Chapters 8 & 9 The Presidency

8-1 President and Vice-President

Qualifications for President Formal: Natural born citizen of U.S. 35 years old resident of US for 14 years before taking office

Qualifications for President Informal: Government experience Money – ability to raise Political beliefs – moderate Personal characteristics – generally male married WASPs

Succession 1.Vice-President 2.Speaker 3.President Pro-Tempore 4.Secretary of State 5.Cabinet secretaries, in order that department were first created

Vice President’s Role According to Constitution: Preside over Senate and vote in case of a tie Helps decide if the president is disabled and acts as president should that happen Actual: Whatever the president assigns

8-2 Electing the President

Electoral College Originally: Electors voted for two candidates of their party. Candidate with highest vote was president; the other was vice president 1804 – 12th Amendment President and VP voted for separately 1820’s States began putting presidential candidates on ballot; electors chosen by popular vote

Electoral College Why? It was a compromise between those who wanted the legislature to choose the president, and those who wanted popular vote.

Electoral College How does it work? When you vote for a presidential candidate on the ballot, you are actually voting for electors. The electors’ names may or may not be on the ballot. The electors meet in December in the state capital to officially cast their votes.

Electoral College In case of a tie: Election goes to House of Representatives. Each state gets one vote (no matter what their population). If the representatives are unable to agree on a candidate, they lose their vote.

Electoral College Issues: “Winner takes all” system. –Margin of victory does not matter. Winner of popular vote may not win electoral vote. –This has happened four times. –Happens when the loser has a larger margin of victory in the states he wins, thus gaining popular votes, but does not win in enough states to have sufficient electoral votes.

2004 Elections Map

2004 Elections Cartogram

Electoral College Issues: “Faithless electors” –An elector is not legally obliged to vote for his party. –Occasionally an elector defects.

Electoral College Arguments against: Candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election. If there is a tie, the election is decided unfairly, because populous states have the same vote as small states. It favors republicans, who predominate in less populous states.

Electoral College Arguments for: With popular elections, candidates would focus on areas with high concentrations of population. With the electoral college, a candidate must win a large number of states to win. Popular elections would erode federalism; they would take away states’ rights.

Quotes from Famous Inaugural Speeches “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt, during Great Depression “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” - John F. Kennedy

8-3 The Cabinet

Two Main Jobs 1)Advise the President 2)Administer large bureaucracies

Selection Nominees often selected before president-elect takes office. Nominees must be approved by the Senate. Generally they are approved. Nominees names are often deliberately “leaked” to the press to gauge Congress’ and the public’s response.

Selection Considerations Background in field of the department Satisfy interest groups High level administrative skills and experience Geographic balance in cabinet Race and gender balance in cabinet They need to be willing to take the job

Role of Cabinet Usually meet with the president once per week or less. “Inner cabinet” – Secretaries of state, defense, treasury and attorney general. They may compete with or not agree with each other on policy. They may have conflicting loyalties – president, department, interest groups.

Names Secretary of War Secretary of Defense Secretary of State Secretary of Foreign Affairs??

8-4 Executive Office

Selection Usually longtime supporters of president Do not require senate confirmation

Reputation Secretaries and top advisors may be: Highly respected –Henry Kissinger won Nobel Prize Loved or hated –Donald Rumsfeld left office Celebrities or unknowns

Chapter 9 Presidential Leadership

9-1 Presidential Powers

Presidential Powers in Constitution Commander-in-Chief Appoints executive department heads Conducts foreign policy Appoints federal judges May pardon people convicted of federal crimes or reduce prison sentences or fines Makes sure Congress’ laws are “faithfully executed” Delivers annual State of the Union address May call Congress into special session

Limits on Presidential Powers Congress – overrides of vetoes Courts – judicial review Bureaucracy – may be unintentional Public Opinion – may prevent reelection

9-2 Roles of the President

Roles of President 1. Head of State- represents the nation and performs many ceremonial roles 2. Chief Executive- sees that laws of Congress are carried out. Tools of influence: executive orders, appointments, right to remove officials, impoundment, federal judges appts.(w/Senate approval)reprieves, pardons, amnesty

Roles of President 3. Chief Legislator- proposes legislations 4. Economic Planner 5. Party Leader 6. Chief Diplomat- treaties, executive agreements, recognition of foreign governments 7. Commander in Chief- power to make war(shared w/Congress), military operations and strategies

Styles of Leadership 9.3 Leadership Qualities and Skills: Understanding the public, ability to communicate, sense of timing, openness to new ideas, ability to compromise, political courage

Presidential Isolation 1. Special treatment- causes presidents to consider their ideas as above criticism 2. Voicing opinions- president may discourage staff from voicing their own opinions 3. Access to president- limited to those on his staff primarily 4. Dangers of Isolation- people close to president can control who is able to meet with the president