journal article Show Presidential Studies Quarterly Vol. 41, No. 2 (JUNE 2011) , pp. 244-262 (19 pages) Published By: Wiley https://www.jstor.org/stable/23884831 Read and download Log in through your school or library Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. To access this article, please contact JSTOR User Support. We'll provide a PDF copy for your screen reader.With a personal account, you can read up to 100 articles each month for free. Get StartedAlready have an account? Log in Monthly Plan
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Abstract Presidents attract extremely smart, ambitious people to serve in the White House, but the quality of the advice the president receives depends upon how he or she uses the available talent. Chief executives face daunting challenges in evaluating the onslaught of information, judging the perspectives of their subordinates, and ensuring that they receive advice based on presidential perspectives rather than the priorities of their subordinates. Political scientists who study presidential decision making have come to consider several factors as central to understanding White House organization and process: the level of centralization, the extent of multiple advocacy, and the use of honest brokers to manage advice to the president. This article examines President Obama's decision-making style with respect to these three factors and uses several case studies to illustrate them: economic policy, detainee policy, and decision making on the war in Afghanistan. Journal Information Presidential Studies Quarterly (PSQ) is the only scholarly journal that focuses on the most powerful political figure in the world – the president of the United States. An indispensable resource for understanding the U.S. presidency, Presidential Studies Quarterly offers articles, features, review essays, and book reviews covering all aspects of the American presidency. PSQ's distinguished contributors are leading scholars and professionals in political science, history, and communications Publisher Information Wiley is a global provider of content and content-enabled workflow solutions in areas of scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly research; professional development; and education. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley has published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley has partnerships with many of the world’s leading societies and publishes over 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols in STMS subjects. With a growing open access offering, Wiley is committed to the widest possible dissemination of and access to the content we publish and supports all sustainable models of access. Our online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) is one of the world’s most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities. Chapter Study OutlineIntroduction Although recent presidents have encountered numerous political troubles, the institution of the American presidency has grown in power and prominence over the past century. Designed as a “unitary” office, the presidency possesses a capacity for quick decision and action. In the twentieth century, a strong executive emerged and was institutionalized in American national politics as the power of the president, the office of the presidency and the executive branch, and popular expectations for strong presidential leadership all increased. Even though the framers anticipated that Congress would be the predominant branch of government, contemporary presidents wield formidable formal and informal resources of governance. 1. The Constitutional Basis of the Presidency What was the character of the presidency that the Constitution established? How did the process of presidential selection help to define this character? How have changes in presidential selection affected presidential leadership?
2. The Constitutional Powers of the Presidency With what types of constitutional powers is the president endowed? How have these powers changed over time?
3. The Rise of Presidential Government What was the president’s role during the era of legislative supremacy from 1800 to 1933? How did Franklin Roosevelt transform the power of the presidency and facilitate the rise of presidential government?
4. Presidential Government With the locus of policy decision making shifting from the Congress to the executive branch, how is presidential government performed and legitimated? What are the formal resources of presidential power? What are the contemporary political bases of presidential government? And how do presidents lead the expanded administrative state?
5. Presidential Power: Myths and Realities Must presidential power increase during times of emergency? Are presidents better guardians of the public interest than Congress? Is the presidency a more democratic branch of government than the Congress? That is, does the president have closer ties to the people than Congress does?
Why do you think a President might rely more on the White House office than on the Cabinet for counsel?Why do you think a president may rely more on the White House office than on the cabinet for counsel? He appoints the White House Office so they're more likely to agree with him.
Why is the White House staff so important?As the size and scope of government have grown, so have the roles and responsibilities of the White House staff to coordinate the large number of departments and agencies that have been created and the large number of entities in the Executive Office of the President.
How does the White House staff differ from the President's Cabinet?The Cabinet is more loyal to the president than is the White House staff. The Cabinet works more closely with the president than does the White House staff. The White House staff must perform their job duties in accordance with congressional legislation, while the Cabinet has no such restraints.
What is a downside of a President not relying on their Cabinet?It is also unable to keep all people happy with certain arrangements, and thus popularity will go down. There is also greater public scrutiny of the President, and he is blamed for everything that goes wrong.
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