The purpose of this assignment is to explain and critically reflect upon the debate about what William Howell calls “unilateral” presidential power and how this affects the checks and balances which are the foundation of our political system.
Read:1) Richard Neustadt excerpt from Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents 1960, 1990 (revised)2) William Howell excerpt from Power Without Persuasion 20033) CQ Report – the Presidency- background and overview of recent happenings4) Background on the battle with congress over national emergency powers
The American Political System – POLI 102 online Fall 2019 Critical Analysis Essay Assignment #2 Due 12/11 . Maximum 5 single space pages. The purpose of this assignment is to explain and critically reflect upon the debate about what William Howell calls “unilateral” presidential power and how this affects the checks and balances which are the foundation of our political system. Read: 1) Richard Neustadt excerpt from Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents 1960, 1990 (revised) 2) William Howell excerpt from Power Without Persuasion 2003 3) CQ Report – the Presidency- background and overview of recent happenings 4) Background on the battle with congress over national emergency powers https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/us/politics/senate-vote-trump-national-emergency.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/opinion/trump-national-emergency.html https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/433773-mcconnell-opens-door-to-changing-presidents-emergency-powers https://thehill.com/policy/finance/466451-senators-want-vote-on-bill-to-rein-in-presidents-emergency-powers https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-10-15/trump-vetoes-legislation-border-emergency-funding Write an essay in which you address a-c below: a) Explain what Howell means by “unilateral” power, including the Constitutional sources and historical background of such power, and contrast his account to Neustadt’s idea that presidential power is limited to the “power to persuade.” Make sure you carefully explain WHY Howell thinks Congress is partially responsible for the fact that this kind of power has become more common. b) Given recent events, explain whether you would describe the current president as “powerful” or not. Which version of “powerful” (Howell’s and/or Neustadt’s) are you using? c) Finally, do you think the office of the presidency (not just this president) has become TOO powerful so that there is no longer a balance of power between the 3 branches? **In your paper, use at least one direct citation from each of the articles in #1-3 above, and from at least one of the news articles in #4 above (so at least 4 direct citations). **Every reference to someone else’s ideas (whether a direct citation or a paraphrase) must be accompanied by an IN TEXT citation of author and page number/website name (not website address). [MLA format is fine – example: “quotation sentence” (Howell, 510)]. **Include a reference list at the end with complete citation information and website addresses where appropriate. Information about how to do this is at: https://www.sdmesa.edu/library/cite-sources/ Image (10).pdf Image (11).pdf Image (22).pdf Image (12).pdf Image (13).pdf Image (14).pdf Image (15).pdf Image (16).pdf Image (17).pdf Image (18).pdf Image (19).pdf Image (20).pdf Image (21).pdf CQR The Presidency Published by CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. www.cqresearcher.com CQ Researcher • Nov. 16, 2018 • www.cqresearcher.com Volume 28, Number 41 • Pages 969-992 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE ◆ AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD I N S I D E THIS REPORT THE ISSUES ............................971 BACKGROUND ......................977 CHRONOLOGY ......................979 CURRENT SITUATION ..........984 AT ISSUE ................................985 OUTLOOK ..............................987 BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................990 THE NEXT STEP ...................991 The Presidency Is the executive branch too powerful? P resident Trump’s governance style has heightened long-standing concerns that presidents have been asserting more power, through executive orders and other means, than the Constitution intended. For instance, no president has asked Congress for a declaration of war since World War II even though the Constitution reserves war-making power to the legislative branch. Some historians date the growth of presidential control to the New Deal-era expansion of the federal government, and others to the end of the Cold War and a decline of foreign policy expertise in Congress. Critics of Trump, pointing to his mounting executive orders and criticism of the justice system, worry that the American system of checks and balances could be in peril. Others see Trump’s overturning of standing policies as the inevitable result of rising presidential power under both Republicans and Democrats. Trump’s support- ers say he is doing exactly what he was elected to do: disrupt Washington’s traditions. Whether future presidents will follow Trump’s example remains an open question. President Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Nov. 5, 2018. Trump’s leadership style has exacerbated long-standing concerns that presidents — both Republican and Democratic — have been asserting more power, through executive orders and other means, than the Constitution intended. THE PRESIDENCY 970 CQ Researcher EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Thomas J. Billitteri
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[email protected] ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR: Val Ellicott CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sarah Glazer, Alan Greenblatt, Reed Karaim, Barbara Mantel, Patrick Marshall, Tom Price SENIOR PROJECT EDITOR: Olu B. Davis EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Natalia Gurevich PROOFREADER: Michelle Harris FACT CHECKERS: Eva P. Dasher, Betsy Towner Levine, Robin Palmer An Imprint of SAGE Publications Inc. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL LEARNING RESOURCES: Karen Phillips ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, LIBRARY EDITORIAL: Todd Baldwin Copyright © 2018 CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. SAGE reserves all copyright and other rights herein, unless pre vi ous ly spec i fied in writ- ing. No part of this publication may be reproduced electronically or otherwise, without prior written permission. Un au tho rized re pro duc tion or trans mis- sion of SAGE copy right ed material is a violation of federal law car ry ing civil fines of up to $100,000. CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional Quarterly Inc. 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THE ISSUES 971 • Are the checks and balances on presidential power still working? • Will President Trump’s nontraditional behavior alter the presidency for good? • Has the office of the president grown too big for one person? BACKGROUND 977 Checks and BalancesThe Founders limited execu- tive branch power. 978 Expanding AuthorityAbraham Lincoln broadened presidential powers during the Civil War. 981 The “Imperial” PresidencyRichard M. Nixon said he had the power to defy Congress. 984 Age of GridlockCritics say Congress’ partisan divide has rendered it inef- fective. CURRENT SITUATION 984 Russia ProbeThe investigation’s future is uncertain. 986 Congress vs. the PresidencyDemocrats say they will in- vestigate Trump’s finances. 986 Going to CourtTrump so far has won only one lawsuit filed against his administration. OUTLOOK 987 Bully PulpitTrump’s style is reshaping the nature of the office. SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS 972 Clinton Issued Most Executive Orders in First Year Obama issued the least. 973 Americans Leery of Greater Presidential Power They overwhelmingly oppose expanding it. 976 Parties Trade Control of Congress Democrats and Republicans have shared power in six of the last 19 Congresses. 979 ChronologyKey events since 1789. 980 War Declarations Not Sought in Modern Times Presidents dislike “having to go to Congress and fight that out.” 982 Is Trump Violating the Emoluments Clauses? The president’s properties could invite special treatment, critics say. 985 At Issue:Does a U.S. president have the authority to pardon himself? FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 989 For More InformationOrganizations to contact. 990 BibliographySelected sources used. 991 The Next StepAdditional articles. 991 Citing CQ ResearcherSample bibliography formats. Cover: AFP/Getty Images/Mandel Ngan Nov. 16, 2018 Volume 28, Number 41 Nov. 16, 2018 971www.cqresearcher.com The Presidency THE ISSUES I n his first year in office, President Trump over-turned more than 100 Obama-era policies on issues ranging from immigration to the environment. He also withdrew the United States from international agree- ments to limit climate change and curb Iran’s nuclear ambi- tions and said he has the power to pardon former advisers ensnared by special counsel Robert S. Mueller’s investigation of Russian election interference — and even to pardon himself. 1 Recently, Trump said he wanted to amend a long- established interpretation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment by declaring that it does not automatically grant citizenship to noncitizens’ U.S.-born children. 2 Trump’s actions have stirred new questions about where the limits of presidential power lie — questions that have persisted through- out the nation’s 242-year history but that have grown more pronounced during recent presidencies as political polariza- tion has increasingly gripped the nation. In some ways, say historians and presidential experts, Trump has merely continued a long-standing trend toward broadening executive authority, whether by claiming war-making powers or con- ducting foreign policy without congres- sional approval. Checks and balances on the presidency have been eroding for decades, experts say, as presidents increasingly have asserted more author- ity than the Founders intended. Yet, while other recent presidents have stretched the boundaries of presidential power, perhaps none has stirred as much controversy as Trump over the limits of that power. Moreover, Trump’s unconventional behavior has triggered questions about whether he is permanently reshaping the very norms and