Deck 6: Transitions of Governance

Question 1

The period between the election and the inauguration of a new president is the __________ period.

A) transition
B) pre-election
C) vetting
D) honeymoon

Answer 1

transition

Question 2

Early transitions in American politics can be best characterized as __________.

A) involving a large number of staff
B) time-consuming
C) not very complex
D) highly political

Answer 2

time-consuming

Question 3

Approximately how many political appointments does a contemporary president need to make?

A) 1,000
B) 3,000
C) 5,000
D) 7,000

Answer 3

7,000

Question 4

Why have transitions become more complicated for contemporary presidents?

A) The president has more down time between election and inauguration, which allows an opportunity for political resistance to develop.
B) The president's duties are simpler overall, but the number of duties has greatly increased in recent years.
C) The president has more political responsibilities, which prevents him or her from attending to other transition details.
D) Presidents have far more transition responsibilities, and the time in which to complete them has decreased.

Question 5

Jimmy Carter began planning his transition as soon as he became his party's nominee because he was __________.

A) certain he was going to win the election and wanted to get a head start
B) an outsider unfamiliar with the nuances of Washington politics
C) deeply familiar with transition experiences and aware of their difficulties
D) planning to use his transition as a key component of his election strategy

Question 6

What was the main goal of the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act?

A) to allow recognized presidential candidates to access transition services and facilities before the general election
B) to allow third-party presidential candidates to access transition services and facilities before the general election
C) to allow early presidential candidates to purchase transition services and facilities from government offices during the primary election season
D) to allow citizens to access each candidate's transition plans during the general election

Question 7

As a recognized presidential candidate with little experience in government, what should you do?

A) Wait to plan your transition until after the results of the general election.
B) Select someone who is well-known to you to assist with planning a transition.
C) Pause your activities until Congress sends you the post-election transition plan.
D) Coordinate your transition plans with those of your opponent.

Question 8

What would be a consequence of an absence of transition planning in American politics?

A) The policies of the previous administration would continue unchecked.
B) The federal government would completely shut down until a plan was put forward.
C) Candidates would wait too long to select a running mate for their ticket.
D) The country could be left vulnerable to a range of domestic and international threats.

Question 9

What is the first appointment by a presidential nominee to undergo vetting?

A) the Secretary of State
B) the White House chief of staff
C) the Attorney General
D) the vice presidential candidate

Question 10

To whom does the president-elect delegate the process of screening potential nominees?

A) professional vetters
B) the vice president
C) the White House chief of staff
D) the leader of the national party

Question 11

As a newly elected president, what is the first group of positions that you would seek to fill?

A) cabinet positions
B) junior executive staff
C) the vice presidency
D) federal judgeships

Question 12

Which statement provides the best assessment of the challenges of the transition?

A) Presidents must not only immediately fill all the vacant positions in the federal government but also build an organizational structure from scratch.
B) Not only must presidents move immediately to fill a range of top positions, but they also must fill the organizational structure put into place by the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act.
C) Presidents must move to fill several thousand mid-level positions while waiting for Congress to approve a new executive organizational structure that reflects the priorities of the new president.
D) Not only must presidents move immediately to fill a range of critical top positions, but they also must build an organizational structure from scratch while contending with a host of competing interests.

Question 13

Chiefs of staff are usually among the first positions filled by modern presidents because presidents __________.

A) rarely have any previous executive experience and thus need people to whom they can delegate the initial organizational tasks of the executive branch
B) have to build an organizational structure out of virtually nothing while appeasing a vast array of people who have helped them get elected
C) have to contend with an existing organizational structure that is the legacy of previous presidents and is extremely complicated
D) are required by the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act to fill top administrative staff positions prior to filling any other executive branch positions

Question 14

Which of the following illustrates the consequences of a late start in transition planning?

A) Bill Clinton's early Senate confirmation difficulties
B) Richard Nixon's involvement with the Watergate scandal
C) Jimmy Carter's merging of campaign and transition responsibilities
D) George W. Bush's naming of Cheney as both his vice president and transition director

Question 15

Which statement best characterizes Bill Clinton's transition?

A) It is a model of best transition practices.
B) It was well-planned during the pre-election stage.
C) It is an example of the benefits of good vetting.
D) It is an example of what not to do in a transition.

Question 16

What did the failed nomination of Zöe Baird illustrate about presidential transitions?

A) Failure to vet the personal lives of nominees can interfere substantively with a new president's policy priorities.
B) It is critical to make sure that the people on the transition team intend to join the new administration.
C) Waiting to appoint a chief of staff until after the election strengthens the ability of professional vetters to do their job.
D) Presidents should announce all potential nominees prior to the election to help prepare for political confirmation battles.

Question 17

During his time in office Obama managed to fulfill what percentage of his campaign promises?

A) 35 percent
B) 45 percent
C) 55 percent
D) 65 percent

Question 18

What must a president do during the transition to help make the honeymoon period that usually accompanies a new administration productive?

A) minimize nominee vetting
B) articulate a clear policy agenda
C) wait to identify major policy objectives
D) fill low-level executive branch positions

Question 19

The __________ period is when presidents are expected to rapidly issue and enact new policies.

A) primary
B) pre-election
C) honeymoon
D) transition

Question 20

What characterizes the attitude of new presidents toward campaign promises, especially since the election of Bill Clinton?

A) They have become increasingly willing to take political risks in implementing the more controversial aspects of their campaign platforms.
B) They have become more risk-averse in implementing the more controversial aspects of their campaign platforms.
C) They have become more assertive when implementing the more controversial aspects of their campaign platforms.
D) They actively refuse to work toward implementing any controversial aspects of their campaign platform.

Question 21

The importance of presidents-elect having their transition team work with Congress before assuming power is illustrated by which act?

A) No Child Left Behind Act
B) Don't' Ask, Don't Tell Act
C) Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act
D) Executive Reorganization Act

Question 22

Presidential staffing decisions are highly influenced by which of the following?

A) obligations accrued over the course of the campaign
B) requirements of the Constitution
C) mandates of the Executive Reorganization Act
D) dictates of the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act

Question 23

By October 2012, Obama had roughly __________ people on his campaign payroll, many of whom expected a job.

A) 2,000
B) 4,000
C) 6,000
D) 8,000

Question 24

How do posts in the new administration for campaign staffers benefit incoming presidents?

A) by minimizing the possibility of scandals
B) by guaranteeing that important information will not be leaked
C) by encouraging future campaign work from the staffers
D) by reducing the time needed for vetting

Question 25

A recent study of Obama's paid 2007-8 campaign staff revealed that more than __________ percent of them obtained jobs in the new administration.

A) 5
B) 12
C) 20
D) 32

Question 26

If you were a paid campaign operative working in a nonbattleground state, which of the following would most strongly correlate with your getting a job with the new administration following the election?

A) the strength of local support for the candidate on Election Day
B) the overall rate of voter turnout in that state on Election Day
C) the endorsement of your candidate by the local media by Election Day
D) the total number of new voters registered in that state by Election Day

Question 27

Presidents often reward major campaign donors with __________.

A) important positions in the cabinet
B) jobs in the Executive Office of the President
C) ambassadorships and other diplomatic posts
D) key positions in the vetting process

Question 28

Which of the following people is most likely to get a job with a new administration?

A) a person who was paid staff in a swing state won by the president
B) someone who voted for the president in a nonbattleground state
C) a person who was a volunteer in a battleground state
D) someone who was paid staff in a nonbattleground state

Question 29

Why might presidents select campaign staffers to fill key positions in the new administration?

A) to honor promises made during the election
B) to meet the requirements set by party officials
C) to achieve the goals set by Congress
D) to satisfy the requirements of federal law

Question 30

Campaign staffers may not be useful in governance because often they are __________.

A) not professional
B) not political
C) overqualified
D) too partisan

Question 31

Which of the following best illustrates the team of rivals appointment strategy?

A) George Bush's selection of Dick Cheney as vice president
B) Jimmy Carter's selection of Warren Christopher as Secretary of State
C) Bill Clinton's selection of Zöe Baird as Attorney General
D) Barack Obama's selection of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State

Question 32

Which president is credited for developing the team of rivals appointment strategy?

A) Bill Clinton
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Woodrow Wilson
D) Franklin Roosevelt

Question 33

What benefits did Hillary Clinton derive from serving on the team of Obama, her former competitor, when she decided to run for the presidency in 2016?

A) She got the opportunity to declare her candidacy two years before the 2016 election cycle and amass a huge war chest.
B) She had time to convince other potential challengers to stay out of the race and to build her presidential operation.
C) She achieved frontrunner status two years before announcing her candidacy and effectively sidelined potential challengers, including Joe Biden.
D) She was able to develop policy positions that were in stark in contrast to those of the administration and keep challengers out of the race.

Question 34

In what way did Obama go further than Lincoln in building an ideologically diverse administration?

A) He appointed William Seward as Secretary of State.
B) He retained Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.
C) He selected Joe Biden to be his vice president.
D) He nominated Zöe Baird for Attorney General.

Question 35

Which of the following best illustrates the need to work with the outgoing administration during a transition and respond to events in real time?

A) the vice presidency of Dick Cheney
B) the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act
C) the Great Recession
D) the nomination of Zöe Baird

Question 36

The transfer of power between George Bush and Barack Obama is best described as __________.

A) as good as it gets
B) complicated by partisanship
C) on a par with other transitions
D) completely ineffective

Question 37

What explains Obama's efforts to address the economy well before his inauguration?

A) the belief that the economy presented the least difficult challenge
B) the need to distinguish himself from the outgoing administration
C) the political demands of the Democratic Party leadership
D) the necessity of making a transition in the context of a real-time crisis

Question 38

President Truman's beliefs about the nature of transitions are best illustrated by __________.

A) the multiple meetings regarding transition plans that occurred between John McCain and Barack Obama during the general election
B) the politicization of the transition through the use of sophomoric pranks by the outgoing Clinton staff
C) the merging of campaign and transition activities through Obama's heavy use of social media
D) the numerous security briefings and the multiple contingency plans prepared for Obama by the Bush administration

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of a failure of knowledge transfer during a transition?

A) the preparation of contingency plans by George Bush following Obama's election
B) Gerald Ford's statement that there was no Soviet domination by Eastern Europe
C) the "discovery" of a Soviet brigade in Cuba by Jimmy Carter
D) Ronald Reagan's attacks against the incumbent president as a spendthrift liberal

Question 40

Why might George H. W. Bush have believed that his transition would be easier than those of many of his predecessors?

A) He had just spend eight years as vice president and was expected to simply continue the policies of the previous administration.
B) He had prepared transition plans during his 1980 presidential bid and was fully equipped to create his own presidential legacy.
C) He worked closely with his general election opponent to develop a clear transition strategy regardless of who won the election.
D) He had already decided on the exact details of his transition and needed no preparation once he was the party's nominee.

Question 41

What factor complicated the transition of George W. Bush?

A) The Great Recession made real-time planning difficult.
B) He began his transition planning too late.
C) The outgoing administration harbored a great deal of resentment.
D) He pulled too many transition team members into his administration.

Question 42

Why were many veterans of the Reagan staff surprised and angered by George H. W. Bush's transition plan?

A) They expected to stay on in the new administration and were asked to leave.
B) They resented the efforts of Bush's huge transition staff to restructure the executive branch.
C) They resisted the team of rivals appointment strategy deployed by Bush.
D) They harbored a great deal of resentment toward Bush personally.

Question 43

What was the main problem that plagued the transition of Lyndon Johnson?

A) He was taking leadership of an administration filled with his partisan loyalists.
B) He was taking the reins of an administration that had lingering hostilities from the last election.
C) He was taking control over an executive branch to which he was closely connected.
D) He was taking over an administration from which he had been largely excluded.

Question 44

The transition of __________ was instantaneous and occurred at a time when political allies were scarce.

A) George W. Bush
B) Ronald Reagan
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Barack Obama

Question 45

Which of the following illustrates the blending of campaigning and governance?

A) the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State
B) the creation of an official campaign hashtag by Barack Obama
C) the refusal to fire existing administration officials by President Johnson
D) the decision by George H.W. Bush to have a small transition team

Question 46

What did Johnson do to galvanize support for his landmark legislative achievements?

A) He replaced his legislative liaison team.
B) He drew upon Kennedy's reputation.
C) He replaced any department head who held him in low regard.
D) He isolated his rival Bobby Kennedy.

Question 47

Reagan's staff initially refused intelligence briefings by the Carter administration because Reagan wanted to be able to __________ without risking sensitive information.

A) advance his own policies
B) criticize Carter's policies
C) manage the transition
D) prove that he had foreign affairs knowledge

Question 48

Presidents with a(n) __________ work with perceived notion that the voters have implicitly endorsed their policy objectives.

A) honeymoon period
B) vetting team
C) transition team
D) electoral mandate

Question 49

The rise of social media use by presidents has blurred the line between __________.

A) campaigning and governing
B) the pre-election and post-election transition
C) patronage appointments and rewarding donors
D) the legislative and executive branches of government

Question 50

What challenges are embedded in modern transitions for presidents-elect, and what tasks must they achieve to have a successful start to their presidency? Support your claims with examples.

Question 51

Why is the transition of Bill Clinton widely considered to be a failure? Were the difficulties Clinton encountered the product of personality or part of the institutional nature of the transition process? Use examples to illustrate your points.

Question 52

As an incoming president, what factors would you consider as you worked to integrate campaign and party operatives into your new administration? Who might get jobs? Why can it be problematic to fill administration positions with campaign operatives? Use examples to illustrate your points.

Question 53

What is the team of rivals appointment strategy, and how did it affect appointment decisions by President Obama? Illustrate your answer with specific examples.

Question 54

What distinguishes the transition of Lyndon Johnson from the transitions of other modern presidents?