Essay 14

2008-2)A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy:

Two formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy is enforcing and maintaining the laws and vetoing bills that would otherwise become laws. Some of these powers include the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States,  and the power to nominate ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not otherwise provided for.  and shall be established by law. They shall then have the power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. 

Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policy making in Congress.

Mandatory spending is spending on certain programs that are required by existing law. This limits the presidents ability to influence domestic policy making in congress because there are certain aspects of domestic policy that money must be spent on. An example of this is that social security is expected to be paid for by american citizens. There is a limit to how much money the government has to spend on domestic policy just as there is also a limit to how much can be spent overall. The president is limited on influencing Congress on domestic policymaking because there may not be enough money in the budget to spend on policy changes. 

Party polarization is when a single party is divided into two separate groups because of a disagreement in opinion and/or ideology. The division of the group is because they cannot come to a compromise. Party polarization limits the presidents ability to influence domestic policymaking in congress because he will not be able to persuade the opposite party to support his policy. This means that legislature would not get passed unless the party of the president had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and the house of reps has a majority that was also the party of the resident.