Chapter 13 - The Presidency AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

Section 1- The President’s Job Description

THE PRESIDENT’S Top Eight ROLES The President must simultaneously assume many different roles while in office some examples include: 1.) Chief of State Ceremonial head of government—the symbol of all people in the nation In some nations, the chief of state reigns but does not rule (ex. Queens in England & Denmark)

THE PRESIDENT’S ROLES 2.) Chief Executive Constitution give President “executive power” Immensely broad in both domestic and foreign affairs “The most powerful office in the world” The President IS NOT all-powerful Checks and balances regulate power

THE PRESIDENT’S ROLES 3.) Chief Administrator 4.) Chief Diplomat Director of the Executive Branch Administration employs more than 2.7 million civilians and spends $3 trillion per year 4.) Chief Diplomat Main architect of American foreign policy

THE PRESIDENT’S ROLES 5.) Commander in Chief 6.) Chief Legislator 1.4 million men and women in armed forces and nation’s entire military arsenal are subject to direct and immediate control 6.) Chief Legislator Main architect of public policy President sets the overall shape of Congressional agenda

THE PRESIDENT’S ROLES President initiates, suggests, requests, insists, and demands that Congress enact much of the major legislation proposed The first six roles come directly from the Constitution but they do not complete the list 7.) Chief of Party Acknowledged leader of the political party that controls the executive branch

THE PRESIDENT’S ROLES 8.) Chief Citizen President is expected to be the “representative of all the people” Work for and represent the public interest FDR said the office was “pre-eminently a place of moral leadership” President must play these roles simultaneously

The Struggles of Playing Duel Roles Two Illustrations Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon Each was a strong and relatively effective President during their early years LBJ’s actions as commander in chief during the Vietnam War seriously damaged he credibility that he chose not to run for re-election in 1968

The Struggles of Playing Duel Roles The Watergate Scandal proved to be Nixon’s downfall. The way he filled the roles of party leader and chief citizen so destroyed Mr. Nixon’s presidency that he was forced to resign the office in disgrace in 1974 or face certain impeachment and removal

FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS 1.) A natural born Citizen…of the United States A person born abroad to American citizen parents is legally an American citizen at birth 2.) Be at least 35 years old JFK was the youngest person ever elected at 43 Theodore Roosevelt reached the office through succession at 42

FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS Six other people took the oath of office before age 50: James K. Polk, Franklin Pierce, Ulysses Grant, James Garfield, Grover Cleveland, Barack Obama Donald Trump is the oldest person to be elected President at 70 years and 220 days old Ronald Reagan took office at 69 and when he completed his 2nd term he was the oldest to have been President at 77 years old

FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS 3.) “Have been fourteen years a resident within the United States” This has been defined to mean 14 years or more not necessarily consecutive (Ex. Hoover(1928) and Eisenhower (1952) both spent time outside the USA) More than 100 million people today meet the qualifications to be President

THE PRESIDENT’S TERM Framers considered different lengths: 4 years with possible re-election; 6 or 7 years in 1 term only Hamilton stated in the Federalist Papers #71 that four years was long enough to gain experience, demonstrate abilities, and establish stable choices Until 1951 there was no limit to the number of terms

THE PRESIDENT’S TERM Several Presidents refused more than 2 terms FDR broke tradition by winning a third (1940) and a fourth (1944) term 22nd Amendment (1951) set a limit of 2 terms A term is defined as 1 day past 2 years Example: if a person assumed the office 1 day past the 2-year mark in the previous person’s term, the new person could complete that term and serve 2 more terms of their own (10-year max)

THE PRESIDENT’S TERM Many people, including Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan have called for repeal of the 22nd Amendment because they say it takes away the people’s ability to choose who is President Several Presidents have called for a single 6-year term. This would free up the President from having to worry about getting re-elected

PAY AND BENEFITS President’s salary determined by Congress It can neither be increased nor decreased during his term (Article II, Section 1, Clause 7) Salary:1789-$25,000; 2001-$400,000 $50,000 expense allowance was added to salary and subject to income tax Constitution prohibits any other emolument (pay)

PAY AND BENEFITS Non-pay benefits the president has access to: The White House is a 132-room mansion A sizable suite of offices and a large staff A fleet of automobiles Air Force 1, and other planes and helicopters Camp David a resort hideaway in the Catoctin Mountains, MD The finest medical, dental, and other health care Generous travel and entertainment funds and much more

Section 2-Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency

Key Terms Presidential Succession Presidential Succession Act of 1947 Balance the ticket

The Constitution and Succession Presidential Succession-How a presidential vacancy is filled if president dies, resigns or is removed from office The Constitution stated that the Presidential powers would dissolve to the Vice-President in the event that the President can no longer carry out his duties

Presidential Succession Vice President John Taylor was the first V.P. to fill the Presidential void in 1841 Constitution did not provide a direct path for succession until the 25th Amendment was passed in 1967 This officially states that the vice-President will succeed the President

Presidential Succession Act 1967 Set the line of Presidential Succession Vice-President Speaker of the House President pro tempore Secretary of State Rest of the 14 members of the cabinet

Presidential Disability Until the 25th Amendment there were serious gaps in the line of succession Neither Constitution nor Congress made provisions for a disabled President For 180 years the nation tempted fate Garfield Wilson Reagan All disabled for a period of time

Presidential Disability Sections 3 and 5 of the 25th Amendment fill disability gap Vice-President becomes acting President if: President informs Congress is writing he will be unable to perform his duties VP and majority of Congress decide president is incapable Vice President Al Gore

Presidential Disability President can resume powers by notifying Congress Vice-president and majority of congress can make a challenge Congress has 21 days to decide the matter

Presidential Disability 25th Amendment has been used three times Ronald Regan 1985 presided for George Bush for 8 hours because of surgery 2002, 2007 Dick Cheney for George W. Bush for medical procedures Vice President Dan Quayle

Vice President Joe Biden The Vice Presidency Constitution pays little attention to the office but they have two formal duties: 1.) To preside over the Senate 2.) To help decide the question of presidential disability Throughout history the office treated with little importance Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Spiro Agnew The Vice-Presidency Most who have served over time have made unkind comments The job is heartbeat away from the presidency Balance the Ticket-When a person is chosen as a running mate who can strengthen the ticket for the presidential candidate Vice President Spiro Agnew

The Vice President Today Presidents have made them more important Dick Cheney seen as the most influential V.P. (2001-2007) Vice president Biden spent 36 years in the Senate and the head of the Foreign Relations Committee Vice President Dick Chaney

Vice President The Vice President is seen as a “true assistant President” The Vice-president is not subject to removal from office by the President they must have Congresses approval Vice President Nelson Rockefeller

Vice Presidential Vacancy There has been eighteen total vice presidential vacancies Nine times by succession to President Twice by resignation Seven times by death Whenever there is a vacancy the President shall nominate the Vice-President, approved by majority of both houses Rockefeller and Ford Vice President Gerald Ford

Section 3- Presidential Selection: The Framer’s Plan

Key Terms Presidential elector Electoral vote Electoral college

Original Provisions The Framer’s gave more time to the matter of choosing a president then any other matter Could not decide if Congress should choose or give the direct vote to the people Congressional selection was eventually chosen

Original Provisions Most Framers though a direct vote would lead to disorder President and Vice president were to be chosen by a body of electors Presidential electors were to be chosen by each individual states legislature.

Original Provisions Each state would have as many electors as it would have senators and representatives in Congress Each state would cast two electoral votes Each for a different candidate

Original Provisions The candidate with the most votes was named President and the next highest vote getter was Vice President Framers intended the electors to be enlightened and respectable citizens

The Rise of Parties Electoral College-The group of people (electors) chosen from each State and D.C. charged with formally selecting the President and the VP Early on flaws started to develop

The Election of 1800 System broke down during the election of 1800 Two well defined parties emerged the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans Each party nominated a President and Vice President

The Election of 1800 Each party also nominated 73 people to serve as electors There was a tie for the Presidency between Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson Each elector had two votes and had to vote for two different people They voted for candidates representing their party It took 36 separate ballots but the House of Representatives finally chose Jefferson

The Election of 1800 Produced Three New Elements: 1.) Party nominations for President and Vice President 2.) Nomination for candidates for presidential electors in state’s who pledged their votes for their party 3.) Automatic casting of votes in line with the pledges

12th Amendment The 12th Amendment was added to Constitution in 1804 It separated the presidential and vice presidential offices during elections One set of ballots would be cast for President One set of ballots was cast for Vice President Same system that exists today

Section 4-Presidential Nominations

National Conventions Both the Republicans and Democrats use National Conventions as their parties nominating device Both parties picked the time and the place to hold their convention 2012 Presidential Election Republic National Convention–Tampa, Florida Republican National Convention Democrat National Convention–Charlotte, North Carolina Democratic National Convention Each state is given a certain number of delegates to represent the state.

Presidential Primaries Presidential Primary An election in which a party’s voters Choose some or all of the State party organization’s delegates to their party’s national convention Express a preference among various contenders for their party’s presidential nomination

Caucuses A closed meeting of members of a political party who gather to select delegates to the national convention. The Iowa caucuses generally get the most attention, largely because they are now the first delegate-selection event held in every presidential election season. Iowa Caucus, 2008

Securing the Nomination The National Conventions Have Three Major Goals: Naming the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates Bringing the various factions and the leading personalities in the party together in one place for a common purpose Adopting the party’s platform – it formal statement of basic principles, stands on major policy matters, and objectives for the campaign and beyond.

Section 5- The Presidential Election

The Presidential Campaign The campaign itself it organized chaos Candidates work to show their “best side” and take negative jabs to their opponents. Television Campaign Ads Both campaigns focus much of their efforts on swing voters – people who have not made up their mind on who to vote for. Would-be-presidents also target the battleground states – those states in which the outcome is “too close to call” and either candidate can win.

The Presidential Campaign-Debates The candidates agree to hold debates Both sides will present and argue over issues that are crucial to the United States. Obama v. McCain debate Kennedy v. Nixon Debate – 1st Televised Presidential Debate

The Election When people vote in the presidential election, they do not cast a vote directly for one of the candidates, instead, they vote for presidential electors. The electoral college elects the President of the United States The electors are chosen by popular vote in every State on the same day everywhere The Tuesday after the first Monday in November every fourth year. 2012 presidential election is took place on November 6, 2012 2016 presidential election took place on November 15, 2016 2020 presidential election is set for November 3, 2020

Counting the Electoral Votes 270 Electoral Votes are Required to Win The electors meet in their respective State capitals on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December. Electors, then, cast their votes, sign their ballots and are sent to the President of the Senate. Who wins the majority of the electoral votes becomes president.

What happens if no candidate wins the majority of electoral votes? Candidates need 270 out of the 538 electoral votes to win If this does not happen: The House of Representatives chooses the president among the top three candidates voted on by the electoral college The Senate will choose the vice-presidential candidate among the top two candidates

PRESIDENTIAL INNAUGURATION After all of the votes have been counted, the President of the United States is sworn into office on January 20th on the steps of the Capitol. Prior to the 20th Amendment, the President was sworn in on March 4th The President of the United States is sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (Oath of Office). “I (name of president) do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Usually it is followed by “so help me god” and the playing of “Hail to the Chief”

PRESIDENTIAL INNAUGURATION After the President is sworn into office, it is usually followed by a speech, a parade, and many celebrations throughout the day.

PRESIDENTIAL INNAUGURATION

Flaws in the Electoral College The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency Electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote Any election might have to be decided by the House of Representatives

Proposed Reforms District and Proportional Plans Under the district plan, each state would choose its electors similar to how the choose members of Congress Would be required to vote with the popular vote of the state. Under the proportional plan each candidate would receive a share of each State’s electoral vote For example, a candidate that won 62% of the vote cast in a State with 20 electors would receive 12.4 of that State’s electoral votes.

Direct Popular Election The National Popular Vote Plan Proposed Reforms Direct Popular Election The National Popular Vote Plan Abolishes the Electoral College The people would elect the President and Vice-President The candidate would be elected with the majority of votes Same as direct popular election; however, no changes would be made to the Constitution. All States would give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

Defending the Electoral College Supporters of the Electoral College argue: It is a known process The present system identifies the President-to-be quickly and certainly Helps promote the nation’s two-party system