Written Assignment 6

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Thomas Edison State College *

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Political Science

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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1. Discuss a president’s role in foreign policy, domestic policy, military readiness, and governmental administration. [MO6.1] 1. A president is able to issue executive agreements with foreign powers. This allows them to establish quick negotiations by bypassing the need for a treaty to be ratified. They can also pardon criminals (except those of treason) and issue executive orders, which allows them to achieve policy goals without the need for Congress; though courts can override them. Presidents are also considered the Commander-in-Chief for the military and usually the ones to take first action for military action. They are also responsible for the various executive agencies. 2. Describe the evolution of the presidency from a weak to strong office. How would you describe today’s presidency? [MO6.1] 1. The presidency began as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, to negotiate between countries, and receive representatives from foreign powers. However, as soon as the first president took office, the presidency has expanded. From establishing a cabinet, to the Veto, and presidential war powers and executive privilege. The presidency has expanded to a formidable office. Today’s presidency is one of incredible power and due to the partisanship experience in the US is incredibly difficult to remove through impeachment due to party lines. Impeachment will become more common place as a ways to express dissent while the removal of a presidency will likely come down to party support. 3. Beginning with the intention to run for office to the general election, trace the path an individual usually takes from the start to taking the oath of office. [MO6.2] 1. A candidate initially gains support from states and then gets enough support to enter into the primaries and caucuses held throughout the states. Once a candidate makes it through the caucuses and makes it through the primaries, a national convention is held. Here the candidates debate and eventually select a final nominee to run as president. Between the National Convention and the General Election, the candidate and their VP campaign across the country to garner support. Finally the General Election occurs and the Electoral College casts their votes, if the candidate gains 270 or more votes then they become the new president. 4. What is the electoral college, and what is its relevance in presidential elections? How are the number of electors arrived at? What is the unit rule, and what effect does it have on election strategy? [MO6.2] 1. The electoral college is a set of delegates that vote for a candidate based on the popular vote. The number of electors is determined every ten years by the Census. Forty-eight states utilize the unit rule, in which they cast all the electoral votes to the candidate who wins the majority. Where as two states divide the votes proportional to the popular vote. This means that winner takes all is the form of voting in a majority of states. This means that only a few key swing states matter as the “safe states” can be relied upon to gain their electoral votes. 5. Each president must staff the cabinet, currently consisting of 15 departments. Each cabinet head commands a large organization charged with carrying out executive directives and implementing laws. As a whole, this represents the governmental bureaucracy. Provide a description of the types of responsibilities carried out by the bureaucracy, and explain the various bureaucratic organizations. [MO6.3]
1. There are four general types of bureaucratic organizations. There are Cabinet Departments that are directly accountable to the president and oversee widespread issues regarding the running of the US such as the Deparment of State that oversees matters related to foreign policy or the Department of Education that oversees public education and policy. There are Independent Executive Agencies that are very similar to Cabinet Departments in that they report directly to the president however they are for more focused and are not subject to a regulatory authority, such as the CIA or NASA which manage national security intelligence and space exploration and research respectively. There are also Regulatory Agencies which is really a Independent Executive Agency but with the purpose of regulating certain aspects of the US such as the SEC for regulating financial securities and the stock exchange. And finally Government Corporations, which like private corporations operate as a business enterprise but rather than being focused on shareholders and have CEO’s are focused on providing vital services and have a Board of Directors and exempt from taxes. Such an example would be the US Postal Service. 6. Discuss some of the factors that have an impact on presidential leadership, particularly the first 100 days. Include such things as public support or relations with Congress. Are there others? [MO6.2] 1. Some factors include the political climate at the time of inauguration, the world climate during the election, and promises kept during the first 100 days. The ways these impact the presidency and the support he gains, keeps, or loses from both the public and Congress are incredibly large. For example, during the War in Iraq, the public wanted a continuation of leadership and so incumbency was a huge factor for the presidency for both Bush and Obama. World Climate also plays a huge role as the heated political environment and the Covid Crisis led the public to desire change in leadership. The first 100 days of presidency is also used as a metric to measure the effectiveness of the president on keeping their promises made during the campaign and is often used when it comes to re-election. 7. Contrast the merit system and the patronage system regarding government employment. [MO6.3] 1. The patronage system was a “spoils of war” system in which government positions were filled with political supporters. This did lead to a very responsive government when it came to fulfilling promises, however it also leads very quickly to corruption as government office positions are used as leverage for favors. The merit system leads to people with experience and knowledge to be placed into office which while it can lead to a slow down in responsiveness due to political and ideological differences, means that a knowledgeable and experience person is in office. 8. Compare and contrast the three models of bureaucracy. [MO6.3] 1. The Weberian model of bureaucracy is the most optimistic view of bureaucracy in that it is apolitical, hierarchal, and governed by formal procedures. It is efficient and able to solve problems through logical solutions. There are no bureaucratic organizations in our government that operate this way. 2. The Acquisitive model suggests that bureaucracies are power hungry and often fight with other organizations to acquire more power and more control. It will do
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