The Executive Branch The Presidency

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Qualifications

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Formal Qualifications: 35 years old Natural Born Citizen U.S. resident for 14 years

The Executive Branch: The Presidency What is a natural born citizen? Anyone born inside the United States Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S. Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21 Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)

The Executive Branch: The Presidency “Informal” Qualifications: All have shared similar characteristics White males Protestant British ancestry most attended college (only 9 did not) had careers as lawyers (22 of 42) President John Adams

The Executive Branch: The Presidency “Informal” Qualifications: Evidence of change 1.) 1960: JFK became 1st Catholic President 2.) 1984: Dem. party nominated Geraldine Ferraro as the first Vice-Presidential candidate

The Executive Branch: The Presidency “Informal” Qualifications: Evidence of Change cont. 3.) 1988: Jesse Jackson became the first African American to come in a close second in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Salary and Benefits

The Executive Branch: The Presidency History of Salary: Position Salary President    1789 $25,000  1873 50,000  1909 75,000  1949 100,000  1969 200,000  2001 400,000

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Benefits: Receives $50,000/year for expenses and up to $100,000/year for travel Salary cannot be changed during term Free lodging at the White House and Camp David

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Benefits: President and family receives finest medical care possible and personal protection (secret service)

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Benefits: President has plane (Air Force One) and a personal helicopter (Marine One) at his disposal

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Elections and Terms of Office

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Elections: Elections held every 4 years President elected by an electoral college Candidate with most electoral votes wins the election

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Term of Office: 4 years = 1 presidential term Constitution originally placed no limit on number of Presidential terms George Washington established a tradition when he stepped down after 2 terms

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Term of Office: 1940: FDR became the 1st President to not step down after 2nd term – was elected 4 times 1951: 22nd Amendment added to Constitution Limits President to 2 consecutive terms

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Presidential Succession

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Presidential Succession: 1841: William Henry Harrison became 1st President to die while in office Vice President John Tyler set a tradition by declaring himself President 1967: 25th Amendment turned tradition into law; says if Presidency is vacant, the VP becomes President and then appoints a new VP

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Since ratified, 25th Amendment has been used 3 times: 1.) 1973: VP Spiro Agnew resigned; Pres. Nixon replaced him with Gerald Ford 2.) 1974: Pres. Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford became President 3.) 1985: Pres. Reagan was shot and during surgery VP George Bush became president for 8 hours

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 8 U.S. Presidents have died while in office:

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Presidential Succession: 1947: Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act which indicates the order of succession to the Presidency

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Line of Succession: The Vice President Speaker of the House President pro tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of the Interior Secretary of Agriculture Secretary of Commerce Secretary of Labor Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary of Transportation Secretary of Energy Secretary of Education Secretary of Veterans Affairs Secretary of Homeland Security

The Executive Branch: The Presidency Presidential Roles

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 7 Major Roles of the President 1.) Chief Executive Carries out the nation’s laws Issues Executive Orders (rule or command the President issues that has the force of law; usually during time of crisis) Appoints cabinet members, ambassadors, judges, heads of govt. agencies

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 2.) Chief Diplomat Responsible for making treaties with other countries with Senate approval Meets with foreign leaders Can make Executive Agreements with leaders of other countries Has the force of law but does not require Senate approval Responsible for appointing ambassadors with Senate approval An official representative of a country’s government

The Executive Branch: The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief President is final authority over all military matters Founding Fathers believed in civilian control over the military; person elected by the people has final say over all military matters President can use military in times of war or peace 1957: President Eisenhower sent Federal Troops into Little Rock, Arkansas when attempts to integrate public schools led to violence between locals and police

The Executive Branch The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief , cont.. President Barrack Obama with his Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Executive Branch The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief, cont.. Stretching of this power by former Presidents has led to legislation limiting the President’s power over the military President Truman sent troops to fight in Korean War, but we never declared War (1950-53) Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon sent troops to Vietnam, but we never declared war (1954-75)

The Executive Branch The Presidency 3.) Commander in Chief, cont…. 1973: War Powers Act passed by Congress President must notify Congress when troops sent anywhere Troops must be brought home after 60 days unless Congress declares war, or gives approval for troops to stay

The Executive Branch The Presidency 4.) Political Party Leader Supports party members in election campaigns and helps unify the party Appoints members of party to key govt. jobs President Bush confers w/ Republican members of Congress

The Executive Branch The Presidency 5.) Legislative Leader Proposes legislation and uses many tactics to get the bill passed Prepares the federal budget Approves or vetoes legislation

The Executive Branch The Presidency 6.) Judicial Leader Appoints judges to Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court Appoints Justices whose point of view is similar to their own President Obama announces Mrs. Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court

The Executive Branch The Presidency 6.) Judicial Leader, cont… Can issue pardons, reprieves and amnesty to those convicted of federal crimes: Pardon – declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment Reprieve – an order to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can rule on the case (usually death sentence Commutation – substitutes a less severe punishment for the one originally imposed by the court Amnesty – same as a pardon; applies to a group of people rather than an individual

The Executive Branch The Presidency 456 total pardons. Over 100 on the day before he left office President Carter gave amnesty to all Vietnam draft dodgers who fled to Canada

The Executive Branch The Presidency 7.) Chief of State Role is symbolic – President is representing people from all 50 states Gives a human face to American govt. Can be demonstrated in many ways Greeting heroes Throwing first pitches at baseball games Inviting musicians to perform at White House Attending funeral of another country’s leader, or past Presidents of U.S. Speeches and ceremonies

The Executive Branch The Presidency- Chief of State President and First Lady at Pope’s funeral and at former President Reagan’s funeral

The Executive Branch The Presidency The Vice President

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Qualifications Same as the President Duties and Responsibilities Serves as President of the Senate (only Constitutional duty) President delegates out many responsibilities to VP: Taking part in Presidential Cabinet meeting Helping with Diplomatic relations with other countries Advising and helping President make important decisions

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Vice President’s Duties and Responsibilities

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Salary and Benefits $198,000/year Receives $10,000/year for expenses Benefits similar to President’s Free Residence Large Staff Variety of personal services – Secret Service protection

The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President Elections and Terms of Office Original procedure for electing a VP was: - Electoral college members in each state voted for 2 candidates for President – candidate with most votes became President and runner up became the VP After tie of 1800, procedure changed 12th Amendment: electoral college votes for president and VP on separate ballots VP term of office is not limited (although no VP has ever served more than two terms)