Chapter 12- The Presidency: Leading the Nation

The Presidency Article II Powers of the Chief Executive Qualifications Appoints officials Commander-in-Chief Sign/veto legislation Grant Pardons Chief Diplomat Treaties, Send/ receive ambassadors Qualifications 35 years of age Natural born citizen 14 year resident of U.S. Limits Two 4-year terms (22nd Amendment) Impeachment (Article I) Congress & the Courts (Acts & rulings)

The Presidency The Framers’ vision of the presidency National Leadership Administration of the Laws Statesmanship in foreign affairs Executive accountability The presidency has become much stronger than the Framers envisioned constitutional roles have expanded Foreign policy role has expanded since the U.S. has become a world power

Foundations of the Modern Presidency Asserting a Claim to National Leadership Whig Theory- a limited or constrained Constitutional authority James Buchanan- “My duty is to execute laws and not my individual opinions.” Stewardship Theory- calls for an assertive pres. that is confined only at points specifically prohibited by law Theodore Roosevelt- “bully pulpit”, challenged the power of business monopolies FDR- felt he was permitted “to do anything that the needs of the Nation demand unless such action was forbidden…”

Foundations of the Modern Presidency The Need for Presidential Leadership of an Activist Government Foreign Policy Leadership As sole representative of the U.S. the president can act quickly and speak authoritatively for the nation as a whole Domestic Policy Leadership Role has grown as the U.S. has gone from an agrarian to industrialized nation Budget & Accounting Act of 1921 Executive Office of the President Importance of the Cabinet has declined as the rest of the Executive Branch has grown

Executive Office of the President Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Choosing the President Toward a More “Democratic” System of Presidential Election Electoral College 270 votes needed out of 538 Electors tied to state’s popular votes House of Reps. chooses if no candidate receives a majority Open Party Caucuses Andrew Jackson ended the practice of nominating by Congressional caucus Primary Elections Used more extensively in recent decades

Choosing the President The Campaign for Nomination Momentum Early “Mo” is a big factor Early states vs. late states disenfranchisement Money $20 million to $30 million to run an effective nominating campaign Candidate with the most money wins most of the time GW Bush nominating campaign in 2000 $ 75 Million Choice of Vice President (running mate) Nominee’s choice at the convention

Choosing the President The Campaign for Election Election Strategy Electoral College/Popular vote Media and Money Television: Debates and advertising About ½ spent on TV Kennedy-Nixon 1st televised debate Federal Funding Matching funds The Winners

Presidents who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College John Quincy Adams Rutherford B. Hayes Benjamin Harrison George W. Bush Election of 2000 Gore won the popular vote Bush won Florida by 537 votes The Supreme Court blocked a count of ballots in Florida Bush receives 271 Electoral College votes, one more than the 270 needed

Electoral College Results- 2004

Presidential Voting by County- 2004

Electoral College Results- 2008

Presidential Election of 2012 Obama - 332 Romney-206

Staffing the Presidency Presidential Appointees The Executive Office of the President The Vice President The White House Office Policy Experts The President’s Cabinet Other Presidential Appointees The Problem of Control Too many people to see much less control Career bureaucrats dominate

Factors in Presidential Leadership The Force of Circumstance It’s the economy stupid Accomplishments usually depend on circumstances outside their control The Stage of the President’s Term Honeymoon Period- 1st 100 days Strategic Presidency The need to move quickly on important issues while conditions are favorable May run out of ideas, get caught up in scandal, or exhaust political resources

Factors in Presidential Leadership The Nature of the Issue: Foreign or Domestic Two presidencies theory Broad powers to act as the “sole arm” of the U.S. when reaching out to other nations More likely to get the backing of Congress on foreign policy issues

Factors in Presidential Leadership Relations with Congress Seeking Cooperation from Congress Benefiting from Partisan Support in Congress Colliding with Congress To veto or not to veto… G.W. Bush- 2 vetoes in first five years 700+ Signing statements War Powers Act, Impeachment House of Reps. – Impeachment Charges Andrew Johnson William Jefferson Clinton Senate- Impeachment Trial 0 presidents convicted

G.W. Bush had an 87 % success rate with Congress in his first year in office

Factors in Presidential Leadership Public Support Presidential Approval Ratings Events and Issues From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina Economy The Televised Presidency Scandal is the largest threat to the pres. ability to control the media The Illusion of Presidential Government Too much credit Too much blame