The American Presidency, Political Science 3300, Spring 2012  

Study Guide for Exam 1, Wednesday February 22, 2012

 

The first exam covers the following material:

• Class, January 18 – February 20
• Pika and Maltese, The Politics of the Presidency, pages 1-91
• Wayne, The Road to the White House 2012, pages 2-333
• Nelson, The Presidency and the Political System, pages 1-67 (Tulis; Ragsdale) 

The exam includes 20 true/false items worth two (2) points each, two identification items worth ten (10) points each, one essay worth 40 points. The exam counts as fifteen percent of your final grade.

 

Part 2: Identification: You will define, illustrate, and explain the political importance of two of the following. You will be able to choose from four on the exam. Each identification item is worth 10 points. 

 

President as Chief Magistrate (Pika and Maltese 1, 19-20)                       

presidential culture (Pika and Maltese, 28)

Political experience of candidates: presidents and vice-presidents (PM, 44-45)                                                              

Transitions to governing (Pika and Maltese, 82-83)                                                            

The president and Congressional relations (Ragsdale in Nelson, 56-58)

Woodrow Wilson and the Independence of the Executive (Tulis, in Nelson, 20-21)                              

Partisan Congressional Caucuses and Presidential Nomination (Wayne 1, 6-8)

Citizens' United decision (Wayne 2, 42-43)

Money and Electoral Success (Wayne 2, 60-61)

The New Deal Realignment (Wayne 3, 90-91)

Republican Rules for Presidential Nominations [especially 2012] (Wayne 4, 118-119)

Non-Front-Runner Nomination Strategies for Serious Candidates (Wayne 5, 151-152)

Obama and Repairing the Damage from the Nomination, 2008 (Wayne 6, 170-171)

Party Platforms [in general; don't list specific platform planks] (Wayne 6, 187-193)

Creating a Leadership Image: Accentuate the Positive (Wayne 7, 221-223)

Selective Perception and the News Media (Wayne 8, 257)

Exit Polls (Wayne 9, 303-304)

The Electoral Coalition and Governing (Wayne 9, 323-324)

"Building a Winning Geographic Coalition" in the General Election (Wayne, 7, 228-230)

Formal Models for predicting presidential elections (Wayne 9, 295)

James Madison and his Constitutional Convention Strategy (class)

Roger Sherman and his Constitutional Convention Strategy (class)

Political participation in caucuses and primaries and “Wingers” (class)

Super PACs (class)

Presidential electors (class)

Missouri's votes in the 2008 election (class)

 

 

Part 3: Essay. You will write an essay in response to one of the following questions. The best answers will blend evidence from lectures and all the books; they will be clear, concise, and they will use specific examples. Two of these essay questions will appear on the exam. The essay is worth 40 points.

 

1.  The Constitution and the Presidency (class). How did James Madison originally conceive of the executive in the Virginia Plan? What happened to change his mind about the presidency? Describe the the grand compromise on the presidency and its effect on the presidency.

 

2. Expansion of the Presidency (Pike & Maltese, 21-27). How did Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt expand the presidency, according to Pika and Maltese? How has Congress expanded the presidency through statute law? How have precedent and custom expanded the presidency? Be clear and specific, and illustrate your points.

 

3. Strategic Guidelines for the Nomination (Wayne, 135-142). Describe, illustrate, and discuss the following "basic strategic guidelines" for campaigning for the nomination, according to Stephen J. Wayne: concentrate efforts in the early contests, raise and spend big bucks early, gain media attention, and develop a deep and wide organization and policy message.  Use illustrations from the 2012 Republican nomination campaign where appropriate.

 

4. Political science and presidential image (Ragsdale in Nelson, 44-52). What empirical generalizations can political scientists offer about presidential image making, according to Lynn Ragsdale (in Nelson, 44-52)?  Explain and illustrate each.  What can presidents do to capitalize on the single executive image?  Explain and illustrate, taking care to distinguish short term and long term opportunities.

 

5. The development of presidential nominations (class  and Wayne, 5-13). Describe the way the process of selecting nominees for president has changed over time, according to class and Wayne.  How did crackups occur in 1800, 1824, and 1968, and how did these change the nomination game?.  Where do we see the impact of these developments in the nomination process today?