Instructor's Manual to Accompany:
The World of Texas Politics
Chapter 6: The Governor
Outline:
I. A Tale of Walking Tall and Carrying a Little Stick: The rise and fall of Ann Richards and her legacy as governor.
II. History of the Office: In spite of the constitutional changes in the power of the Texas governor, the office remains administratively weak because of the fragmented structure of the executive branch of government.
III. Constitutional Powers and Organizational Structure of the Executive Branch: A system designed to maximize voter control of the executive branch of government has the opposite effect.
IV. Qualifications, Tenure, and Compensation
A. Qualifications: Almost anyone meets the formal qualifications, but fewer can satisfy the informal ones.
B. Tenure: four years at a time.
C. Compensation: $99,122, a house, travel expense account, use of car and plane.
D. Gubernatorial Succession: No formal limit on the number of terms, but recent governors often defeated in reelection bids.
E. Impeachment and Removal: A political, not judicial process.
V. Electing the Governor: Gubernatorial races match Republicans and Democrats evenly, and more competition means more expensive campaigns.
VI. Powers and Responsibilities: Responsibilities exceed powers by a wide margin.
A. Staff and Administration: Has power to appoint and remove about 190 people who work directly for him or her.
B. Formal Powers: Not an impressive array.
C. Informal Powers: Much more potential here than among formal powers.
VII. Summary and Conclusion: Formal powers are lacking, but skilled politicians can wring considerable power from what there is.
VIII. The End of the Tale: Governor Richards was short on policy accomplishments, but long on symbolic accomplishments such as the appointment of women and minorities to positions of importance in state government. Her shortcomings were excessive partisanship and embarrassment caused by some of her appointments.
Summary:
In terms of formal powers, the Texas governor is among the weakest in the nation. The plural executive structure and weak removal powers limit the governor’s ability to influence the executive branch. Informal powers, particularly the ability to persuade and access to the media, are crucial sources of gubernatorial influence. Legislative bargaining is also critical to gubernatorial success. The diffused power structure of government and a weak governor allow more influence by powerful business interests in Texas politics.
Discussion Topics:
1. How does the Texas governor compare to the President of the United States in terms of formal powers and ability to influence policy and control the executive branch?
2. How influential is the governor in the legislative process? Is he/she more or less influential as a legislator than as an executive?
3. Is the governor held responsible for more than she/he has the power to perform?
Individual or Small Group Projects:
1. Have the students go to the reference room of the library and look in The Book of the States to see the changes in the Republican and Democratic shares of the votes in gubernatorial primary elections and general elections since 1974. This information is also available from the Texas Secretary of State.
2. What personal leadership qualities seem required of a successful governor?
3. What role does the Constitution of Texas play in allocating power to the governor? Why have some people been able to generate lots of power in the office and others comparatively little?
Essay Questions:
1. Identify the formal and informal powers of the governor. Which seem to be more important and why?
2. Compare and contrast the use of informal powers by Ann Richards and George Bush and evaluate the success, strengths, and weaknesses of each.
3. How does the Texas Constitution limit the governor’s power?
4. Compare the governor’s influence in the legislative process with her/his influence over the administrative process.
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