanded the expressed powers of the institution
C) parties in Congress have grown weaker
D) Americans no longer care about the principles of limited government and constitutionalism

Question 5

An example of a demand from political partisans for aid and services from the president is pressure from __________.

A) Latin American leaders to negotiate a regional free trade agreement
B) the Sierra Club to expand the amount of wilderness designations in the National Forests
C) local citizens to expand unemployment compensation
D) the head of the party national committee to make a public statement about raising the minimum wage

Question 6

The president's interest in power is largely __________ in nature.

A) personal
B) instrumental
C) ceremonial
D) political

Question 7

Which president is an example of a president who failed to meet the expectations of presidential leadership in a time of crisis?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) Herbert Hoover

Question 8

Which action is most likely to lead to a negative perception of a president's executive actions?

A) equivocation in a time of international crisis
B) optimism in the face of a national economic crisis
C) tenacity when negotiating with foreign leaders
D) rapid action in the face of a global economic crisis

Question 9

Which of the following is a negative consequence of a politically expedient presidency?

A) It can slow down the policy process.
B) It can reduce the influence of the president in a time of crisis.
C) It can lead to an increase in the power of Congress.
D) It can distort and degrade the national interest.

Question 10

A politically expedient executive action is one that tends to earn the praise of __________.

A) citizens and historians
B) the president's party members in Congress
C) foreign leaders and political scientists
D) citizens and congressional leadership

Question 11

Under the Articles of Confederation, presidents were chosen by __________.

A) state governors
B) Congress
C) the Supreme Court
D) citizens

Question 12

In what way were presidents of the Confederation Congress similar to the contemporary Speaker of the House?

A) They voted only as a tiebreaker.
B) They assigned delegates to committees.
C) They asserted control over the political agenda.
D) They influenced the direction of members' votes.

Question 13

The ratification of the Constitution in 1788 made the presidency a(n) __________ branch of government.

A) subordinate
B) democratic
C) independent
D) supplemental

Question 14

Which of the following helps to ensure the executive independence from Congress?

A) the ability to issue public appeals
B) indirect election by citizens
C) the constitutional power to declare war
D) the annual State of the Union address

Question 15

Which of the following is an enumerated power of the presidency?

A) authority to issue pardons
B) power to ratify treaties
C) right to preside over impeachment proceedings
D) obligation to evaluate the constitutionality of laws

Question 16

When compared to Confederation presidents, the enumerated powers of the presidency under the 1787 Constitution are best described as __________ those under the Articles of Confederation.

A) identical to
B) far fewer than
C) slightly less than
D) far greater than

Question 17

Which of the following was an author of the Federalist Papers?

A) James Monroe
B) George Washington
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) John Jay

Question 18

How many presidents served under the Articles of Confederation?

A) three
B) five
C) seven
D) ten

Question 19

Which presidential power is the least relevant to expressions of modern presidential powers?

A) power to veto legislation
B) power to pardon convicted persons
C) power to serve as commander-in-chief
D) power to call Congress into session

Question 20

Which statement about presidential pardons is most accurate?

A) The use of presidential pardons has increased the leverage of the president over Congress.
B) The number of presidential pardons issued has declined.
C) Presidential pardons rarely have policy consequences.
D) Elected officials who have been impeached are eligible for presidential policy.

Question 21

How can the president exert indirect influence over the legislative process?

A) vetoing legislation
B) introducing legislation
C) engaging in daily negotiations
D) mobilizing public sentiment

Question 22

Which presidential action requires Congress's expressed approval?

A) filling judicial vacancies
B) issuing a pardon
C) declaring war
D) using executive orders

Question 23

The president has just negotiated a trade agreement with Canada. What must happen to make it binding and enforceable?

A) The US House of Representatives must vote to approve it.
B) The US Trade Representative must sign it.
C) A successful ratification vote must occur in the US Senate.
D) Nothing must happen, as presidents have sole authority to negotiate binding treaties.

Question 24

Why did the Framers give legislative veto power to the executive branch?

A) to overcome minority tyranny in the US Senate and empower democratic majorities
B) to moderate the influence of demagogic majorities and to constrain the legislative branch
C) to empower the minority in Congress and ensure executive voice in the legislative process
D) to force a supermajority consensus prior to passing legislation and protect against the excesses of democracy

Question 25

Which of the following is a consequence of the institutional nature of the US presidency?

A) All presidents want to expand and guard their institutional power base.
B) Presidents frequently defer to Congress when there is ambiguity over presidential authority.
C) Liberal presidents are more likely to expand presidential power while conservative presidents are more likely to guard it.
D) Presidents are reluctant to infer new powers from the language of the Constitution.

Question 26

A(n) __________ is an official presidential commentary on the meaning or significance of legislation.

A) executive order
B) writ of habeas corpus
C) per curium opinion
D) signing statement

Question 27

The claim made by President Obama that the administration had the right to engage in extrajudicial assassinations of suspected terrorists, including American citizens, illustrates __________.

A) the nature of the unitary presidency and the clearly stated constitutional powers surrounding war
B) the desire of presidents to balance their constitutional powers with those articulated by Congress
C) how the institutional facts of presidential life sometimes outweigh the theoretical concerns surrounding the concentration of executive power
D) the power of public opinion in mobilizing presidents to defy the other branches of government

Question 28

Which of the following is an informal means of expanding presidential power?

A) issuing public appeals
B) issuing executive orders
C) creating new federal offices
D) appointing cabinet positions

Question 29

President Obama's use of an executive order to increase the minimum wage paid to federal contractors illustrates an __________.

A) expansion of presidential power through independent executive initiative
B) illegal use of informal presidential powers
C) informal mechanism to increase presidential power over the economy
D) enhancement of presidential power at the expense of the judiciary

Question 30

As a candidate for president, Barack Obama promised to __________.

A) limit habeas corpus
B) use drone strikes against terror suspects
C) close Guantánamo Bay detention centers
D) veto any bill that would limit presidential powers

Question 31

Which statement best describes attempts by presidents to increase their power?

A) Presidential power grabs are lavishly orchestrated public events.
B) Presidential power grabs attempt to make broad and sweeping policy changes.
C) Presidential power grabs are often couched in conciliatory and incremental terms.
D) Presidential power grabs are always the result of changes to the institutional nature of the presidency through constitutional amendments and public pressure.

Question 32

Which strategy do presidents pursue when they have just claimed a power that neither Congress nor the courts have endorsed?

A) They act as if no new powers are being claimed at all.
B) They vocally challenge Congress to stop them from claiming this new authority.
C) They hold a public ceremony in the Rose Garden to rally public opinion behind them.
D) They bring the matter before the Supreme Court so the Court can rule on the constitutionality of the matter.

Question 33

In what way was the presidency of Barack Obama similar to that of George W. Bush?

A) Like Bush, Obama refused to use signing statements in the exercise of his executive powers.
B) Like Bush, Obama worked to regain institutional powers transferred by previous presidents to Congress.
C) Like Bush, Obama exercised minimal executive powers specifically to provide space for Congress to govern.
D) Like Bush, Obama relied heavily on secrecy and a lack of transparency in the exercise of his foreign policy powers to protect executive power.

Question 34

If a president were to use an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors, he or she might look for the power to do so in __________.

A) the language of the interstate commerce clause
B) a vague articulation of the public good extending from his or her oath of office
C) the privilege and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
D) the constitutional language surrounding the commander-in-chief clause

Question 35

The legal argument that presidents retain unrivaled control over the federal bureaucracy is known as the __________ theory of the executive.

A) unitary
B) unified
C) unipolar
D) united

Question 36

Unified government occurs when one political party controls __________.

A) the US Senate and the White House
B) the White House and a majority of state governorships
C) both chambers of Congress and the White House
D) both chambers of Congress and a majority of state legislatures

Question 37

When one political party retains a majority of one of the two chambers of Congress and the White House, the United States is in a period of __________ government.

A) unified
B) divided
C) unitary
D) federal

Question 38

Which event most clearly illustrates a legislative constraint on presidential power?

A) President Bush's failed attempt at privatizing Social Security
B) President Lincoln's failure to reorganize his cabinet
C) President Carter's failed attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran
D) President Obama's failed attempt to negotiate a Middle East peace accord

Question 39

What does the persistent congressional obstruction faced by President Obama demonstrate?

A) Unitary leadership in the executive branch can overcome legislative opposition on policy matters.
B) Partisanship can increase the power of the president by increasing public support for the institutional presidency.
C) Unified government increases the possibility of the legislature closing the policy process to the president.
D) Divided government contributes to the ability of the legislature to constrain presidential power.

Question 40

If a president has faced persistent opposition to his or her policy agenda in Congress, which strategy would best improve the chance of future legislative success?

A) The president should campaign and fundraise on behalf of his or her party's candidates during the midterm election cycle.
B) The president should make a public grab for power to force his or her agenda through Congress.
C) The president should make liberal use of signing statements to indicate that he or she does not agree with the interpretation surrounding the legislation that Congress is willing to pass.
D) The president should withdraw from the policy process and let Congress determine the legislative agenda in hope that the policy outcomes fail.

Question 41

President Obama might have had a different outcome in terms of his legislative agenda if __________.

A) he had attempted to cooperate with the Speaker of the House, John Boehner
B) more Democrats had won elections at the state and local levels of American politics
C) liberal Democrats had supported his jobs bill in 2011
D) the Democratic Party had retained control of both chambers of Congress following the 2010 midterm elections

Question 42

Which statement identifies the factor that best distinguishes President Obama's successes in the first two years of his presidency from his challenges in the last six years?

A) During the first two years, the president was a visible and dynamic leader, but he withdrew from the policy process during his last six years.
B) President Obama had the clear support of the Supreme Court for his policies during the first two years, but that support vanished with the appointment of Sonia Sotomayer.
C) The Democratic Party controlled both chambers of Congress during the first two years of Obama's administration, but the party lost control of Congress following the 2010 midterm elections.
D) Democrats controlled the vast majority of state level offices during the first two years of the Obama administration, but they were soundly defeated by Republicans, who controlled most state-level offices during the last six years.

Question 43

The power of the president to veto parts of a bill without vetoing it in its entirety is known as a __________ veto.

A) partial-item
B) unitary-item
C) line-item
D) digit-item

Question 44

Unlike treaties, executive __________ do not require formal ratification by the US Senate.

A) privileges
B) orders
C) prerogatives
D) agreements

Question 45

What would have been a consequence to executive authority had the Bricker Amendment (1954) passed in Congress?

A) Presidential power to use the line-item veto would have ended.
B) The power of the president to use emergency powers in a time of economic crisis would have been eliminated.
C) The president's power to negotiate executive agreements with other nations independently would have been curtailed.
D) Presidential authority to deploy American troops in combat scenarios would have been modified to require immediate congressional approval.

Question 46

The War Powers Resolution (1973) was an effort by Congress to __________.

A) constrain presidents' war-making authority
B) increase presidential war-making authority
C) codify into law the theory of the unitary executive
D) give presidents sole power to declare war against another state

Question 47

Which statement best describes the goal of presidents with respect to executive power?

A) The search for power is of the first order of importance.
B) Presidents rarely worry about their executive power.
C) The desire to expand power is of little importance to modern presidents.
D) Presidents seek to expand their foreign policy, but not their domestic policy, powers.

Question 48

With respect to the War Powers Resolution (1973), Congress has __________.

A) ignored the restrictions it placed on the legislative role in war-making decisions
B) fully realized all the intentions and goals of the resolution
C) actively worked to implement the requirements of the resolution
D) done little to uphold the resolution's limitations on the president's war-making authority

Question 49

A president who wanted to communicate his or her intentions not to implement particular parts of a law could do so through a(n) __________.

A) executive order
B) signing statement
C) line-item veto
D) pardon

Question 50

How have presidents and Congress acted differently with respect to their constitutional authority to execute the law?

A) Congress has rarely delegated its functions to the executive branch, and presidents have rarely relinquished their powers to Congress.
B) Presidents have passively allowed Congress to encroach on their powers, while Congress has steadfastly resisted encroachment by presidents.
C) Presidents have never delegated their authority to another branch, but Congress has often freely handed over powers to the president.
D) Members of Congress have frequently delegated authority to the executive branch, and presidents have consistently shared their powers with Congress.

Question 51

Differentiate between the different types of political power that a president can exercise and discuss the goals embedded in the exercise of political power.

Question 52

How do the expectations of the general public and other actors with respect to presidents affect the actions of executives in the exercise of power? Give examples where appropriate.

Question 53

You are the president in the midst of a national economic meltdown. Explain why you would want your actions to be politically expedient, and what qualities you should exhibit as president. Then present a clear plan of action for the course you would take, drawing on the lessons of Herbert Hoover as you construct your answer.

Question 54

What powers does the US Constitution give to American presidents and in what ways can presidents seek to expand on those powers? In constructing an answer, make sure to consider not only the intentions of the Framers, but also the distribution of powers among the branches of government.

Question 55

Define the unitary theory of the executive and describe how it fits with the exercise of executive power. Using relevant examples, compare and contrast the relative success that Congress has had in constraining executive power with the relative success that presidents have had in gaining concessions (even if briefly) from Congress. Which branch has been more successful?