United States Government Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Warm-Up: Build a Better President Describe your ideal President of the United States. In your description, be sure to include the President’s: Political Party (if any) Views on Issues that are important to you Experience in Government Other work experience Educational background Geographical background Age Gender Race/Ethnicity Any other characteristics that would be important for your ideal U.S. President

The presidency: qualifications and powers

Formal (Constitutional) Qualifications

1) Must be at least 35 years old

2) Must be a natural born citizen

3) Must have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years

That’s it!

Informal Qualifications

1) Money In 2012 the Obama campaign spent 1.2 BILLION DOLLARS to re-elect the President. A candidate will need a vast fortune before declaring his candidacy and also the ability to raise large sums of money during a campaign

2) Political Experience Every President in the last 125 years (with TWO exceptions) was either a Senator, Governor, or Vice-President prior to entering the White House

What other INFORMAL characteristics do most presidential candidates usually have?

Good Speaker Tall/Good Looking Political Party Christian Hair! Family

Constitutional Powers

1) Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces

2) Veto Power

3) Foreign Policy Power Appoints ambassadors (with Senate approval) and receives ambassadors from foreign countries Negotiates treaties and other agreements (but needs Senate approval for treaties to become law)

4) Appointment Power Federal Judges Heads of Executive Departments Other officers designated by Congress as Presidential appointees

5) Pardon Power May grant reprieves and pardons to those convicted of federal crimes

Presidential Terms in Office Two-term tradition: George Washington left office after two terms; The next 31 presidents followed that precedent In 1940 Franklin Roosevelt became the first president elected to a third term. In 1944, he was elected to his fourth term. 22nd Amendment (1951): Places a two-term limit on Presidents

Exit Ticket: Practice MCQ Which of the following is an informal, but NOT a formal, qualification for U.S. presidents?   A. Presidents must be at least 35 years of age. B. Presidents must be married with children. C. Presidents must be natural born citizens of the United States. D. Presidents must have lived in the U.S. for at least fourteen years.

Homework Presidential Power Mini-Scavenger Hunt