Presidential Veto

Robert J. Spitzer is Associate Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at State University of New York College at Cortland. Author of The Presidency and Public Policy: The Four Arenas of Presidential Power and The Right to Life Movement and Third Party Politics, he is currently serving as a member of the New York State Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution.

"This is a clearly presented, well documented, balanced analysis. The author offers a great deal of information about the growth and use of the presidential veto. It is also a very useful book because it brings together much material on a widely studied topic." — Morris S. Ogul"This book is extremely well written. What I like most is the way the author explains the historical development of the veto power and makes it relevant to the present nature of the presidency. He presents enough detail to fully understand the context of developments, yet not so much detail as to bore the reader or lose sight of the main point he is making. The research is very thorough and the scholarship is sound. The book is interesting to read, and the author has a good sense of humor and a fine feeling for irony." — James P. Pfiffne

• Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction 1 The Creation of the Veto Antecedents of the vetoThe English traditionThe veto in AmericaThe federal conventionConclusion2 Evolution of the Veto Power The first vetoesThe Jacksonian vetoHarrison and the Tyler crisisPolk and the maturing vetoThe end of the veto controversyConclusion3 The Modern Veto A summary assessmentEmpirical assessmentsCentral clearance and the enrolled bill processPrivate bills and the vetoThe veto in the hands of modern presidentsTwo casesThe veto threatConclusion4 The Pocket Veto How the pocket veto worksWhat did the founders know, and when did they know it?Evolution of the pocket vetoPersisting pocket veto ambiguitiesMust presidents explain pocket vetoes?When does the ten-day period begin?Conclusion5 The Item Veto Controversy DefinitionBackgroundWould the founders have approved?Evolution of the clamor for the item vetoThe item veto and the budget processPorkys, two?The gubernatorial item veto as a modelThe potency of existing veto powersOther powers that mimic the item vetoWhat constitutes an item?Conclusion: Things are seldom what they seem...6 Conclusion From monarch to plebiscitarianThe veto: Power and symbolAppendix Notes References About the Author Index