41 Glossary

The Design and Evolution of the Presidency

cabinet a group of advisors to the president, consisting of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch who head the fifteen executive departments

executive agreement an international agreement between the president and another country made by the executive branch and without formal consent by the Senate

executive order a rule or order issued by the president without the cooperation of Congress and having the force of law

executive privilege the president’s right to withhold information from Congress, the judiciary, or the public

impeachment the act of charging a government official with serious wrongdoing, which in some cases may lead to the removal of that official from office

The Presidential Election Process

king caucus an informal meeting held in the nineteenth century, sometimes called a congressional caucus, made up of legislators in the Congress who met to decide on presidential nominees for their respective parties

Organizing to Govern

Office of Management and Budget an office within the Executive Office of the President charged with producing the president’s budget, overseeing its implementation, and overseeing the executive bureaucracy

Executive Office of the President the administrative organization that reports directly to the president and made up of important offices, units, and staff of the current president and headed by the White House chief of staff

The Public Presidency

bully pulpit Theodore Roosevelt’s notion of the presidency as a platform from which the president could push an agenda

going public a term for when the president delivers a major television address in the hope that public pressure will result in legislators supporting the president on a major piece of legislation

Presidential Governance: Direct Presidential Action

line-item veto a power created through law in 1996 and overturned by the Supreme Court in 1998 that allowed the president to veto specific aspects of bills passed by Congress while signing into law what remained

rally around the flag effect a spike in presidential popularity during international crises

signing statement a statement a president issues with the intent to influence the way a specific bill the president signs should be enforced