PS201 Review
PS201 Review
PS201 Review
These discussion questions are to help refresh your memory on course material. This is
not a comprehensive study guide, if you want to do well on the exam you will need to
utilize the textbook and recorded lectures as well as your notes because these questions
do not cover everything.
As you are studying, think about the positive and negative effects that changes in
government structure or processes might have.
g.
4. Why is the modern Congress often gridlocked or viewed as ineffective?
a. Modern Congress is often gridlocked or viewed as ineffective because of the
difficulty to make collective decisions among political parties, as well as the
chambers themselves (the Senate and the House of Representatives). Congress
heavily relies on committees (know the different types) which filter bills and
effectively reduce the number of bills introduced to the floor (increasing
efficiency). However, committees can also have political bias which leads to the
withholding of bills for purely ideological reasons, so while they can be effective
in some instances, in most, bills never make it to the floor, meaning fewer and
fewer bills are being passed.
b.
5. At what points can a bill fail (die) in the legislative process?
a. On the house calendar, sometimes it doesn’t reach the floor at all
b. In committee, when it gets to floor, can pass different versions which then means
a conference committee must vote and if they don’t agree then it dies, president
can veto, congress overrides veto and it becomes a law, once a law supreme
court can kill the law (judiciary)
c. If an agreement cannot be reached, the bill “dies.” If an agreement is
reached, the bill returns to both chambers. Both the Senate and the
House of Representatives must approve the bill before it can be sent to
the governor for signature. The Governor Signs The Bill Into Law.
d. Look at the chart in your textbook
e. https://www.voxmagazine.com/city/how-a-bill-lives-and-how-a-bill-
dies/article_97cebf42-d7b7-11e8-bc11-6bcf8d3e18d1.html#1
f.
6. What are the different theories of presidential power and what do they say affects
power?
See below
a. What affects presidential greatness?
1) Tenure in office
2) Public Persuasion
3) Military hero
4) Crisis Leadership
5) Economic Growth
6) Intellectual brilliance
7) Assassination
8) Scandal
9) Longer serve in office
10) Moral Authority
11) International Relations
7. What did the War Powers Act of 1973 do?
a. The War Powers Act of 1973 requires the president to inform Congress within 48
hours of committing troops abroad in a military action. It also requires the
operation to end within 60 days unless Congress approves an extension. The bill
was passed over Nixon’s veto.
8. Describe / Summarize Article II of the Constitution
a. Article II of the constitution states the power of the executive branch is vested in
the president. It enumerates the powers given to the president, such as they are
the commander in chief of the army, they can make treaties etc. It also describes
the process for electing and removing the president and establishes the
president’s powers as well as their responsibilities. It says that the president has
to be elected through the electoral college and must be a natural born citizen of
at least 35 years of age. Article II also discusses term length. Article II discusses
the terms of presidential succession (what would happen if the president died,
removed from office, or resigned). It is also stated that presidential pay may not
be changed during the term.
9. What are the informal powers of the President, and what purpose do they serve?
What are the limitations of these informal powers?
a. The informal powers of the president include issuing executive orders,
b. influencing legislative agenda
c. Activating the military without a declaration of war. Limitations of the president
include that they need congressional approval to declare war
d. Signing Statements
e. Etc. There are more
10. How has Presidential power changed over time and what have been the
ramifications of these changes?
a. Give examples
b. Presidential power has increased over time due to the involvement of the United
States in global politics as well as the necessity of presidential power during
times of crisis.
c. Growth of the size of government is another reason presidential power
has increased. Why might this be the case?
d. FDR Modern presidency shifts towards, significant role for the president in
domestic policy, dominant role for president in foreign policy, substantial
administrative state, and vast federal government with expansive policy
responsibilities.
e. Ramifications: The president’s unilateral policymaking ability is limited by money
(because of Congress), this often leads to gridlock. Polarization. Too much
presidential power undermines the American democratic system.
11. What is the bureaucracy, how has it changed over time and why has it grown?
What are the impacts of these changes?
- George Washington was given the sole right of removal of officials by the First
Congress. Thanks to Vice President John Adams’ tie breaking vote in the Senate. -
thanks john
- The Spoils System- created by Andrew Jackson to democratize administration, it
supported rotation in offices and allowed winning parties to dispense government jobs.
- The fight against the Spoils System began with the Pendleton Act (1883).This was a
response to Garfield’s assasination. :( The Pendleton Act was the basis of the modern
civil service, but put only 10 percent of federal jobs under the merit system.
- The Brownlow Committee- as the power of the Federal government and presidential
power increased, the president found himself more in need of help. In 1937, the
Brownlow Committee created the Executive Office of the President as a collection of
agencies designed to advise and otherwise assist presidents.
- The bureaucracy is a complex structure of offices, tasks, and rules in which employees
have specific responsibilities and work within a hierarchy of authority. Government
bureaucracies are charged with implementing policies
- The bureaucracy has changed and has expanded over time with economic growth. More
government agencies were needed to regulate this growing economy.
- The impacts of these changes include a more powerful federal government and
executive branch, being able to better respond to the needs of the people due to
specialization; helps us avoid corruption and incentivizes high quality work
Congress
● Crash Course on the Bicameral Congress
● Crash Course - Congressional Elections
● Crash Course - Congressional Committees
● Crash Course - Congressional Leadership
● Crash Course - How a Bill Becomes a Law
● Crash Course - Congressional Decisions
● Kahn Academy - The Senate and the House of Representatives
● Kahn Academy - Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress
● Kahn Academy - Congressional Behavior
● Kahn Academy - Congressional Elections
The Presidency
● Crash Course Presidential Powers (Part 1 - Formal Powers)
● Crash Course Presidential Powers Part 2 (Informal Powers ---Growth of Presidential
Powers)
● Crash Course How Presidents Govern
● Changes to the role of the Presidency
● Expansion of Presidential Power
● How Have the Powers of the President Changed
The Bureaucracy
● Bureaucracy Basics - Crash Course
● Types of Bureaucracies - Crash Course
● Controlling Bureaucracies - Crash Course
● Introduction to the federal bureaucracy - Khan Academy
● Iron Triangles and Issue Networks - Kahn Academy
● Discretionary and Rule-making Authority -Kahn Academy
● Congressional Oversight of the Bureaucracy - Kahn Academy
● Presidential Oversight of the Bureaucracy - Kahn Academy