-Requirements of the presidency
-Powers of the presidency- formal and informal
-Cabinet
-Leadership
-Electoral College
-Presidential Bureaucracy
COURSE WEBSITE
https://sites.google.com/a/soudertonsd.us/hs-socialstudies-klimovich/home/the-presidency
Requirements:
1. 2 links to articles after January 1, 2016 from credible NEWS source
2. 2 Paragraph reflection
-Paragraph #1- What happened?
-Paragraph #2- How does this issue reflect the themes of our unit?
-include specific themes and vocab
HW GRADE- 10 pts every blog.
DUE DATES: Presidency and Constitutional Underpinnings
-Blog #1 due Wednesday, February 3
-Blog #2 due Wednesday, February 10
http://www.rttnews.com/2599417/obama-s-approval-rating-mixed-ahead-of-state-of-the-union.aspx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/state-of-the-union-2016-poll/
The two given articles discuss the Obama's performance in both his presidency and the recent state of the union speech given by President Obama on Tuesday January 12th. A poll taken prior to the speech displayed that Americans’ approval ratings are split. 46% approving and 47% disapproving. As can be expected, more republicans disapprove than democrats. Obama’s approval ratings have hovered in the mid 40s since his second term has begun, which is relatively higher than some past presidents but also relatively lower than others. Reflecting upon the president’s state of the union speech, individual polls were taken for the stances he took on large issues such as climate change, gun policy, the economy, terrorism, and immigration to see who believed each stance was a step in the right direction. Despite the high rating for Obama’s speech matching the record achieved in 2013, 48% of people feel his presidency, overall, has fallen short of their expectations.
Both of these articles demonstrate an informal power of the president and his ability to use such power to maintain public support. The most evident informal power shown is Obama’s use of the bully pulpit. His use of the bully pulpit is shown through the state of the union speech because during these speeches, the president has greatly visible to most of those concerned with politics. For this reason, the state of the union address for all presidents is exclusive opportunity to utilize the power of the bully pulpit. As shown by the high ratings, Obama successfully used the bully pulpit in this particular state of the union speech. Any president can do attempt to do this to mobilize support for a policy or raise the approval ratings. Unfortunately for Obama, his approval ratings have not drastically changed since the start of his second term, showing a long term inability to effectively sway the minds of the public. It cannot be forgotten, though, that if the trend of effectiveness in the use of the bully pulpit continues throughout the final stages of Obama’s presidency, the approval ratings can rise.
One major event that occurred fairly recently regarding the presidency was President Obama’s last state of the Union address. In his speech to Congress, he essentially reviewed his entire presidency, since he is now entering the lame duck presidency. The biggest issue that Obama attempted to address during his speech was power abroad with the rising ISIS threat. Obama also addressed some topics brought up by current presidential candidates. Surprisingly, President Obama did not make any mention on gun control, give how it has become a major issue over the past few months
ReplyDeleteThis article clearly shows the duty of the president to give a State of the Union address. This also reflects how the president is able to influence what Congress focuses on with legislation.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/state-of-the-union-2016-highlights/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/01/13/six-takeaways-obama-state-of-the-union/78716648/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obamas-democratic-divide-1454460338
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/us/politics/obama-and-paul-ryan-have-lunch-mitch-mcconnell.html?_r=0
In recent news, Democrat presidential candidates have been rallying, fighting tooth and nail for the majority of votes, which Clinton managed to squeeze the win for Iowa the future of the race is truly unknown. Hillary seems to be the obvious candidate to closely follow in Obama’s footsteps if elected to office, but Obama’s statement and some policy may have made some of Sanders arguments seem slightly more valid. In other news, Obama and top Republican congress leaders, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, met for lunch February 2016 to discuss a possible truce between the two parties. While no word has been released as to the outcome of the meeting, Obama has been quoted as “optimistic” about the wine and dine.
Earlier in the Presidency unit, we discussed that it is simply easier for the incumbent to be elected. Considering Clinton’s close ties to President Obama, as she served as his Secretary of the State, Clinton would be as close to an incumbent as possible without being the current president. The article touches on the statement Obama made about income inequality, but in contradiction that his own economic policy was created record slow economic growth and a greater gap between the rich in poor. In our class we talked about the formal powers of the President. Here we see Obama using his power, but his words don’t quite match his actions. In the second article we see a chance at peace where Obama is meeting with other leadership, perhaps using his powerful voice to pass his agenda. Obama’s term is coming to an end, without an end to gridlock he will be unable to pass his final laws, and further have a legacy that he would most likely not prefer.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/opinions/obama-american-mosque-visit-moghul/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/1/obama-trip-md-mosque-good-country-white-house-says/
The two current news articles that I found regarding the presidency were about President Obama’s visit to a mosque in Baltimore on February 1st. Obama has never visited a mosque in the US, so this is a big deal. Many are saying that by him doing this, he is reaffirming that the religion of Islam is very peaceful for the most part and is not what most Americans believe it and its followers to be (including certain GOP candidates). He is also sending a message to American Muslims that their government really does not hate all of them.
In relation to what we learned in the presidency unit, Obama used his informal powers as he visited the Mosque. He used the bully pulpit by using his popularity to show the American people the message that he wanted to get across-- that a majority of Islamic Americans are very peaceful people. By doing this, he is in the role of Head of State, not as much as Head of Government.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/politics/obama-guns-legal-challenge/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nationalreview.com/article/337789/gun-control-executive-order-scott-coffina
Both articles speak of the executive actions about gun control that President Barack Obama has used early in this year. Frustration with Congress and America as a whole has lead President Obama to step up and use these actions; the mass shootings that have become routine within our country are a main driving factor for Mr. President. Obama wishes to expand background checks for all buyers, and eliminate the loopholes that small firearm sellers can take by not being required to keep formal sale records. He also plans to improve the efficiency of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), as well as improving the resources available to improve mental health. Both articles highlight that what President Obama is doing is really a grey area of his duties; some may say it is unconstitutional and oversteps federalism, while others view it as necessary for the people of the country.
What these articles are really talking about are President Obama’s informal powers. The Constitution does not specifically highlight that the President has the power to write an executive order, but by interpretation, this informal power has become a common tool among the Presidents of the United States. Executive orders are commonly written when Congress is in a state of gridlock, which is the inability to act because of different parties controlling the different sections of government. This is our current state with the divided government currently in place: President Obama is a democrat while both chambers of Congress are Republican. The real question now is if President Obama’s actions are constitutional. While executive orders are legal, some may see that President Obama is acting too much as a legislature, and is overstepping the separation of powers between the executive branch and legislative branch. Others believe that he is simply trying to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”, as stated as his duty in the Take Care Clause within the Constitution.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/04/white-house-wants-10-per-barrel-fee-on-oil.html
ReplyDeletehttps://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/01/04/live-updates-what-president-doing-keep-guns-out-wrong-hands
In the news lately with president Barrack Obama there has been many things stirring the pot up leading into the next election. Obama gave a speech about gun control and put forth executive action that mandates that sellers of firearms have to have a valid license. They are also going to run background checks on the people attempting to buy some of the most powerful weapons that are legal. Those checks are to help prevent people with criminal records and mental health issues to not be able to get their hands on a gun by going and buying it. Another thing in the news is Obama wants to charge oil companies $10 per gallon to help fund for other programs such as clean transportation projects. Oil companies would pay the fee, which would be gradually introduced over five years. The government would use the revenue to fund high-speed railways, autonomous cars and other travel systems, aiming to reduce emissions from the U.S. transportation system.
This issue reflects upon our unit because it is showing that the president has the power and is trying to get this stuff done before he is done in office. He is also using the bully pulpit in his speech about guns and how we should do this stuff to better the country.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2016/01/19/supreme-court-review-obama-plan-shield-immigrants-from-deportation/OiwWXMGad2zNBMQog30knI/story.html
ReplyDeletehttps://www.barackobama.com/news/an-immigration-update/
A little over fourteen months ago President Obama ordered the development of a program that could potentially allow 5 million illegal immigrants who are parents of citizens to stay in the U.S., and apply for working permits. The program would be known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA. Quickly following this announcement a coalition of 26 states lead by the attorney general in Texas, a republican, filed a lawsuit. They made claims saying the president was abusing his power as the head of the executive branch by side-stepping congress, and ignoring federal procedures for changing rules. About two weeks ago the Supreme Court announced they will review the legal challenges brought onto Obama's new program. The supreme Court has already dismissed claims brought onto Obama's Healthcare law. They will now review and determine the fate of one of the most far reaching executive powers. The Supreme Court will start the trial in April and make a decision by the end of June.
Pertaining to what we are discussing in class, the states suing are using checks and balances to potentially slow down or stop Obama from having full authority over his new illegal immigrant program. The Supreme Court is also using checks and balances to limit the president's powers by analyzing his program and seeing if it will significantly benefit the Nation as Obama is trying to claim (boost the economy $230 billion). Associating with the presidency unit Obama is using executive orders to avoid congress in the current gridlock and make his own laws without congress approval.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/politics/obama-executive-action-gun-control/
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/01/obama-to-impose-new-gun-control-curbs-next-week/
These articles relate to the recent executive orders coming from President Obama to increase background checks on gun buyers and to require licenses for all gun sellers, no matter their median. However he has to use an executive order as congress rejected a similar, yet a little harsher, bill back in 2013.
This shows the executive power of the president by showing him able to create law by bypassing congress. However, it does not show only that. Obama has stated that things he has been trying to pass can only be done so by the legislation. Which shows the equal system in the government. It shows that while the president can create laws through executive order, they are not as powerful as if congress were to pass the laws themselves which gives a protection to the people that the president is not going to go making absolutely crazy laws that congress can do nothing about.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/25/politics/obama-bans-juvenile-solitary-confinement/index.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newsweek.com/president-obama-solitary-confinement-ban-prison-reform-419943
With less than a year left in office, President Barack Obama uses his powers as president to make maybe one of his last big contributions of his term. On Monday, January 25th, President Obama announced he was putting a ban on using solitary confinement as a punishment on juveniles and low-level offenders in federal prisons. This ban has been wanted for a long time by advocates of prison reform due to the mental damage it causes to the inmates. President Obama says that this should only be used as a last resort if the inmates were to pose a threat to the staff. The main reasoning for this ban is that it is proven that juveniles in solitary confinement have a significantly lower chance of reentering society, and the whole goal of prison is to make the inmates functioning members of society again after their sentence. However, this ban is not fully supported by the country. While some states are in full support, others are slow to change their minds about this revisions.
Earlier this year, in our presidency unit, we discussed the president’s enumerated powers. He is in the highest position in the United States’ government so he has a huge amount of influential power and by using his power of the bully pulpit, he can easily express his ideas to the country. Also, more recently, we discussed the McCulloch vs. Maryland case. In this case, it was decided that federal level government is superior to state government. In this case, not all of the states are in support of President Obama’s ban. However, because of this case, the federal government’s decision is superior to to the states.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/03/465429197/obama-visits-mosque-in-u-s-for-first-time-during-his-presidency
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-mosque-faith-idUSKCN0VC2F7
Both these articles talk about President Obama's recent visit to a mosque in Baltimore on February 1st. This is the first time within Obama's 2 terms as president that he has visited an American mosque which is a huge stepping stone for Muslim-Americans. He stated, while in the mosque, that attacks on Islam are attacks on all religions and decried the "inexcusable political rhetoric" against Muslims from many Republican candidates. His purpose was to remind everyone the importance of religious freedom in the U.S. He wanted to remind America that we're the land of the free and that we have protect all faiths.
Obama was able to use informal powers of the presidency to allow the trip to happen and he used his powers to broadcast a greater message about his visit. In a way, this has to do with Obama's say in foreign affairs as he tried to divert the hatred against Muslim-Americans towards the Islamic radicals and wants the U.S. to focus on dismantling their empire as opposed to the religion itself.
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-president-obama-abusing-executive-power
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/opinion/sunday/presidential-candidates-silent-on-presidential-power.html?_r=0
Recently, Obama has been put under criticism due to his seemingly rushed, last minute executive orders regarding immigrants and deportation. The house has actually adopted a bill that would expedite congressional lawsuits against the chief executive for failure to enforce federal laws. Nearly all republicans in the house voted for this bill to be passed as well as few democrats. The problem that congress has with Obama administration at this time is that he is exceeding his executive abilities and will be unable to enforce the federal laws that he is applying to the country. In other news, NY Times notices the “silent treatment” given by presidential candidates when asked if they knew the limits of their executive powers if granted office.
Obviously there is a very blurred line between what the president can and cannot due. Obama seems to be under the impression that he has more power than what congress is content with. In class we did multiple activities regarding defining formal and informal powers as well as clarifying the line between congressional power and executive power. Although we defined it, as our nation progresses, changes and specifications to these limits need to be clarified. If not, the disagreements between congress and the executive branch will only grow larger and uglier.
http://www.newser.com/story/219506/neutral-obama-sounds-like-he-favors-clinton.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drudge.com/news/195173/does-obama-favor-clinton-over-sanders
President Barack Obama has promised to remain neutral during the Democratic presidential primary. However, recent stories containing comments from Obama suggest that he is heavily favoring Hillary Clinton. In an interview with Politico, Obama downplayed the suggestion that Bernie Sanders has the same determination and passion that Obama himself had in 2008. He added that "Bernie came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot and just letting loose". He would go on to say that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of politics, making a real-life difference to people in their day-to-day lives. Not only did Obama show that he is impressed with Hillary Clinton, but he also showed a good amount of sympathy. When asked if Clinton is facing "unfair scrutiny" this time around, his answer was yes, and he even admitted a tad of regret that his own campaign had been so hard on her eight years ago.
It is interesting to see and hear about these accusations, because you've got to wonder whether or not they are actually true. However, despite all of the different opinions, these two articles show the presidents ability to make heavy use of the bully pulpit. Look at it this way, if Obama really does favor Hillary Clinton, and feels that she is the best candidate, then he is going to do and say things to get his Democratic audience on Hillary's side, which is his side, which is a clear use of the bully pulpit.
http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=69125
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/22432-arizona-legislature-considering-bills-to-bypass-electoral-college
The two articles that I read were associated with the electoral college. The article's dealt with Arizona's recent attempts to try and bypass the electoral college. Arizona wants to pass the new legislature in order to change the national standard of the electoral college, in an attempt to revamp the electoral college. The articles also spoke of how the electoral college would be run. Once there is agreement by states totaling 270 electoral votes, each would require its electors to cast their vote for whoever wins the national popular vote. Many believe that this is totally against what the founding fathers would have wanted. Current and former Reps. believe that the electoral college is a very well structured system that insures that well educated electors can make the final vote and decide who the president. These arguments come at a very interesting time as we are entering the race for the presidency.
This relates to the presidency unit that we did because it is focusing on the electoral college. We actually did a simulation that involved us restructuring the electoral college and whether or not it should be removed from the voting process. The electoral is the main voting system in the United States used to elect its presidents and vice presidents.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/colombia-offers-obama-a-rare-foreign-policy-win-218416
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/with-peace-on-the-horizon-colombias-president-asks-obama-for-aid/
On Thursday, President Barack Obama met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to renew Plan Columbia. Plan Colombia is an ongoing 16 year old program where the United States aid millions of dollars to the Colombian government due to the civil war between the Colombian government and a rebel group called the FARC. After over 50 years of civil war with the rebel group, there are reports of potential peace talks with the group. Therefore, the White House announced that they are in the process of proposing $450 million in aid for the Colombian government this year to help Colombia rebuild their economy and combat against the Zika virus that has been infecting millions of infants throughout South America. Surprisingly, there are widespread bipartisan support from both the Republican and Democrats for this deal, thus there is a large probability that the aid package will be approved by Congress.
During this year, we discussed the various formal powers the president has based on the various articles within the Constitution. One of his formal powers is his ability to receive ambassadors due to the fact that he is the “head diplomat” of the United States government. Based on this power that he obtains from the government, he is able to have a large influence on the United States foreign policies and their relations with other countries around the world. His power is shown by this deal because he was the one who negotiated the large budget for the aid program for the Colombian government.
http://time.com/4209928/obama-mosque-true-islam/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-obama-muslims-reaction-20160204-snap-htmlstory.html
Recently, President Barack Obama delivered a speech at an American Mosque in Baltimore, receiving many mixed opinions and reviews of his actions. The President’s purpose, of course, was to “[condemn] rhetoric that discriminates on religious grounds and lauded the similarities in Islamic, Christian and Judaic values” (CNN). Obama also cited the values of Islam (against extremism), and specifically made connections on both Christianity and Islam by vocalizing the famous hadith from the Prophet Mohammed: “whoever wants paradise, let him treat his brother how he wants to be treated.” Additionally, Obama pushed the initiative for peace and basic education amongst all religions and races of the United States in an attempt to dissolve bigotry in people against the practices of the religion while civil unrest occurs with scapegoated Syrian Muslims refugees and citizens. Collectively, as the speech was impactful, in a sense, while promoting the ideals of our Constitution and interstate peace, the speech worldwide seemingly had zero impact to the 1.5 Billion Muslims elsewhere in the world, according to the LA Times. Many used Obama’s speech as a political rally against his morals and character *cough Trump cough*, and many political critics saw this as another regular action on Obama’s behalf to keep a positive appearance in tough foreign times with the incriminated faith.
Obama’s actions as President in this situation shows his knowledge and understanding on how to control the Presidency, specifically in his job as “Head of State”. His speech and presence at the Mosque symbolically and politically represents the American people as a whole; every religion is practiced in the United States and his position at the Mosque represents this message. In addition, Obama utilized the Bully Pulpit and media specifically, exploiting his visibility as a powerful message to support the Democratic policies and idealism for every religion being accepted in the United States.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/14716367/golden-state-warriors-celebrate-nba-championship-white-house-visit
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/President-Obama-Golden-State-Warriors-White-House-Visit-367691191.html
Both of the articles I chose discuss the Golden State Warriors’ recent visit to the White House to meet President (and avid NBA fan) Barak Obama and celebrate their 2015 NBA Championship. Obama greeted the team with a short speech that contained some serious points and some more light-hearted jokes. Obama. On a more thoughtful note, President Obama said of the champions “they're the kind of people you want representing a city, representing the NBA, and the kind of people that you want our kids to be rooting for." However, the Commander in Chief also used the forum to joke with star player Stephen Curry regarding his 51-point performance the night before saying “For those of you who watched the game against the Wizards last night, he was -- to use slang -- he was 'clowning.' He was all jumping up and down."
This event may seem politically trivial upon first glance, however, an event like this can be vital for the post-presidential career of a lame duck. As we discussed in class extensively, a president’s use of the bully pulpit is hugely important for getting policy passed and gaining the approval of the public. As it applies to this example, Obama doesn’t have much time left in his term to make major political moves, so rather than use the Bully Pulpit for that Obama is using this meeting to strengthen his public persona. These types of events in the last few months of Obama’s presidency will define his public perception for the decades to come.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/01/13/six-takeaways-obama-state-of-the-union/78716648/
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/12/what-obama-said-in-his-state-of-the-union-address-and-what-it-meant/
With the elections in full swing, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Speech to Congress before he soon steps down from his position. Instead of talking about legislation that Congress can tackle in 2016, Obama focused more on the future. He talked about the climate change and how this issue needs to be given more urgency in the public eye. He also briefly stated Biden’s “moonshot”: cure for cancer. Leaving out any given time line for it but discussing its importance. While not clearly stating any names, it was clear that he was targeting candidates, specifically republicans, on comments they have made throughout their campaign. “When politicians insult Muslims… that doesn't make us safer. That’s not telling it like it is. It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world” is a clear stab at Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
Obama’s deliverance of the State of the Union reflects many of the concepts of the Presidency Unit. It is highly important that he uses all his informal powers to some extent as he enters his final or better known as his “lame duck” period. The SOTU is a great example of the bully pulpit which is the president's way of being the country’s image and voice. He is using his informal powers to not only voice his opinion to citizens but also to make an impact on future presidents to come and their presidencies.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/02/new-hampshire-voters-sanders-clinton
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newyorker.com/news/benjamin-wallace-wells/the-new-hampshire-primary-is-all-about-bernie
polls in New Hampshire suggests that Bernie will beat out Hillary in the Democratic portion of the caucus for the primary election. It is said that he is dominating by over 30 percentage points. Some say it’s because candidates from nearby states usually have an advantage in the primary because of the high name recognition, him being from neighboring Vermont. Others say its because he has "a very positive, issue-based message without much push back from the Clinton campaign" and that this allowed him to make a good impression on the liberal and moderate Democrats of the state. They also believe that Clinton is conforming more to continuing Obama's programs, where the working class white male voters were not too fond of Obama in the past. Bernie is promoting himself as an agent of change which appeals to New Hampshire’s varying ideology.
This shows Bernie Sander’s use of the bully pulpit to sway public opinion with his prestige and visibility, in this case it is just New Hampshire, into mobilizing support for his policies. His approval rating as well is at a great advantage compared to Clinton in this state. The New Hampshire caucus is to take place on February 9th and from the looks of it, Sanders is one step closer to earning a fair amount of the electoral votes in the near future from this state.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mitch-mcconnell-war-authorization-isis_us_56a115eae4b0404eb8f083d0
ReplyDeletehttp://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/congress/2016/01/22/mcconnell-nudges-grahams-aumf-forward-us-senate/79171192/
With a great focus on the ISIS reign of terror, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell is urging to pass a new bill that will grant the president unlimited war powers in the fight against the Islamic State (connected with the September 11th attacks). The legislation, known as the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), is outlined with extremely loose constraints for the president to follow. If passed, it would essentially transfer almost all of the military power to the president to send US troops anywhere in the world, for any reason, and without limitations. Despite the immense power that President Obama would undertake, he is against this plan and voiced his criticism towards Congress and supported his decisions in his recent State of the Union address. Overall, there is tension rising between Congress and the President over the ISIS conflict and the potential for a historic change in the Constitution as well as the checks and balances system of power within the federal government.
This conflict, although centered in Congress, displays several underlying Presidential powers and the checks and balances between the two branches of government. With this potential bill, the Constitutional power of declaring war, approving war, and providing funds would shift from Congress to the President. Additionally, the articles highlight the informal power the president has in utilizing the bully pulpit when making the State of the Union speech. Obama used this speech to support his views and help to persuade the public that his ideas held authority and persuaded people to think he was true. President Obama voiced his dislike of Congress’ actions through the use of the bully pulpit and also holds power if this bill reaches his desk for approval through vetoing it. If passed, this bill will also impact the future president. Unlike Obama, the new president could be more ambitious in utilizing this new power of going to war and declaring war with ISIS. Without a way to control the president’s power, he could control the country without any bounds which may lead to a dictatorial leadership. This event displays the constraints of the power the president has and the reason why the government has checks and balances— to ensure that any branch is making decisions for the benefit of the nation collectively.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/01/eeoc-pay-discrimination-obama/433926/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/us/politics/obama-moves-to-expand-rules-aimed-at-closing-gender-pay-gap.html?_r=0
This past Friday, President Barack Obama announced unilateral executive action led by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Labor that requires companies with 100 employees or more how much they pay their workers based on race, ethnicity, and gender. The Obama administration and proponents claim the action will further the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 in identifying and honing in on workplace pay discrimination – especially in regards to gender. With studies from the Council of Economic Advisers and experts around the nation pointing to significant gaps in pay as a significant economic and moral issue, Obama hopes to bypass Congress in lessening pay disparity before the end of his second term. Republican Congressional leaders claim this executive action is yet another in a series of unnecessary and improper displays of power, many expressing their desire for President Obama to attempt a compromise with the legislative branch.
This issue illuminates many of the vocabulary terms, themes, and topics of the Presidency Unit – namely, executive action, Presidential Bureaucracy, and Chief of State. Clearly, the President is taking executive action to bypass an abysmal legislative environment and a hostile Republican leaders – as he has numerous times in the past couple years, for very similar reasons. The President has also made use of the bureaucracy below him, as his action is being led by the Department of Labor and the U.S. EEOC, and the driving study behind the action is from the Council of Economic Advisers. Finally, the President is acting as a Chief of State and symbolic leader of the nation by attempting to represent and fight for all people in the workplace – from women to various minorities. This action is yet another that displays President Obama’s attempts to legislate sans the legislative branch, while also employing his vast administrative power and desire to represent his diverse constituents.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/12/politics/state-of-the-union-2016-highlights/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/13/us/politics/obama-state-of-the-union.html?_r=0
Both articles are talking about President Obama’s final State of the Union Address he gave on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. In his final address President Obama faced a worried nation and did his best to be optimistic about the future and assure the country’s fears. He spoke of hope for our country and even took some shots at the 2016 republican candidates. He acknowledged that he was unable to keep his full promise he made at the start of his presidency but he did place the US in a better place than before.
This reflects the theme of our unit of the presidency mainly because it is dealing with the president. Aside from that obvious fact it ties into our presidency unit because it the the President giving a State of the Union speech as the face of the government and providing reassurance to the people. Also since it is the president it demonstrates Obama’s ability to use the bully pulpit in a way that he can confront a worried nation and predict for a hopeful future. So in a way it is a show of the president’s informal powers and leadership qualities.
With the price of oil dropping to its lowest point in more than a decade, President Obama has made his 2017 budget proposal with provisions for a 10 dollar oil tax. The proposal would require oil companies to pay the federal tax for each barrel of oil produced. The Obama administration estimates that the tax would raise 32 billion dollars in revenue. The outlined plan will be implemented over a 5 year period, taxing both foreign and domestically produced oil. The additional revenue created would work as a part of an environmental campaign and effort to make transportation more efficient. The goal of the program, as stated by the White House, would be to create incentives for states, cities, and the transportation industry to reduce consumption, thus reducing carbon emissions. This of course arrives to a Republican congress which has responded with a unified standing to knock the proposal down.
ReplyDeleteThis proposal by President Obama reflects several themes of the presidency unit. The first of these is the use of the bully pulpit. By using the visibility of his office, President Obama has used his proposal to put pressure on oil companies and promote a sense of urgency in the fight on climate change. This proposal also highlights the president’s bureaucracy as it comes as partial relief to the bureaucracy responsible for transportation infrastructure, and in particular the Highway Trust Fund. Third and finally it accentuates the role of the president under the law to submit a budget to congress under the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. This requirement compliments the President’s role of taking care that laws be faithfully executed, as he must budget for each department and bureaucracy of the government so that it may function as intended.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/business/energy-environment/obama-to-propose-a-10-a-barrel-fee-on-oil.html?_r=0
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/04/obama-propose-10--barrel-oil-tax/79838620/
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-35320021
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/donald-trump-calls-ted-cruz-pussy-n-h-rally-article-1.2524951
With Obama wrapping up the rest of his presidency the upcoming president election is coming to be in full swing. Two top Republican candidates, being Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, have consistently had a feud as they go right at each other on and off the debate floor. Trump has stuck to the fact the Cruz isn't a real natural born as it is said he was actually born in a US territory in Canada. Both Candidates continue to fire at each other and probably will continue to until the end of the election. Trump even went to the extent of calling Cruz a 'pussy'.
The real problem with this is that Cruz may not be a natural born citizen. The constitution mandates the president be a "natural born citizen" of the US. Donald Trump continues to use this fact in his favor against what is potentially his biggest target and competition. Being a natural born citizen has been, and always will be a constitutional requirement to become the President of the United States. Also many people look for certain traits for those to become the president. Cruz would say the Trump just doesn't have the qualities because he is sporadic with what he says, and he doesn't have the political experience. But these just aren't requirements like the one that Cruz may be breaking.