What are the different roles of the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President? Why is the Executive Office of the President, and especially the White House Office, considered to be closer to the president both personally and politically? What are the effects of the tension between the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office on presidential decision-making?
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: Cabinet secretaries are chosen for numerous reasons, and they are not always loyal to the president’s ideological positions on the areas of public policy with which they deal. The Executive Office of the President and the White House Office do not have to face Senate confirmation and are typically chosen for their loyalty to the president and to the president’s ideological positions. Further, the chief of staff reduces access to the president, often to the cabinet secretaries. Because presidents can rely on Executive Office of the President and White House Office staff loyalty to their positions, they often centralize decisionmaking in the White House and consequently rely less on cabinet secretaries.
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Elite theory is discredited as an explanation of American national politics because studies show that
a. elitism cannot coexist with democratic elections. b. there are too few power positions in the United States to constitute an elite. c. government and business leaders generally do not cooperate with one another. d. no one identifiable group regularly prevails on different issues. e. citizens will rally to defend rights they believe are endangered by government policies
Which of the following statements best describes the president's influence over agency budgets?
a. The president has final say over the budgets of independent agencies, but has no control of department budgets. b. The president has sole authority to determine executive administrative budgets. c. The president has no authority in the budgeting process. d. The president influences the initial budget proposal, but depends on Congress for appropriations of federal money.