Presidents and the Presidency

3. The Reality of Presidential Powers: Using the Presidency is Difficult

f). Party Leadership:

Powers:
- To rally the "party-in-government" and end gridlock

Limits:
- American government was designed to make this difficult
- Legislators who now can "go it alone"
 
 

g). The Veto

Powers:
- To stop Congressional actions
- To change laws by threatening a veto
- Only 4% of Presidential vetoes are overridden

Limits:
- The veto can only stop something from happening -
it is only a negative power

h). Publicity

Powers:
- To build personal popularity

Limits:
-Popularity can swing widely
 

4. The Presidency as An Temptation for Tragedy

- We expect Presidents to Use the Presidency Actively, but

   the Presidency is hard to Use
- there are lots of constraints on Presidential Power

Presidents battle to use the tools that are easiest to use.

  Presidents can most easily control National Security and Publicity, so ... 
 

We tend to get

1). The Permanent Campaign:

- Presidents are tempted to manage their image
instead of improving public policy

2). The Covert Presidency:

- Presidents are tempted to abuse "national security"
to achieve their goals

Wategate was the logical result of these temptations.

Bureaucracy

The Mouse in the House

1. Why Is Controlling The Bureaucracy A Challenge?

    A. It's Big & Diverse
   

    B. Administrators have a lot of independence because they have discretion & expertise
 
 

    C. Civil Service makes it difficult to control individuals
 

    D. "Iron triangles" can and often do resist change in bureaucracy
 
 

2. Presidents Tried To Control the Bureaucracy by Creating Their Own Personal Bureaucracy

     The Executive Office Of The President (EOP)
 

3. Conclusion:  Presidents battle to control the bureaucracy, particularly when they are under stress

Watergate