Midterm Review Blog
This week please use the blog to review for the exam. Feel free to post general or
specific questions or thoughts and then respond to each others posts.
You do not need to write anything more than brief blog entries but I
strongly encourage you to check into the blog regularly to look for
questions and to help share ideas to review for the exam. The more
entries that you add the better for everyone. Make sure to
review other entries so that you have correct concepts before the exam.
A couple of hints:
1. Use the review sheet (but don't psych yourself out) it is supposed to help you.
2.
Make sure that you have core concepts for each of the sections down,
as you begin to connect those large concepts work to include
other ideas and identifications connected to those core ideas.
3. Make sure to review readings and class notes.
Does anyone know where the Jeffery Tulis reading is?
ReplyDeleteDoes Richard Neustadt believe that the president has a limited amount of power in the goverment becuse of checks and balances? Does he believe that the president's role is to put pressure on congress to pass bills? Does he believe that the president is a clerk? Which reading talks about Neudstadt? What is the second element of populisim? What happened at the constitutional convention(goals, challenges, and compormises)? Lastly, what is Shey's Rebellion?
ReplyDeleteI will try to answer some more later, but Shay's Rebellion was caused by an early financial crisis and farmers led by Daniel Shay organized an attempt to seize an armory in Mass. They mobilized quickly and effectively and had to be put down with force. We spoke about this in class as a response to the Whiskey Rebellion, which was put down without force. This was all tied into the achievements of GW- we said that GW 1. The national govt under the constitution was stronger 2. President was able to make decisive and energetic decisions.
ReplyDeleteHope it was helpful- if someone could verify, or maybe even Professor Epstein that would also be helpful
To help respond to some of Jonathan’s questions about Neustadt and how the president should be viewed:
ReplyDeleteRichard Neustadt says that the president is someone who is working in a very complex system. There is very little that the president can do on his own, but the position is very flexible and the president can act however he choses (for example, Obama vs Bush, they are very different people).
this is the system and the president is the most powerful actor in this system
Executive---president
Legislative-congress and the senate
Judicial-federal court system
As well we have a system of checks and balances which keeps all three of these in line
Fred Greenstein –“there’s more power in the presidents hands than in any other prime ministers hands”
Richard Neustadt-2 positions of the president:
He is a leader-he is incredibly influential, he has much more influence than any other individual in our political system, and he uses that influence all the time. Who he sees, who he listens to, and who he gives opportunity to speak are all within his power.
He is always a clerk. He serves others. The president constantly has people asking him for things. Even the people not in his party need the president to lay out a clear agenda so that they can oppose it.
We gauge a president’s success by viewing his wills and skills. The wills are the powers of the presidency as they exist (things that are in the constitution, what he is able to do). His skills, are what define him as an individual. His backgrounds, what he is able to do, what he has done, and how effective he’s been. We can gauge him by looking at his short term and long term accomplishments. We look at his appearance as well.
Can some be a mitzvah boy and explain Tulis's 1st and 2nd constitutional presidencies regarding Constitutional officer and Rhetorical presidency.
ReplyDeleteThanks
I just copied what is from my notes on here, if its not clear, re-post and I will clarify
ReplyDelete1st Constitutional Presidency- “Big C”- it is dictated by the constitution- Letters and Bill of Rights- these letters talk about what is between the lines- they are the best source of what the constitution meant to the people who wrote it. Focuses on energy- constitution. It was fixed based on what the president could and could not do. Fixed and set by federalist papers. (this is similar to what Rockman said) It was fixed to create a limited government and to define what his role was as president. The majority should play a role what is in our government- therefore the majority is not always right. We need the president to remain independent. The whims of the public should help. People feared a demagogue, someone who would use public opinion to take away public rights. Therefore by protecting the president from public opinion this was a means to the end.
Separation of powers- checks and balances. They want to be really good at something…
Federalist 23- the presidency- the role of the presidency is necessary because it needs to provide sufficient energy and the idea here is that a singular executive needs to be powerful enough to act efficiently, because the rest of the system was built with a ton of barriers for design.
2nd Constitutional Presidency- “Little C”- based on Woodrow Wilson- before he was president he was a constitutional scholar. He thought that the independence of the presidency doesn’t need to be separate- but it needs to be intimately connected to the public. Therefore he should not be caught up in individual districts and minorities. You can also label this presidency as the “rhetorical presidency”- there job is to scale it down and tell the public what it should be. (key here is the communication to the public) Clinton was big on this presidency- he followed public opinion- but what happened to shift him back to the 1st? Impeachment-
Bush was the opposite- he played more of a background role- until 9-11 then he took on more of a role that was important.
Regarding Bimes and Mulroy and Rhetoric, does anyone know what the professor means regarding "patterns"? is that just the different ways it was used, between Jackson and Lincoln, up to Obama?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the "energy" that Tulis refers to in Big C constitutional presidency?
ReplyDeleteCould someone please explain to me the four psychological factors that James David Barber spoke about?
ReplyDeletedoes anyone know what professor Epstein mean by a formalistic, competitive and/or collegial management styles on the review sheet under 1. e. iv.?
ReplyDeleteIs no one else gonna answer anything...?
ReplyDeleteEnergy means the ability to act quickly and decisively during times of war. We spoke about it regarding Federalist paper 23
Hey Zach, to talk about Bimes and Mulroy and the "patterns" in presidential leadership. I get from my notes that patterns are simply how things are done, here referring to the way the president talks. I have written that the style of the presidents' speech has NOT changed much.
ReplyDeleteThey have been using the tool of POPULISM- namely speaking to the masses and using the people's will as fuel for support
1)presidents legitimate their actions through popular authority and they carry out the will of the people (their mandate)
2)They use antagonistic language in order to pit the masses AGAINST special interests groups- for example, the wealthy.
Andrew jackson is a great example.
This type of populist rhetoric rears its head in all parties.
I put some things in caps feeling it was the best way to bold. If anyone has anything to add to what i wrote, b'chavod. Also I'm not so sure on Obama's use of populism- i could guess, of course.
Thanks a lot Ben...
ReplyDeleteBen, didnt we say Obamas use of populism was taxing the weathly, so siding with the poor. And Obama and the democrats say this isnt populism and if it is populism it is an extremely weak form of populism. Does anyone disagree with this?
ReplyDeleteFor a little clarification... Patters in rhetoric started from Jackson- Wilson to now. Presidents used rhetoric for different things. Jackson used it rally the masses against the wealthy, Obama (unclear) might be using it as class warfare against wealthy...
ReplyDeleteI think Jesse explained it well
For the four types of presidents here it is: The first baseline in defining presidential types is activity-passivity. How much energy does the man invest in his presidency? Lyndon Johnson went at his day like a human cyclone, coming to rest long after the sun went down. Calvin Coolidge often slept eleven hours a night and still needed a nap in the middle of the day.
ReplyDeleteThe second baseline is positive-negative affect toward one’s activity— that is, how he feels about what he
does. Relatively speaking, does he seem to experience his political life as happy or sad, enjoyable or
discouraging, positive or negative in its main effect.is he someone who, on the surfaces we can see, gives forth the feeling that he has fun in political life?
Hey Baruch. Those three categories are the different types of presidential managerial styles.
ReplyDeleteFormalist- Clear division of labor among staff with defined procedures. The Chief of staff tries to manage the flow of information that reaches the Presidents desk and combs out out everything except the highest priority information
Competitive- There is a lot of conflict among the many advisors. The president listens to the arguments and makes the final decisions.
Collegial- Group problem solving among the staff with shared responsibility. The president makes the final decision from options the staff gives him.
Most presidents don't have one style exclusively and instead use a combination of the styles to manage effectively.
In 4-b-iv. Whats does it mean a "living constitution"?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what can/cant the president control?
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly the "living constitution" is?
"Living constitution" refers to those the approach to loosely interpreting the Constitution. This would be the opposite to those who argue for strict interpretation, based on the Founders' intent. They would oppose loosely interpreting it, as that would allow judge's too much leeway for their own opinions (judicial activism). Jefferson was a strict interpretationist.
ReplyDeletePosted for David:
ReplyDeleteCan anyone explain what George Washington's "ideas of the office" and "leadership style" were (#5, {part a} on the review sheet)? From what I've seen reviewing my notes and going over the readings he didn't have much of a "style" or "ideas" in regard to the presidency, unless you count a slightly Federalist approach to policy ("style"?) and a dignified way of being president that might have been part of his strategy of establishing the authority of the new government ("ideas of the office"?).
just to clarify with what Zamir said-
ReplyDeleteliving constitution has to do with how many people were involved in making it, thus it is s compromise of ideas, and most importantly it is vague and can be amended, allowing it to maintain structure but modify and adapt with the changing times...thus "living"
David,
ReplyDeleteWashingtons idea of office were unity of the people, neutrality, was against multiple parties and wanted to set country boarders.
His leadership style was very a political. He was meticulous, mytholical, decisive and organized.
Hope that is helpful