POLI 3116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Tyrant, Spoils System, World War I
11 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
Why study the pre-modern presidency, continuities: effects of past on present. Powers defined by tradition and precedent: not in the constitution, but plays a very important role, duties defined by expectations, balance of the two, contingencies: contingency of present arrangements. Presidency is not invariant, not a given : congress plays a role, nothing automatic or natural about how it started, nothing to guarantee the future. A product of choices with consequences: contradictions: tension between conflicting attitudes, want vs. fear strong executive leadership, when you give an executive too much power, bad things can happen, political polarization going back to the 80s. Hero vs. tyrant : constitutional origins: the presidency on paper - what does it say, and why, colonial era. Status of office - how the presidency is in the constitution: created the three branches, nature of powers (implied vs. enumerated, article i vs. Term of office: fixed term - 4 years.
