PSC 305: PRESIDENCY AND CONGRESS.

By Jeremy Lewis. Revised 22 Apr. '08 with presenters of Nivola readings.
Documentary films will only be shown in brief excerpts, and only when time permits.
Spring '08 NO classes: 21 Jan (MLK), 6-7 Mar. (Winter break), 21-31 Mar. (Spr. break), 9 Apr. (Assesst. day), 6 May (Dead day).
Week: [01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10] [Spring Break] [11] [12] [Paper] [13] [14] [15] [Final]

PSC 305:	Presidency & Congress: WEEKLY TOPICS & Links to current notes
Week	Author:	Reading: Topic (documentaries shown subject to time available)	Speakers
Week 1 only Th 17 Jan	Edwards 1:	Presidential Leadership: An Introduction Wadsworth Publishers' Site \| Book Description What were the original dilemmas over the design of the presidency? How has the president grown into the presidency? What are the contemporary problems of running the presidency? How, and to what degree, do the media and interest groups pressure the presidency? What types of presidential leadership does Edwards discuss? What is Edwards's approach to the subject?
		US constitution, Article II (annotated by Cornell Law School)	*NEW*
Week 2 22-24 Jan (M MLK)	Edwards 2:	Nomination Process How is the US nomination process unique? What are the stages of the nomination process? Who should be allowed to select the party's nominee, and in what forum? What role do the states play in nominating candidates? What qualities come to the fore of the nomination process?
	Edwards 3:	Presidential Election. How are presidential elections organized? What are the stages of the general election? Do presidential elections guarantee executive leadership?
	PSC web	Election '08: Blog \| Debate Notes \| Charts List Election '06 Results: Maps and Charts \| Analysis
		Video: War Room (Clinton campaign, 1992) *NEW* How did a 3rd rank candidate win the presidency in 1992? Is it feasible to run a campaign openly, with a large group of young people having access? Must a campaign manager be machiavellian -- or is there room for ideals? Film: Speechless (recommended) How true to life is this fictional account of the campaign trail?
Week 3 29-31 Jan	Edwards 4: Edwards 5:	President & Public President & Media. Presidential debates. How are presidential relations with the public organized? With what instruments can a president persuade the public? How useful are press conferences? Does it matter if the president's approval ratings drop? Which presidents are more effective with the media?
		video: CBS, "The Real Life of Ron Reagan" video: Sander Vanocur, "The President and the Media." (when time permits) Late Jan, eve: Presidential State of the Union Address. Dorm: TV analysis event? How did president Reagan become a hero? When did president Reagan make the transition from actor to politician? Are there consistent patterns of presidential behavior with the media? Are some presidents able to use the media, while others are used by the media? What are the characteristics of State of the Union speeches, and who are the target audiences?
Week 4 5-7 Feb	Edwards 6: Edwards 7	President's Office . Presidential Decision Making . How is the White House Staff organized? How does the Exective Office assist the president? What are the principal theories of decisionmaking? How do different presidents make decisions so as to use their own qualities?
		Election '08: Tuesday 5 Feb. is "Superduper Tuesday," with 20 state primaries. Video: ABC, One Minute to Midnight: The Cuban Missile Crisis [as time permits] Early Feb, eve: Presidential Budget Message, Possible TV evening. How did President Kennefy face up to the Cuban missile crisis? How did JFK organize his decision making process? What options were available to the president? What caused a solution to the crisis to become possible?
Week 5 12-14 Feb	Edwards 8: Edwards 9:	Psychological Presidency. [Lecture] President & Executive Branch. How does presidential character affect the conduct of office? What character flaws have been fatal to presidencies? What character qualities make for successful chief executives? How does the presidency "ride herd" on the executive branch? What offices assist the presidency in influencing the larger bureaucracies?
		Film: All the President's Men. (on Watergate scandal, recommended) video CBS TV, Watergate: The Secret Story. (Documentary). What flaws brought down the otherwise capable presidency of Richard Nixon?
Week 6 19-21 Feb	Edwards 10:	President & Congress How can the president obtain legislation from the Congress? What enumerated powers does the president wield over the legislature? What enumerated powers of Congress restrain the president? What inherent (or implied) powers (un)balance the branches?
Midterm Essay Test: THURS Week 6
Week 7 26-28 Feb	Edwards 11:	President and Judiciary. How can the president nominate the judiciary? How does the judiciary secure its independence of political power? How satisfied have presidents been with their judicial appointees?
	Nivola 7:	#28: Hamilton, "Federalist No. 69" What was this Founders' view of the role of the judiciary in US politics? What alternative views are there of the role of the judiciary?	Rick
	Edwards 12:	Domestic Policy Making. How can the president influence domestic policy, and in what major areas? To what degree is the president buffeted by interest groups in making domestic policy?
Week 8 only T 4 Mar (Wtr brk)	Edwards 13:	Budgetary & Economic Policy Making. What are the main stages of making the US budget? What limits are there to presidential power over the US economy? How much of the budget is "uncontrollables"? To what degree are presidents blamed for the weaknesses of the US economy?
	Nivola 7:	#29: Wildavsky, "Two Presidencies" #32: Kearns, "Lyndon Johnson & American Dream" How different is presidential power in foreign versus domestic policy? How powerful was president Johnson -- and what destroyed his re-election chances?	Brady XX -
Week 9 11-13 Mar	Edwards 14: Edwards 15:	Foreign & Defense Policy Making The Unilateral Presidency video: PBS, Nixon in China (when time permits) How does the presidency make foreign policy, and with what instruments? In what ways did president W. Bush break with the traditions of presidential foreign policy? Can Congress effectively constrain a president in foreign policy? What role does the Commander in Chief function play in presidential power?
	Curtis v.1:	Machiavelli[corrected link] Does any president -- even Nixon or W. Bush -- resemble Machiavelli's prince? Is Machiavelli's work actually machiavellian?	Corby
Week 10 18-20 Mar	Loomis 1: Loomis 2:	Drama of Representation Congressional Decentralization and re-centralization How is representation visualized in the US? How has Congress dispersed and re-gathered power in the Speaker, majority Leader, and commmittee chairman, over the years?
	Loomis 3:	Changing Environment of Congressional Politics How has Congress changed, and why do congressman seek to retire? What are the environmental characteristics that determine which types of politician will survive?
(GF)		Good Friday and Spring Break: No classes
Week 11 1-3 Apr	Loomis 4: Loomis 5:	Congressional Elections: Roots of Centrifugal Congress Congressional Committees What are the rules of congressional elections, and how do they vary? How do congressional committees operate, and what powers do they wield? How do committees vary, and are there consistent patterns of behavior?
		US constitution, Article I (annotated by Cornell Law School)	*NEW*
Week 12 8-10 Apr	Loomis 6:	Parties and Leadership: Capturing the Congress PBS, "The Long March of Newt Gingrich." [video] How do parties play their roles in winning control of Congress and leading on policy? What are the roles of the Speaker, majority leader, minority leader and whips? What does the example of Gingrich tell us about the limits of leadership in the House?
	Loomis 7:	The Individual Enterprise How does a congressional staff office work, and with what resources? What are the common roles taken by congressional staff?
		Research paper due in next class, Tues week 13
Week 13 15-17 Apr	Loomis 8:	Presidential-Congressional Relations: Focus, Auth & Negotiation How can presidents manipulate Congress, and with what instruments? In a crisis between president and Congress, is the Congress bound to lose?
	Nivola 6: Nivola 7:	#23: Madison, "Federalist 51" #30: Neustadt, "Power to Persuade" #31: Jones, "Separating to Govern: American Way" Why does Madison argue for the separation of powers? In what ways does the president rely on persuasion rather than command authority? How can separated institutions govern through cooperation?	Herb Maegan Chanley
Week 14 22-24 Apr	Loomis 9: Nivola 6:	Legislative Process and Rules of Game #26: Polsby, "Institutionalization of the US House" #27: Fenno, "Congressmen in Committees" How do bills become law -- or, more commonly, fail? How do the chambers differ in procedures? How do the rules shape the game of legislating? Can Congress be said to have its own bureaucracy? How do committees operate in Congress, and how do they differ?	- Doug Cole
		PBS Frontline, The Clinton Years [video] PBS Frontline, "Fall of Newt Gingrich". [video] How successful was president Clinton in adapting to political circumstances? Did president Clinton demonstrate permanent values -- or political agility? Does the fall of Gingrich tell us anything permanent about the Speaker's office? Can a US Speaker act as a British Prime Minister? In a confrontation between Speaker and President, who usually wins, and why? In what sense is Clinton -- or Gingrich -- a tragic character?
Week 15 29 Apr-1 May	Loomis 10:	Partisanship, Individualism, & Contemporary Congress How has the Congress changed since 1994, and what has driven that change? Why do representatives commonly run against Congress? What binds representatives together to pass needed but unpopular policy? If everyone follows district interests, how is the common interest supported?
	Nivola 6:	#24: Miller & Stokes, "Constituency Influence" #25: Mayhew, "Divided We Govern" How do constitutencies influence congressional policymaking? If Congress is controlled by one party, and the executive by the other -- will gridlock result?	Jesseca Shane
+ M 5 May		Conclusions
Dead Day: T 6 May \| W 7 May, 11:30, Comprehensive FINAL Essay examination.

Resources:

Here's the Center for the Study of the Presidency's link

(look for their Annual Symposium in April, essay awards and Fellowships for undergrads):

http://www.thepresidency.org/ .

Here's their journal, Presidential Studies Quarterly, very readable and useful for term papers:

http://www.thepresidency.org/psq/index.htm .

Additional, recommended readings (formerly required):

Dodd & Oppenheimer, eds, Congress Reconsidered. Popular anthology of perspectives, great for term papers, frequently updated in new editions.
Curtis v.2: Herbert Spencer

How closely does the political campaign reflect survival of the fittest?
What are the dangers of assisting uncompetitive humans?

Curtis v.1: Plato

How closely do US presidential candidates resemble philosopher kings?
Do human talents divide into three classes?
Would abolition of the family improve the political structure?
Can one support a moral cause with a noble lie?