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The Presidency and American Politics
Section 1
1. Iron triangles are exclusive relationships that exist between the bureaucratic elements, congresspersons, and the lobbyists, which often result in the common gain. The aforementioned concept refers to the symbiotic relationship that exists between parties that are actually responsible for influencing the position or status of a bill. For example, the components of a particular iron triangle may comprise a congressperson on the Energy Board, a bureaucrat within the Department of Energy, and an oil corporation lobbyist such as BP or Shell. While the three elements possess different interests, the concept of the iron triangle indicates that the respective components must function collectively in order to attain the benefits.
2. Supreme Court judges, Stephen Breyer and Antonin Scalia, possess different views on constitutional interpretation. On one hand, Breyer is guided by the institution of liberalism as well as pragmatism. In respect to the interpretation of the respective document, Breyer asserts belief in the notion of the ‘Living Constitution’, which claims that the values established by the creators should be tailored to the contemporary society. On the other hand, Scalia’s convictions were inclined to conservatism. For him, constitutional interpretation should be subject to judges based on the determination of the creators’ original intent in relation to the words present within the constitution.
5. The 20th century was a period of significant changes imposed upon the American presidency. One illustration of this process involved the establishment of substantive executive sanctions or orders. Despite the Supreme Courts’ ruling that such edicts were solely authorized if allowed by Congress or the Constitution, President Roosevelt applied them since they covered a significant variation of dogmatic activity. Similar to the orders, the presidency also engaged in the issuance of executive agreements as a substitute to treaties. Accordingly, the respective orders possessed constitutional force that was similar to that of an ordinary treaty in relation to foreign relations. Lastly, the presidency was provided with legislative powers that enabled it to address Congress and influence the drafting and introduction of legislation.
Section 2
The bureaucracy is a powerful component of the U. S. government because of the influential roles and elements it possesses, especially in the administration of law. The nature of its power is based on the components that manage it within the government. Mostly, the executive branch is responsible for the management of the respective element. Despite this, other branches, specifically, the legislative branch and the judiciary branch, impose significant influence on the actions and activities of the federal bureaucracy. For example, through its element of supervision, Congress is capable of observing the bureaucracy by ensuring that it functions in an appropriate manner. Additionally, the bureaucracy’s influence is based on the different forms of organizations that are based under its realm. These comprise independent executive entities, cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, presidential commissions, and government corporations. The increased influence of the bureaucracy has been established by various incidences such as the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Cold War, as well as the Great Society schemes instituted by President Lyndon Johnson, which managed to extend the federal bureaucracy’s role. The checks that exist within the bureaucracy are derived from the functions of Congress. Accordingly, the Congress is responsible for guaranteeing the proper execution of orders by the bureaucratic aim without overstepping its role. Aside from this, the courts also ensure that checks are observed in the event that problems involving constitutionality and the law occur.