Chapter 13 Study Guide
1. How many Presidents served 2 (or more) full terms ? (counting George W. Bush) 13
2. How many presidents have had incomplete terms ? 9
3. According to the Constitution, for what offenses can a president be impeached ? treason, bribery, other ‗high crimes & misdemeanors‘
4. How many presidents have been impeached ?
2
Name them: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton
5. How many presidents have been convicted of impeachment charges ? none
6. List the four broad categories of presidential power from Table 13.3- Constitutional Powers of the President
a. National Security -Commander-in-Chief of armed forces
b. Legislative - recommends legislative agenda, veto power
c. Administrative -appoints administrators and oversees the departments
d. Judicial - appoints federal judges
7. Name the president(s) who:
 was the first leader of a mass political party- Thomas Jefferson
 presented himself as the representative of the people- Andrew Jackson
 mobilized the entire country for a war- Abraham Lincoln
 mobilized public opinion behind his policies- Teddy Roosevelt
 were the first US presidents to be seen as world leaders- Teddy Roosevelt & Woodrow Wilson
 expanded the presidency to be manager of the economy- Franklin Roosevelt (FDR)
8. What is the president’s main resource as chief executive for controlling the vast governmental bureaucracy ?
The power to appoint top-level administrators who will run agencies the way he wants them to
9. Today, what generally influences a presidential candidate’s choice as a VP running mate ?
To ―balance‖ the ticket – appeal to voters who might not initially be inclined toward the presidential candidate alone
10. What are the VP’s constitutional duties ? preside over the Senate, vote in case of a 50-50 tie
11. What were the original 4 cabinet posts ? State, Treasury, War (Defense today), Attorney General
(created by George Washington)
12. List the general function of each of the following cabinet Depts.:
-State foreign policy & treaty negotiations
-Treasury acts as the govt‘s ‗banker‘
-Defense oversees the military/armed forces
-Justice acts as legal representative (attorney) for the govt
-Interior manages the land‘s natural resources
-Energy focus on energy policy & research
-Homeland Security responds to terrorism & natural disasters
13. Identify each of the following, along with its main function:
NSC- National Security Council – they are the president‘s key foreign policy & military advisors
CEA- Council of Economic Advisors –advice on economic policy
OMB- Office of Management & Budget – prepare the budget to be presented to Congress for approval
14. What are the Constitutional duties of the First Lady ? none
15. When a bill is presented to the President, he has FOUR options… what are they ?
-sign it,
-veto it,
-do nothing, and after 10 working days it becomes law automatically,
-do nothing, and if LESS than 10 days left it expires (pocket veto)
16. What law did Congress pass in 1996 that was overturned in 1998 by the Supreme Ct and what power did it convey ?
Line Item Veto Act of 1996 –allowed the pres to veto specific items within spending bills, instead of being required to sign or veto it in its entirety
17. How much does party loyalty contribute to a president getting his way with Congress ? maybe about 2/3 of the time
What are some reasons why this isn’t more of a factor ? (lack of) popularity of the president, views of the congressman‘s constituents,
nearness of re-election (for congressman)
18. What are presidential coattails ? voting for members of the president‘s party for various other offices
How influential are they ? not as much as they used to be 30-40 years ago
What usually happens in midterm elections ? president‘s party almost always LOSES seat in congress
19. In what ways can public opinion of a president help or hurt ?
The higher the president‘s popularity, generally the easier it is to persuade other officials to go along with his programs
(and vice versa for an unpopular pres.)
20. What is an electoral mandate ? the perception, after winning the election, that the public overwhelmingly supports a president‘s policies
How often do we have one ? not very—usually only in lopsided election results --- but almost every winner THINKS they have one
21. What are the president’s diplomatic powers ? he appoints US ambassadors to other nations & receives ambassadors from other countries
22. What did the War Powers Resolution, 1973, do ?
states that any time the president sends combat troops outside the country—
he must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying them AND
they may only stay for 60 days maximum unless Congress grants approval or declares war
How strong is this law in limiting the president ? not very
Why / why not ? it‘s never been put to a legal test--many experts say it oversteps the president‘s power as commander-in-chief
**when put to a test, it likely could be declared unconstitutional
23. What are the main arguments for & against limiting the president’s war power ?
for- don't want to risk abusing the power of the military
against- strategic decisions aren't efficiently made by committee-- need a single decision maker
24. Why is the president so crucial in crisis management, rather than Congress ?
same as #23-- decisions needed in a hurry or during a crisis are better done by a single person, not by committee