Copyright, 2000 © Prentice Hall Magruder’s American Government C H A P T E R 13 The Presidency

2 The Presidency C H A P T E R 13 The Presidency SECTION 1 The President’s Job Description SECTION 2 Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency SECTION 3 Presidential Selection: The Framers Plan Presidential Selection: The Framers Plan SECTION 4 Presidential Nominations SECTION 5 The Election Chapter 13

3 CH 13.1 CH 13.1 The President’s Job Description The Constitution sets out 6 of the formal roles of the presidency. The President is simultaneously the nation’s: (1) Chief of state, representative of all the citizens of the United States (2) Chief executive, head of the Executive branch (3) Chief administrator, manages the Federal government (4) Chief diplomat, sets the nation’s foreign policy (5) Commander in chief, directly controls all U.S. military forces (6)Chief legislator, determines Congress’s agenda 2 Roles NOT established by the Constitution: (1) Chief of party, unofficial head of his political party (2) Chief citizen, expected to work for and to represent the public interest. These roles are all closely related and none can be played in isolation from the others.

4 The President’s Formal Qualifications: The President must: Have been born a citizen of the United States Be at least 35 years old Have lived in the United States for at least the last 14 years Nice to know: In 1951, the 22 nd Amendment limited the Presidency to two terms of 4 years each. No President can serve for more than 10 years The President receives a salary and benefits CH 13.1

5 CH 13.2 Presidential Succession & the Vice Presidency The 25th Amendment formalized the practice of making the Vice President the President on the death, resignation, or removal of the President. If the Vice–President is unable to serve, the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 sets forth the next officers in line. If the President tells Congress he cannot do his job, or if the Vice–President & a majority of the Cabinet tell Congress the President is disabled, the Vice–President will temporarily assume the office. The President will tell Congress when he is able to resume his job. If the Vice– President & Cabinet disagree, Congress must decide if the disability still exists. The Vice President is “only a heartbeat away from the presidency” but the office has long been treated as inconsequential. No President has ever made the Vice President a “real” assistant President. The Constitution assigns the Vice–President only the job of presiding in the Senate. If the Vice–Presidency becomes vacant, the President chooses a replacement, who must be confirmed by a majority vote in both houses of Congress. CH 13.2

6 Order of Presidential Succession: Vice–President Speaker of the House President Pro–Tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of the Interior Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Labor Secretary of Health & Human Services Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Health & Human Services Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Energy Secretary of Education Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary of Homeland Security CH 13.2

7 CH 13.3 CH 13.3 Presidential Selection: The Framers Plan The Framers did not believe that the people were qualified to select a President or that Congress should have the power either. Therefore, they developed a system of presidential electors, the electoral college. Electors, chosen in each State, were to be independent agents in the selection of the President and Vice–President. They were to cast 2 votes, each for a different person. That person who received the most votes became President. The runner– up was to be Vice–President. The parties of the candidates was not considered. Political parties soon transformed the original method: today the electors are really “rubber stamps” for the popular vote result. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FRAMER’S PLAN? George Washington was unanimously elected John Adams was elected next, with Jefferson becoming Vice–President Election of 1800: The candidates tie, and the election goes to the House The 12 th Amendment is adopted, eliminating the possibility of a tie. The electors voted separately for President & Vice–President. The 12 th Amendment also introduces the idea of electors pledged to vote for their party’s candidate. When the people vote for President, they are really voting for their State’s Electors.

8 Electoral College Votes by State

9 CH 13.4 Presidential Nominations The purpose of Presidential Primaries is to help each party select their candidates for election as President and Vice-President. Since 1831, the two major parties have used national conventions to nominate their presidential candidates. –The delegates to the national conventions are chosen at the State party level. –More than ¾ ths of delegates are chosen in some form of the presidential primary and the rest are chosen by State caucuses or conventions. The rules governing each State’s primary are determined by State law. At the conventions, delegates from each State’s party organizations choose a ticket (President & Vice–Presidential candidates) for the upcoming election. Some States allow winner–take–all contests, in which the winner of a primary receive all of the State delegates’ votes at the Convention. The Democratic Party now uses a proportional representation system that gives each candidate winning at least 15% of the primary vote a share of delegate votes at the Convention. CH 13.4

10 At The Convention Conventions are held to: a)Adopt the party platform, or statement of party principles and objectives. b)Nominate the party’s Presidential and Vice-presidential candidates c)Unify the party behind that ticket for the upcoming campaign Each party seeks a candidate who can win, and the nomination of the candidate marks the high point of the convention. Conventions are like giant party pep rallies. A (hopefully) stirring keynote address is given by a guest speaker, glorifying the party and its leaders. The keynote speaker is frequently a rising star or symbolic representative of the Party’s beliefs. Neither major party has ever been much interested in alternatives to the national convention process. CH 13.4

11 The Election CH 13.5 The Election When the electorate (the voters) vote for President, they are really voting for electors pledged to vote for a particular candidate. The votes of the electorate are called the “popular vote.” Voters finally cast their ballots in November, but the President is actually selected by the electors who have been chosen by the voters. Congress counts the electoral votes and declares a winner. If no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes and is a clear winner, the House of Representatives elects the President. Criticisms(?): The electoral college system has 3 serious flaws –it is possible that the winner of the popular vote may not become President –nothing forces a States’ electors to vote for the candidate who wins the State’s popular vote –A strong third party candidate could win enough votes to force the election into the House A number of plans to reform the electoral college have been debated over the past 200 years. But even the most widely supported, the direct popular vote, will not likely be adopted in the foreseeable future. CH 13.5

12