The Presidency Ch. 13

The President’s Roles 1.) Chief of State ceremonial head of the government of the U.S., the symbol of all the people of the nation. 2.) Chief Executive vested with the executive power of the United States. The President enforces the law 3.) Chief Administrator director of the United States government. The President directs an administration that employs 2.7mil 4.) Chief Diplomat main architect of American foreign policy and chief spokesperson to the rest of the world.

5.) Commander in Chief holds control of the nation’s armed forces. 6.) Chief Legislator main architect of the nation’s public policies. 7.) Chief of Party acknowledged leader of the political party that controls the executive branch. 8.) Chief Citizen expected to be “the representative of all the people.”

Qualifications for President

The President’s Term The 22nd Amendment placed limits on presidential terms. A President may not be elected more than twice or only once if they became President due to succession.

Questions to consider. Does placing term limits on the President prevent executive tyranny or do term limits undermine democracy?

Pay and Benefits Congress determines the President’s salary, and this salary cannot be changed during a presidential term. Currently, paid over $400,000 a year. Expense allowance = currently $50,000 a year. 132-room mansion (White House). Large suite of offices, a staff, the use of Air Force One, and many other fringe benefits.

How many Executive Departments/Cabinet Positions can you name? There are 15, and one of them is not a “secretary.”

Office Current officer 1 Vice President of the United States Joe Biden (D) 2 Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) 3 President pro tempore of the Senate Patrick Leahy (D) 4 Secretary of State John Kerry (D) 5 Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew (D) 6 Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (R) 7 Attorney General Eric Holder (D) — Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell (D)[a] 8 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (D) 9 Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker (D) 10 Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez (D) 11 Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell (D) 12 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro (D) 13 Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx (D) 14 Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz (D) 15 Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (D) 16 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald (R) 17 Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (D)

Presidential Disability The Vice President becomes acting President if: (1) the President informs Congress, in writing, “that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” or (2) the Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is thus incapacitated.

The Vice Presidency Three duties of the VP: 1) cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, and 2) help decide the question of presidential disability. 3) wait for the President to die If the office of Vice President becomes vacant, the President nominates a new Vice President subject to the approval of Congress. Today, the Vice President often performs diplomatic and political chores for the President.

Presidential Primaries During a presidential primary, a party’s voters (1) Choose delegates to their party’s national convention, and/or (2) express a preference for their party’s presidential nomination. Proportional representation: a proportion of a State’s delegates are chosen to match voter preferences in the primary.

The National Convention Party conventions accomplish three main goals: (1) to officially name the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates, (2) to bring the various factions and the leading personalities in the party together in one place for a common purpose, and (3) to adopt the party’s platform (formal statement of basic principles, stands on major policy matters, and objectives for the campaign and beyond).

Presidential Nominations Convention Arrangements Party national committees arrange the time and place for their party’s nominating convention. The Apportionment and Selection of Delegates Parties apportion the number of delegates each State will receive based on electoral votes and other factors. Delegates are selected through both presidential primaries and the caucus-convention process.

The Caucus-Convention Process Those States that do not hold presidential primaries choose delegates to the national conventions in a system of caucuses and conventions. The party’s voters meet in local caucuses where they choose delegates to a local or district convention, where delegates to the State convention are picked. At the State level, and sometimes in the district conventions, delegates to the national convention are chosen.

Who Is Nominated? Incumbent Presidents’ nomination is almost guaranteed. State governors and U.S. Senators have historically been favored for nomination. Many candidates come from key larger states.

The Electoral College Voters do not vote directly for the President. Instead, they vote for electors in the electoral college. All States, except two (Maine and Nebraska), select electors based on the winner of the popular vote in that State. If no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes (270), the election is thrown into the House of Representatives.

Why the Electoral College? The Framers of the Constitution wanted to keep the choice of President out of the hands of the popular majorities and in the hands of a select body of “wise, outstanding, and virtuous citizens.”

Flaws in the Electoral College There are three major defects in the Electoral College: (1) It is possible to win the popular vote in the presidential election, but lose the Electoral College vote. This has happened four times in U.S. history (1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000). (2) Nothing in the Constitution, nor in any federal statute, requires the electors to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote in their State. (3) If no candidate gains a majority in the Electoral College, the election is thrown into the House, a situation that has happened twice (1800 and 1824). In this process, each State is given one vote, meaning that States with smaller populations wield the same power as those with larger populations. In 18 Presidential elections, the winner has walked away without winning the majority of popular votes

Who Does the Electoral College Favor? State Population Electoral Votes California 37,200,000 55 Arizona 6,600,000 11 Wyoming 563,000 3 Ratios CA 1/676,363 AZ 1/600,000 WY 1/187,666

Electoral College Supporters There are two major strengths of the electoral college that its supporters espouse: It is a known process. Each of the proposed, but untried, reforms may very well have defects that could not be known until they appeared in practice. In most election years, the electoral college defines the winner of the presidential election quickly and certainly.

Electoral College Reform Fill out the provided form with information about proposed Electoral College reforms found on pages 382-384 In the last section of the chart, place information about your proposed reform. Your method of reform can be completely original or a combination of the others. Then, in the space provided, write a short paragraph explaining why your method of reform is the best way to fix problems in the Electoral College.

Proposed Reforms District plan: electors would be chosen the same way members of Congress are selected: each congressional district would select one elector (House) and two electors (Senate) would be selected based on the overall popular vote in a State. Direct popular election: At the polls, voters would vote directly for the President and Vice President instead of electors. National bonus plan: offer the winner of the popular vote 102 electoral votes in addition to the other electoral votes he or she might gain. Proportional plan: each candidate would receive the same share of a State’s electoral vote as he or she received in the State’s popular vote.

Write to your pen pal Suppose you have been asked by your pen pal from another country, to explain how the electoral college works. Consider: -ways the popular vote affects the electoral vote - How the President is elected based on the electoral vote - flaws in the system 25pts

In what ways is the Electoral College undemocratic?

Quiz questions List the 8 roles of the President and a brief(1sentence) explanation of each What are the formal qualifications to be President and three of the benefits of being Pres.? What are the 2 ways the VP can become acting President? What are the 3 goals of the national convention? Explain 2 strengths and 1 weakness of the electoral college