The Executive Branch Part 2

The Executive Branch Part 2
1) Jefferson used the concept of inherent presidential powers to justify the Louisiana Purchase.

2) During the first few presidential administrations, the president tended to be much stronger
than the Congress.

3) During the civil war, President Lincoln was careful to follow the letter and the spirit of the
Constitution.

4) Presidential power has expanded under George W. Bush.

5) Presidential power expanded under Franklin Roosevelt.

6) The Cabinet is a constitutionally mandated group of presidential advisors.

7) Edith Wilson was a powerful first lady.

8) While previous presidents had been content with Congress taking the lead in making policies,
Franklin Roosevelt took on a strong policymaking role.

9) The 1994 Contract with America was an attempt by congressional Republicans to play a more
dominant policymaking role.

10) A president can use patronage to help get his proposals through Congress.

11) The Office of Management and Budget aids the president in drafting his budget proposal.

12) President Harry Truman desegregated the military using an executive order.

13) It is cumbersome for a new president to rescind a previous presidentʹs executive orders
because doing so requires the approval of a majority of both houses of Congress.

14) George W. Bush issued an executive order restricting the release of past presidentsʹ official
papers.

15) The public expects the president to serve as a moral leader for the nation.

16) Presidents avoid ʺgoing publicʺ because they are afraid it will make them appear undignified.

17) Kim Jong Il presides over a very weak executive branch in North Korea.

18) Presidents usually enjoy their highest popularity ratings at the start of their administration.

19) There is minimal partisan difference in citizensʹ approval of George W. Bushʹs job
performance, demonstrating that Bush has lived up to his pledge to be a ʺuniter, not a
divider.ʺ

Tomorrow's FRQ

Here is an FRQ we will be working on tomorrow and for homework...

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 appointments to federal offices.

(a)Describe two problems that divided government poses for the President in making federal appointments.

(b)Identify and explain two ways Presidents try to overcome the problems described in (a).

The Executive Branch Sabato T/F Part One

Executive Branch True/False Questions

1) The Framers envisioned a weaker presidency than the U.S. currently has.


2) The Articles of Confederation had a fairly powerful executive.


3) The president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States.


4) Although governors have the power to pardon, the president does not.


5) A president can serve for a maximum of eight years.


6) The House of Representatives has the power to impeach a president. Impeachment trials
occur in the Senate.


7) In U.S. v. Nixon, the Supreme Court ruled that the president has nearly unlimited executive
privilege.


8) If the vice presidency is vacant, the president appoints a new vice president, subject to the
approval of two-thirds of the Senate.


9) Presidents can have a long-range influence on American government through their federal
court appointments.


10) During George W. Bushʹs first term in office, he did not appoint any women or minorities to
major positions in his administration.


11) Most of a presidentʹs Cabinet nominees are successfully confirmed by the Senate.


12) The president has the power to convene Congress on ʺextraordinary Occasions.ʺ


13) At the end of World War I, the Senate confirmed the Treaty of Versailles and the United States
joined the League of Nations.


14) Treaties are more commonly used than executive agreements.


15) Most presidential vetoes are overridden by Congress.


16) President George W. Bush has used the line-item veto frequently in order to reduce the
amount of pork included in Democratic spending measures.


17) The vice president serves as Commander in Chief of the armed forces.


18) According to the War Powers Act, the president is prohibited from engaging troops in combat
without a congressional declaration of war.


19) As a check on the judicial branch, the president has the authority to pardon those accused or
convicted of a federal crime.


20) Crises have often triggered expansions of presidential power.

The Executive Branch Quiz #4: Pages 301-309

The Executive Branch Quiz #4: Pages 301-309

1) In 1947, the ________ was established to advise the president on military affairs and foreign
policy.
A) National Security Council
B) Central Intelligence Agency
C) Council on Foreign Relations
D) Executive Office of the President
E) Military Tribunal

2) How did George W. Bush change the Executive Office of President when he became
president?
A) He created the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
B) He dismantled the Council of Economic Advisers.
C) He merged the Office of Management and Budget with the Council of Economic
Advisers.
D) He made the National Labor Relations Board accountable to the Small Business
Administration.
E) He dismantled the entire Executive Office of President, preferring instead to rely on the
assistance of loyal staff members such as Karl Rove and Karen Hughes.

3) The first president to claim the leadership role for the executive branch in law-making was
A) George Washington.
B) Abraham Lincoln.
C) Woodrow Wilson.
D) Franklin Roosevelt.
E) Gerald Ford.

4) When are presidents most likely to get their policies through Congress successfully?
A) when they are advocating for a bill proposed by someone else
B) when they are advocating for a bill that lacks public support
C) just before a midterm election
D) just before a presidential election
E) early in the presidentʹs first year

5) Jobs, grants, or other special favors that a president can give as rewards to political supporters
are known as
A) national security letters.
B) spittoons.
C) perks.
D) bling.
E) patronage.

6) The Office of Management and Budget
A) handles the presidentʹs personal finances.
B) prepares the presidentʹs budget proposal.
C) prepares the presidentʹs State of the Union proposal.
D) rewards young entrepreneurs.
E) has tremendous authority over domestic oil production.

7) An executive order of the president
A) is not enforceable.
B) serves as a recommendation of legislation for Congress to consider.
C) has the effect of law.
D) can only be modified by an act of Congress.
E) is used to ensure order and civility in the Executive Office of the President.

8) George W. Bush signed an executive order that
A) desegregated the military.
B) limited federal funding for stem cell research.
C) prohibited military tribunals from trying foreigners.
D) established that the records of presidents can be accessed by any interested party.
E) provided federal funding for groups that provide abortion counseling.

9) When a president ʺgoes public,ʺ
A) he is trying to persuade the public and hopes that the public will persuade Congress.
B) he is trying to persuade Congress and hopes that the Congress will persuade the public.
C) he is adopting the policy preference of the public in order to increase his popularity.
D) he is preventing Congress from convening.
E) he is establishing rapport with the journalists who cover the president.

10) As chief executive of North Korea, which of the following best describes Kim Jong Ilʹs
authority?
A) He has absolute authority over nearly every aspect of North Korean government and
society.
B) His authority is very similar to George W. Bushʹs authority.
C) His authority is very similar to Bill Clintonʹs authority.
D) He exercises very weak authority over the executive branch.
E) North Korea has a plural executive in which the authority to govern is split between
about a dozen executive branch officials.

The Presidency Quiz #3 Pages 292-301 for Tuesday

The Presidency Quiz #3 Pages 292-301

1) President ________ used the pardoning power to give unconditional amnesty to 10,000 men
who had avoided the draft during the Vietnam War.
A) Richard Nixon
B) Jimmy Carter
C) Ronald Reagan
D) Bill Clinton
E) George W. Bush

2) Which of the following best describes Abraham Lincolnʹs approach during the Civil War?
A) He ignored technical requirements of the Constitution in order to ensure the continued
survival of the United States.
B) He got approval from Congress at every conceivable juncture, as a presidentʹs authority
depends on support from Congress and the people.
C) He believed that the Constitution was ʺan albatross around the neck of democracy. The
quicker the union abandons its stipulations, the quicker we shall win this godforsaken
war.ʺ
D) Abraham Lincoln followed the letter and the spirit of the Constitution.
E) Abraham Lincoln followed the letter of the Constitution, but not the spirit of the
Constitution.

3) For several decades, the trend has been for the president to play a more important
decision-making role. This trend began in earnest with
A) Herbert Hoover.
B) Franklin Roosevelt.
C) Dwight Eisenhower.
D) Ronald Reagan.
E) Bill Clinton.

4) All of the following have demonstrated support for the principle of presidential prerogative
EXCEPT
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) John Locke
D) George W. Bush
E) Bill Clinton

5) Franklin Rooseveltʹs legacy includes all of the following EXCEPT
A) a rapidly expanding federal bureaucracy.
B) a leading role for the president in domestic policy.
C) an anemic military and diminished national morale.
D) a nationalized executive office.
E) a new relationship between the people and the president that is heavily dependent on
new technologies.

6) How did Dick Cheney balance out George W. Bushʹs ticket in 2000?
A) Bush is from the South; Cheney is from the Northeast.
B) Bush is a secular Christian; Cheney is a born-again Christian.
C) Bush lacked national government experience; Cheney had an impressive re´sume´.
D) Bush is a moderate Republican; Cheney is a conservative Republican.
E) Bush had a rough-and-tumble demeanor; Cheney had a smooth and polished
demeanor.

7) Who was the most powerful vice president?
A) Walter Mondale
B) Al Gore
C) Nelson Rockefeller
D) Spiro Agnew
E) Dick Cheney


8) The membership of the Cabinet is determined by
A) the Constitution.
B) the Secretary of State.
C) seniority within each executive department.
D) the president.
E) the Congress.

9) As first lady, which of the following issues did Laura Bush advocate for?
A) literacy
B) highway beautification
C) health care
D) elimination of poverty
E) keeping children off drugs

10) The Executive Office of the President was established in 1939 to
A) formalize the informal structure of the Cabinet.
B) act as a liaison with the legislative branch.
C) aid in the war effort.
D) help the president manage the bureaucracy.
E) respond to increasing amounts of mail addressed to the White House.

Sabato Executive Branch Quiz #2 Pages 287-292

Sabato Executive Branch Quiz #2

1) In order to make a treaty, the president must
A) have the approval of the House Foreign Relations Committee.
B) have the advice and consent of the Senate.
C) have the approval of the State Department.
D) include stipulations that no American soldiers will be placed in jeopardy, nor abandoned
on the battlefield.
E) certify to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that the treaty is in the best
interest of the country.

2) Presidents have the power to
A) convene congress.
B) introduce revenue bills in the House.
C) introduce revenue bills in the Senate.
D) ratify treaties.
E) confirm high-level executive branch appointments.

3) Agreements that the president enters into with foreign nations that do not require the advice
and consent of the Senate are called
A) executive agreements.
B) executive orders.
C) memos of understanding.
D) memos of commitment.
E) covenants.

4) How are presidential vetoes overridden?
A) with a simple majority in the Senate
B) with a simple majority in the House
C) with a simple majority in the House and in the Senate
D) with a two-thirds majority in each chamber
E) with a two-thirds majority of a joint session of Congress

5) Through 2006, how many vetoes did George W. Bush issue?
A) one B) 12 C) 28 D) 189 E) 434

6) What is the line-item veto?
A) the refusal to spend money allocated by Congress
B) when the president does not sign a bill within the last ten days of a congressional session,
causing the bill not to become law
C) when the president allows the bill to become law without his signature
D) the authority to invalidate specific spending items without vetoing the entire bill
E) a vote in Congress where a majority of Democrats vote for a bill and a majority of
Republicans vote against it

7) Who currently has a line-item veto power?
A) the president
B) the vice president
C) the Speaker of the House
D) several state governors
E) None of those listed above has the line-item veto power.

8) Why did Congress pass the War Powers Act?
A) because President Johnson misled Americans about progress of the Vietnam War
B) because the president needs to have considerable discretion when waging war
C) to prevent future congresses from cutting off funding for military activities
D) to justify the use of military force against Iraq
E) to boost the morale of Vietnam veterans

9) Who is the most famous person to ever receive a presidential pardon?
A) Johnny Cash
B) Al Capone
C) Samuel A. Mudd
D) Richard Nixon
E) Martha Stewart

10) Which of the following is a presidential check on judicial power?
A) euthanasia
B) the line-item veto
C) the pardon
D) impeachment
E) all of the above

Monday's Sabato Quiz

Sabato T/F Quiz on Congress

1) In 2006, Democrats regained control of Congress and Nancy Pelosi was appointed Speaker of
the Senate.
2) The United States Congress is unicameral.
3) U.S. Senator George Allen lost his reelection bid in part because he referred to a volunteer
working for his opponent as ʺMacaca.ʺ
4) Every 10 years, congressional districts are redrawn to reflect changes in population.
5) No bill can become law without the consent of both houses of Congress.
6) Senators tend to be more specialized than members of the House.
7) Congress determines naturalization procedures and limits.
8) The vice president of the United States is the constitutionally designated presiding officer of
the House.
9) Newt Gingrich increased the power of the Speaker of the House.
10) Whips are congressional leaders who keep close contact with rank -and-file members and
attempt to persuade them to tow the party line.
11) The primary purpose of conference committees is to collect relevant testimony and to hold
markup sessions.
12) Members of Congress use earmarks to help support their districts and win reelection.
13) All committee chairs are selected according to seniority.
14) Committee chairs can usually kill a bill.
15) The Israeli Knesset was modeled on the U.S. Congress and operates in a nearly identical
fashion.
16) House incumbents usually win reelection, while Senate incumbents usually lose their
reelection bids.
17) Women are underrepresented in the U.S. Congress.
18) Lawyers are overrepresented in Congress.
19) Since 1945, the number of women, African Americans, and Hispanics in Congress has been
gradually increasing.
20) While the public typically disapproves of Congress, they tend to approve of the member who
represents their district.
21) When making decisions about whether or not to support a bill, members of Congress are often
influenced by their partisan affiliations and their colleagues.
22) Voters overwhelming dislike divided government because it tends to result in policy gridlock.
23) Members of Congress tend to pay more attention to those who help fund their reelection
campaigns.
24) The Congressional Budget Office helps members of Congress by evaluating the costs and
economic effects of proposed legislation.
25) In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress banned a Muslim
congressional staffers association.
26) All proposed bills must first begin in the House.
27) Congress has the ability to issue a pocket veto before a bill is sent to the president.
28) The China Trade Act of 2000 was enacted using a simple, straightforward process.
29) Because Republicans exercised the ʺnuclear option,ʺ judicial filibusters are no longer
permissible.
30) Congress can halt executive activities by cutting off funds for them.
31) Under George W. Bush, presidential power has increased at the expense of Congress.
32) The War Powers Act restricts the power of Congress to wage war.
33) The Senate confirms important presidential appointments.
34) Richard Nixon is the only U.S. president to be impeached.
35) Congress can change the jurisdiction of the federal courts.

Executive Branch Sabato for Tuesday

Chapter 8 The Presidency Quiz #1-pages 281-287

1) Describe the executive branch under the Articles of Confederation.
A) a strong plural executive
B) a weak plural executive
C) a strong single executive
D) a strong bicameral executive
E) There was no executive branch under the Articles of Confederation.

2) What is the major function of the vice president?
A) to preside over the presidentʹs cabinet
B) to make executive branch appointments
C) to succeed the president if she dies or becomes disabled
D) to serve as commander in chief of the military
E) to govern all U.S. territories and protectorates

3) Which of the following is a constitutional requirement to become president?
A) to be at least 35 years old and a natural born citizen
B) to be a male citizen for at least 14 years
C) to be ʺexperienced in government and well versed in the lawʺ
D) to win a majority of the popular vote
E) to be married

4) Presidents are elected for
A) two-year terms.
B) four-year terms.
C) six-year terms.
D) eight-year terms.
E) life and serve during times of good behavior.

5) What was the decision in U.S. v. Nixon?
A) Presidents have extensive executive privilege.
B) President Nixon must comply with court orders relating to Watergate.
C) The president can accept gifts from lobbyists and foreign dignitaries, but he must pay
taxes according to the value of the gift.
D) Nixon was a crook and, therefore, had failed to uphold his presidential oath of office.
E) ʺWhen the president does it, that means itʹs not illegal.ʺ

6) What was Watergate?
A) A series of illegal searches of the foreign embassies of communist countries.
B) The break-in of the Democratic Partyʹs national headquarters and the proceeding
coverup.
C) Warrantless wiretaps of the international phone calls of American citizens.
D) A scandal involving Nixonʹs use of the White House for illegal campaign purposes that
ultimately led to his resignation.
E) Secret negotiations with the Soviet Union in which Nixon agreed not to challenge the
Berlin Wall if the Soviets released several Americans spies who were being held hostage.

7) If the president dies in office and the vice presidency is vacant, the next in the line of
succession is the
A) President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
B) Secretary of Defense.
C) Speaker of the House.
D) Secretary of State.
E) Secretary of the Army.

8) The Twenty-Fifth Amendment
A) limits the president to two consecutive terms.
B) authorizes the creation of an Air Force.
C) clarifies impeachment procedures.
D) provide a means for filling vacancies in the vice presidency.
E) established the office of First Lady of the United States.

9) Which president appointed the highest proportion of women to senior administrative
positions requiring Senate confirmation?
A) Jimmy Carter
B) Ronald Reagan
C) George Bush
D) Bill Clinton
E) George W. Bush

10) Which best describes the confirmation of the presidentʹs Cabinet nominees?
A) About half of his nominees are confirmed.
B) About three-quarters of his nominees are confirmed.
C) Nearly all of his nominees are confirmed.
D) Confirmations typically occur only if the Senate is controlled by the presidentʹs party.
E) The presidentʹs first choices are seldom confirmed, but his second choices are usually
confirmed.

Help with 2009 Congress FRQ

2009 FRQ on Congress-“Model Student Response”

The majority party has many advantages in the House of Representatives. One is that the Speaker of the House comes from the majority party. The Speaker is the most important member of Congress. They control the agenda, decide who gets to speak and when, and make assignments to the committee that determines what representative serves on. All of these powers greatly impact legislation and can increase the chances of getting the majority party’s legislation passed. Also, the chairs of every committee are members of the majority party. Because most of the work in the House is done in committees, the chairs are extremely important in determining the agenda for meetings, conducting business, etc. Even more helpful is the fact that the majority of people on every committee will be from the majority party, again making the ability to pass the majority party’s legislation that much easier.

In the House there are strict time limits on debates because there are so many members. The smaller Senate may filibuster bills, or “talk a bill to death” where members who oppose a bill can continue to speak until a vote is called. This means that passing a bill in the Senate can be much more difficult than in the House.

Also in the House there is a Rules Committee that determines things like whether a bill can be amended, how much time it can be debated, and other rules pertaining to the bill. This strict Rules Committee does not exist in the Senate. This means that members may not necessarily get to add on amendments that they want to in the House, making legislation therefore more difficult to pass in the House.

How A Bill Becomes Law Link

Class,

The How a Bill Becomes Law diagram link can be found here:

http://www.mtbarclay.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/billbecomeslawdiagram.doc

See you tomorrow!

Mr. B