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The President and Congress

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Political Science 350, 4 units, , Spring 2003
Tuesday, Thursday 9:30-10:50 a.m., Gist Hall 225
Professor JeDon Emenhiser
Office: Founders Hall 148, MTW 8:00-9:50 p.m. or by appointment. Email: jae1@humboldt.edu. Telephone: 707.826.4117
Department of Government & Politics
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California 95521-8299

This course evaluates the theory and practice of two separate institutions competing for shared powers to control the United States national government. We shall study such issues as whether the President and Congress seriously deliberate public policy options or are hoplessly deadlocked? Do partisanship, insitutional processes, and personalities in Congress and in the Presidency lead to cooperation or conflict?

Much of our work will involve discussing contemporary case studies and classic writings on the relationships between the President and Congress, the two major policymaking institutions of American government. Further, we shall use C-SPAN (C-SPAN I Cable Channel 9, C-CSPAN II Cable Channel 74) and Thomas as tools for gaining information and for preparing secondary teaching lessons. In addition, I shall present a number of lectures on significant features of presidential-congressional relationships.

Required Reading

• 2003. "The President and Congess." Photocopy, HSU Bookstore. 57 pp.
  
• Abshire, David M. 2001. Triumphs and Tragedies of the Modern Presidency: Seventy-Six Case Studies in Presidential Leadership. Westport, CN: Praeger. $24.95. 352 pp.

Recommended Reading

• Smith, Steven S, Jason M. Roberts, and Ryan Vander Wielen. 2003. The American Congress. Third Edition, Online Version. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
• Greenstein, Fred I. 2000. The Presidential Difference: Leadership Style from FDR to Clinton. New York: Free Press. 282 pp.
• Hibbing, John R. and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse. 1995. Congress as Public Enemy: Public Attitudes Toward American Political Institutions. New York: Cambridge University Press. 186 pp.
• Jones, Charles O. 1994. The Presidency in a Separated System. Washington, D. C.: Brookings Institution. 338 pp.
• Oleszek, Walter. 2000. Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 5th ed., Washington, D. C.: CQ Press. 348 pp.
• Sinclair, Barbara. 1997. Unorthodox Lawmaking: New Legislative Processes in the U.S. Congress. Congressional Quarterly, Inc. 257 pp.

Additional valuable sources are available on the Internet.

Case Study Discussion

Each member of the class will form a team with another member, select one of the 76 cases from Abshire, and lead the class in discussing it. Cases encourage students to learn inductively, to generalize from particulars. By examining the narratives of a number of real events, we shall be able to make some tentative conclusions about presidential and congressional actions.

Each case presentation should include the following elements:

1. What was the controversy? What was the fundamental question?
2. What happened in the case?
3. Why did the President and Congress take the action it did rather than some other?
4. What other options did they have?
5. What have been the effects of the action?
6. Do you agree or disagree with the action? What would you have preferred?
7. What lesson is learned about presidential and congressional behavior?

C-SPAN Lesson

Each member of the class will form a team with another member, prepare a 10-15 minute video tape of a significant congressional procedure or presidential action, and present it as a lesson to the class with appropriate comments. Please choose one of the following procedures or actions:

1. Amendment
2. Budget Message
3. Committee of the Whole
4. Conference Committee
5. Discharge (House Discharge a Committee, Senate Discharge Resolution)
6. Filibuster
7. Germaneness
8. Mark Up
9. Point of Order
10. President Pro Tempore
11. Private Calendar
12. Pro Forma Amendment
13. Quorum
14. Readings of Bill
15. Recess
16. Recommit to Committee
17. Reconsider a Vote
18. Report
19. Rider
20. Rules
21. State of the Union Message
22. Substitute
23. Table
24. Unanimous Consent
25. Veto

You may wish to enroll in C-SPAN in the Classroom and pattern your C-SPAN Lesson on its model at Teach with C-SPAN

Current Congressional and Presidential Events

Most class sessions will begin with discussion of a current congressional or presidential event.

• Please subscribe to the free CQ Midday Update

• Other recommended sources are the National Journal, the Washington Post, and Public Agenda.

Student performance will be weighed as follows:

15% Discussion of Current Congressional and Presidential Events
30% Presentation and Discussion of Presidential Case Studies
25% C-SPAN Lesson on Congressional Procedure
30% Comprehensive Final Essay Examination on readings, lectures, and discussions

August 26 "Introduction to the Course"
August 28 Discuss Davidson and Oleszek, Photocopy.

September 2 "Constitutional Powers of the President and Congress"
September 4 Discuss Wildavsky, Photocopy.

September 9 "Organization of the Executive Office, Departments, and Agencies"
September 11 Discuss Neustadt, Photocopy.

September 16 "Organization of Congress"
September 18 Discuss Sinclair, Photocopy.

September 23 "Presidential Elections"
September 25 Discuss Case Study Team 1

September 30 "Congressional Elections"
October 2 Discuss Case Study Team 2

October 7 "Divided Government"
October 9 Discuss Case Study Team 3

October 14 "Separate Institutions Competing for Shared Powers"
October 16 Discuss Case Study Team 4

October 21 "State of the Union Message"
October 23 Discuss Case Study Team 5

October 28 "Confirmation of Appointments"
October 30 Discuss Case Study Team 6

November 4 "The Veto"
November 6 Discuss Case Study Team 7

November 11 "Impeachment"
November 13 Present Video Team 1

November 18 Present Video Team 2
November 20 Present Video Team 3

December 2 Present Video Team 4
December 4 Present Video Team 5

December 9 Present Video Team 6
December 11 Present Video Team 7

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