Unit Five: The Executive Branch

The Executive Branch: Structure Review President & Vice President Main Function: Lead Executive Branch Cabinet Main Function: Advisors to the President Regulatory Agencies Main Function: Enforce laws and regulations

Think About It… Interpret each of the following quotes. What message can be gleaned from each quote? What seem to be the Presidents attitudes’ toward their jobs?

President Harry S Truman "I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have the sense to do without my persuading them. That's all the powers of the President amount to." 33rd President, 1945-53

President John F. Kennedy "No easy problem ever comes to the President of the United States. If they are easy to solve, somebody else has solved them." 35th President, 1961-1963 National television address during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962

President Lyndon B. Johnson "The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was; and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands." 36th President, 1963-69

President Richard Nixon "Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the manner in which the president personally exercises his assigned executive powers is not subject to questioning by another branch of government." 37th President, 1969-1974 In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, President Nixon departs the White House after his resignation, August, 1974

The President Current: Barack Obama Elected: 2008 Terms: 1 Party: Democratic

The President The President performs many roles and functions within the Executive Branch Wears Many Hats

The President’s Roles Chief of State Chief Executive Chief Administrator Chief Diplomat Commander in Chief Chief Legislator Party Chief Chief Citizen Economic Leader Judicial Leader

Are the roles of a Republican or Democratic President the same?

Chief of State Ceremonial head of government Symbol of the nation Reigns and rules Which nations do we currently not “recognize?” Does this change from presidency to presidency?

Chief Executive Execute the tasks of Congress and the nation Get it done Job approval

Chief Administrator Heads an administration that employs more than 2.7 million civilians and spends more than $2 trillion a year. Numerous federal agencies and commissions

Chief Diplomat Main architect of American foreign policy Nation’s spokesperson to the world Secretary of State

Commander in Chief Civilian leading the nation’s armed forces 1.4+ million men and women in uniform and the nation’s entire military arsenal Secretary of Defense

Chief Legislator Architect of public policy and public policy matters Sets Congressional agenda Initiates, suggests, requests, insists, and sometimes demands legislation State of the Union Check and balance of Congress

Chief of Party Acknowledged leader of the political party Leads party and its members If president is successful, ride the coattails. If the president is not perceived as successful, run the opposite direction or ignore him/her

Chief Citizen Representative of all the people (Chief of State) Represent the public interest rather than private / interest groups Moral compass of nation Votes and follows the rules

Economic Leader Monitor and make adjustments to help the nation’s economic Philosophical differences between political parties? Secretary of Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture, Interior, Labor, Energy, etc.

Judicial Leader Set the judicial enforcements of the laws of Congress Appointments of federal court judges up to the Supreme Court Attorney General

What do you think is the most important role the President has?

The President: Qualifications and Term of Office Article II of the Constitution: the president must be A natural born citizen of US At least 35 years old A resident of the US for 14 years before office Informal Requirements: government experience, education, money, character The 22nd Amendment in 1951 set 2 4-year term limit on presidency

The President’s Term(s) Presidents may serve two 4-Year Terms A maximum of 10 years total Until 1951, the Constitution placed no limit on the number of terms a President might serve. Several Presidents, beginning with George Washington, refused to seek more than two terms. Soon the ‘No Third Term’ tradition became an unwritten rule.

The President’s Salary The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other Emolument from the United States,or any of them.

The President’s Salary Originally, the President’s salary was $25,000 per year. The President’s current salary is $400,000 plus a $50,000 taxable expense account per year. The President also receives $120,000 nontaxable allowance for travel and entertainment, and living accommodations in two residences- the White House and Camp David.

Presidential Succession and the Vice President

Who’s in Line? Not originally in the Constitution 25th Amendment Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tempore of the Senate Secretary of Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General

Who’s in Line? Everyone in the Presidential Succession may never all be in the same room at the same time. During the Annual State of the Union Address, when everyone in Government meets, there is always someone in the chain who is hidden away in a secret location.

Presidential Succession Act of 1947 Determined the list followed by 14 heads of Cabinet Departments in the order that they were created by Congress. Was There a reason they went in that order?

Presidential Disability Before the 25th Amendment no provisions for Presidential Disability. Or who was to make that decision.

The Vice Presidency “ I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.” –John Adams 1st Vice President

Importance of the Office Two Formal Duties: Preside over the Senate Help Decide the question of Presidential Disability “President in Waiting.”

Balance the Ticket How a Vice President is chosen Running mate chosen to strengthen Presidential election chances Ideological Racial Geographic Gender

Vice Presidential Vacancy 18 times 25th Amendment in 1967 President nominates a replacement Confirmed by Congress Spiro Agnew  Gerald Ford Gerald Ford  Nelson Rockefeler