Bellwork: Day 3 Are Americans really scared of the right things? What are some thing you are afraid of that maybe you shouldn’t be? What are some things you aren’t afraid of that maybe you should be? Take out The American President movie questions for stamp.

Assignment 7: President Super Notes

Bellwork: Day 3 Watch the BrainPop clip and then answer the questions.

Note On your notes, underline or highlight the blue text.

The Electoral College We don’t actually vote for the president. The framers of the Constitution called for the president to be elected by a body of electors.

The Electoral College How are the number of electors for each state calculated?

The Electoral College Electors (or votes) are determined by a little math formula. Add how many members in the House of Reps. plus how many members in the Senate. Example: California: = 55 electors

The Electoral College Washington D.C. can vote for the president. They get three electoral votes for the election. The total number of electoral votes is 538. Do the math: House: 435, Senate: 100, D.C.: 100. First candidate to 270 votes wins!

Each waving hand represents a visit from a presidential or vice- presidential candidate during the final five weeks of the election.

Each dollar sign represents one million dollars spent on TV advertising by the campaigns during the same time period.

Problems with the Electoral College So what is the problem here? 1.States that are already decided on how they’ll vote are basically ignored (like us in CA) 2.Small unimportant states are suddenly important. 3.Biggest Problem: You can win the popular vote, but lose the election

Only 537 votes decided the president of the 2000 election!? Stuff that happened during Bush’s first term: -September 11, Invasion and occupation of Afghanistan -Invasion and occupation of Iraq Indian Ocean Tsunami -Department of Homeland Security created; give color warnings for each day Don’t tell me your vote doesn’t matter! I bet there are 537 people in Florida that would disagree with you.

What if no one wins a majority of states? If there is no clear presidential winner, the House of Representatives will vote for the next president (likely based on party affiliation).

The President’s Cabinet The president’s cabinet, or executive departments, and different and important offices and advisors to the president.

Different Cabinet Positions Write the original cabinet positions created in 1798 on your notes. Also write down the “notes” portion.

Choosing Cabinet Members The president appoints the head of each of the 15 executive departments. These appointments must be approved by the Senate. These appointments are usually confirmed with no problems. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

The Civil Service System Back in the day, presidents often practiced a spoils system. They appointed their buddies and friends (unqualified) to important government positions. This system had to be changed when a crazy man who wanted a cabinet job shot and killed President James Garfield. ▫The US then changed to a civil service system, or giving jobs to those who were qualified and passed exams.

Treaties The president can sign treaties with other countries. The treaties must then be approved by the Senate. They can be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court They can be repealed by Congress.

The War Powers Act (1973) Congress was frustrated that the president seemed to be declaring war without their permission (Korean War, Vietnam). Remember, he needs their permission. Congress passed the War Powers Act, limiting the president’s ability to wage war. If president sends troops, he has 48 hours to tell Congress what is going on. Troops must leave within 60 days unless granted permission by Congress. Congress can vote to pull out troops at any time.

Assignment 8: The Executive Branch Study Guide