The Presidency

George Washington How did he set the model for the American Presidency?

Constitutional Qualifications 35 years of age Natural born citizen—not naturalized Resident of the United States for 14 continuous years

Donald Trump could look this up too. Plus, the President’s mom was a U Donald Trump could look this up too. Plus, the President’s mom was a U.S. citizen—and therefore so is he. Source: is the L.A. Times

Term of office Originally no term limit 22nd Amendment Two terms or total of 10 years If a vice president takes over after the halfway point of the president

Presidential Succession and Disability The 25th amendment If President is disabled, Vice President serves as “acting president” If the presidency become vacant the vice-president becomes president This new president appoints a vice-president Must be confirmed by both chambers of Congress

Impeachment An impeachment is like an indictment The President is charged by the House “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” He is tried by the Senate Impeachment does not mean removal from office. It is the whole process.

Only two Presidents have been impeached Only two Presidents have been impeached. Neither were convicted and removed from Office Bill Clinton Andrew Johnson Bill Clinton

Review, Young grasshoppers: Review: Electoral College, pg. 275 (Ch. 9)

8. How many total electoral votes are there? b. 100 c. 250 d. 270 e. 538

a. win the election even after losing in all battleground states How many electoral votes are needed to win the Presidency? 538 216 270 100 435     9. Because most states use winner-takes-all systems for electoral votes, it is possible for a candidate to ________. a. win the election even after losing in all battleground states b. win the election with an effective third-party campaign c. lose in states that divide electoral votes d. win the election, even while losing the national popular vote e. still lose the election, due to states that divide their electoral votes

5. In order to win a state’s electoral votes, a candidate must win a. A majority of the popular votes in the state b. A plurality of the popular votes in the state c. 2/3rds of the popular vote in the states d. a number of votes equal to or greater than the number of citizens who voted in the last election  

The number of electoral votes given to each state is determined by a. the state’s population only b. the number of members the state has in the House and Senate c. the number of members the state has in the Housed. a number equal to the congressional districts in the state plus three extra votes based on population

6. Why are T.V. debates risky for a presidential candidate? a. The candidate may make a mistake or a verbal blunder b. The incumbent president—if there is one—always gains from a debate c. The people may not watch the debate d. Debates are very expensive to produce and the candidate could use the money in a more efficient way in the campaign  

The Electoral College System Indirect election of the President A state electoral votes=number of Reps + 2 Ex. Michigan 14 Representatives and 2 Senators equals 16 electoral votes The District of Columbia gets 3 The 23rd Amendment provides for this There are a total of 538 Electoral Votes

A candidate must get 270 votes to win. “Winner take all” system—most popular votes in a state wins all electoral votes If no candidate receives 270, the House of Representatives chooses the president. Senate chooses the Vice President What happened in 2000?

Gore won the popular vote by about 500,000 nationwide.

Bush won the electoral votes Gore—266 (one elector from D.C. refused to vote as a protest) Nader—0

2000 Electoral College Map Bush =271 Gore=266 Why is New Hampshire Red? 2000 Electoral College Map Bush =271 Gore=266

Nader as the “spoiler” It is generally assumed Nader took votes from Gore in New Hampshire: Bush won 48.1% Gore won 46.8% Nader won 3.9% Bush won New Hampshire’s 4 electoral votes

Nader as spoiler 271-4=267 for Bush 267+4=271 for Gore and the Presidency

2008 Presidential Election electoral vote count Obama 366 McCain 173

2008 Electoral College map McCain 173 Obama 366

Why do we have the electoral college system? Hamilton wanted a president appointed for life by the Congress The convention wanted elections Compromise-- indirect election of the President by elites in the electoral college system. No limit on the number of terms served

Why not abolish the electoral college? Some issues to consider: Need a constitutional amendment Small states would object Reduced influence of state or regional issues in campaigns It almost always works

Impact of the Electoral College on presidential campaigns Focus on large competitive states Swing states—Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nr. Carolina, etc. Ignore traditionally red/blue states Democrats ignore Texas Republicans ignore California Republicans can mount a “heartland” strategy like Bush in 2000

2000 Electoral College Map Bush =271 Gore=266

2016 Electoral College Preliminary Results source: 270ToWin, Dec. 18, 2016

Presidential Power Start here: For Dec. 18, 2017 Class Work

Sources of Presidential Power Politics Public Opinion

Politics: The need to build “coalitions” A president must “do politics” Must be able to put together majorities in support of his program To ignore this fact leads to failure Ex. Jimmy Carter

“Public” Opinion Power to persuade: Presidents use their “presidential personality” to persuade. Must build coalitions of support: Three audiences Washington Insiders and leaders Party Activists and part base The General Public

Jimmy Carter Why did he have such a difficult time getting policy passed and why did he lose reelection? What was his attitude toward “politics as usual?”

The Executive Branch See p. 353 & 354 NOTICE THE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES.

The Cabinet Comprised of the heads of the executive departments Official list of cabinet members You should know these: State—Rex Tillerson Defense— James Mattis Justice– Jeff Sessions

The Cabinet The cabinet does not give the President advice on a day to day basis They run their own departments They are most loyal to the department mission

White House link on the Cabinet—a nice “photo op”

Organizing the White House Chief of staff: the person who oversees the operations of all White House staff and controls access to the president Trump’s 1st Chief of Staff: Reince Preibus Current Chief of Staff: Ret. General John Kelly

Past White House Chief of Staff meeting:

What followed:

Executive Office of the President Current Executive Office Staff (Trump EOP) Job of the EOP Advise the president in various areas of policy

Organizing the White House There are three general models of White House organization

White House Organization “Pyramid” ‘Edwards book: Hierarchical’ President Nixon, Reagan, Obama Chief of Staff Other advisors/Cabinet Member Under this arrangement, some other top officials may have “walk in rights to the Oval Office”

Advantages Disadvantages An orderly flow of information Clear lines of authority Disadvantages President can become isolated May miss important information

“Hub of the Wheel” Advisors FDR, Carter Advisors Advisors Advisors President Advisors Advisors Advisors Advisors Advisors Advisors

Advantages Disadvantages Access to a lot of information President is “in the know” Disadvantages Overwhelm president with too much detail Confusion and conflict among advisors

“Ad Hoc Organization” Clinton, Early Trump Committee Advisors Friends Task force Key Advisors: ? Kushner Bannon Flynn Vice President President Cabinet Members

Advantages Disadvantage “Out of the box” thinking and creativity Important political actors may be left out Cut off from those who will implement policies

Most presidents revert to the pyramid organization—so did these presidents!

Richard Nixon What three areas of power that were explicitly made “off limits” by the Constitution did he invade? Did he have the right personality to be President of the United States? (We will look at this more closely in March)

Bill Clinton Was he a victim of his own character flaw or were his “enemies” out to get him?

Jimmy Carter on Jimmy Carter Was he a failed president? Jimmy Carter on 60 Minutes Sept 2010 (about 15 minutes long)

The Expectation Gap Gap between presidential promises and powers of the office The powers are limited constitutionally President needs to enlarge powers informally Power is tied to public approval

Gallup Poll Presidential approval site Presidential approval rates since 1948

Roles of the President Head of state: Head of government: symbolic representative of the whole country—In England it is the Queen Head of government: Chief political leader –in England it is the Prime Minister

Article Two - Sections 1 & 2, outlined for you. “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Presidential Powers: Article II Creates the Executive Section 1: Grants the “executive power” to the president Vague and open to interpretation FDR’s “threat” during the Great Depression (1933) President Obama’s recent use of executive orders to expand regulation, etc.

Section 2: Specific grants of power Ex. Commander in Chief How far can this power be stretched? George Bush and the use of “enhanced interrogation” of suspected terrorists NSA data gathering; Bush and Obama

Executive powers Chief Administrator: Chief Diplomat: head of federal agencies appoints cabinet members (heads of departments and agencies) Chief Diplomat: negotiates treaties, makes executive agreements with other countries

State of the Union address Chief Legislator The constitution instructs the president to report on “the state of the union” State of the Union address A outline of what laws/policies he wants Congress to pass in the upcoming year Presidential veto Threat can be used to guide and influence policy

To Review: Powers of the President held alone pg. 348 Commander in Chief of armed forces Grant pardons Appoint officials to some executive offices Use the “executive power” Issue executive agreements

To Review: Powers shared with the Senate Appoint judges, ambassadors, high government officials Appoint advisers in his/her own White House Declare war (With approval of both chambers of Congress) [ find my 2 mistakes!!! ]