Ch. 13 - The Presidency

The Many Roles of the President Chief of State Ceremonial head of the country Acts as the “face of the U.S.” Welcomes foreign dignitaries For example…

The Many Roles of the President Chief Executive Ensures that the nation’s laws are enforced and carried out Head of the executive branch

The Many Roles of the President Chief Administrator Head of the entire bureaucracy – people who work for the government to implement policies Appoints everyone in the top levels with consent of the Senate May also fire any appointed person does not need Senate approval for firing

The Many Roles of the President Chief Diplomat Develops the nation’s foreign policy stances Top advisor on foreign policy is the Secretary of State Spokesperson to the rest of the world Meets and befriends leaders of foreign countries

The Many Roles of the President Commander-in-Chief Top commander of all branches of the armed forces All are subject to his immediate control Can wage undeclared wars

The Many Roles of the President Chief Legislator Proposes Laws to Congress Chooses whether to sign bills into law or veto them

The Many Roles of the President Chief of Party Undisputed leader and face of the political party that helped elect him Plans future strategy and direction of the party Helps raise money and campaign for other party members

The Many Roles of the President Chief Citizen Helps the public as a whole, rather than private interests Represent what all American people should be (in terms of character)

Qualifications 35 years old Natural Born U.S. Citizen Could be born in another country to an American parent Or born on U.S. soil Resident of the U.S. for 14 years

Terms Pres. serves a 4 year term Limited to 2 terms by the 22nd Amendment If V.P. takes over less than half of President’s term, it doesn’t count against him Thus, most possible years = 10

$ Perks $ Salary of $400,000 per year for life $50,000 in expenses Free medical care for life Live in the White House Use of Air Force One, Marine One, other transportation

Presidential Succession Constitution originally only provided that when Pres. becomes incapable, V.P. would become “acting president” 25th Amendment fixed this and other issues (1967)

Presidential Succession If president dies, resigns, is impeached, or is temporarily incapable, succession occurs Pres. can be declared temporarily incapable by himself, or V.P. with a majority of the Cabinet (25th Amendment)

Presidential Succession Order of Succession – set by Presidential Succession Act of 1947 Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro-Tempore Secretary of State Each Cabinet Dept. Secretary in the order they were created

But what if I die?!?!

Vice-Presidential Succession If V.P. dies or resigns, president picks a new one Majority of both houses of Congress must approve

What Does the V Do? 2 Important Jobs (sarcasm) Take over if the Pres. dies Preside over the Senate These 2 jobs take no time, and allow Dick Cheney to spend time shooting old men in the face

So What does the VP Really Do? Reagan didn’t let me do anything. They do whatever the president lets them do

How to Pick a V.P. Balance the Ticket – pick a guy with qualities that will draw voters you wouldn’t

Example of Balancing the Ticket President Reagan From California (West Coast) Very conservative Idea man – not concerned with details Vice-President Bush From Connecticut (East Coast) Moderate conservative Technocrat – obsessed with nuance/details

Presidential Selection Constitution says – “president shall be chosen by a number of electors” These electors are the electoral college

Each elector gets 2 votes 1st Place becomes president Original Plan The Election of 1800 Each elector gets 2 votes 1st Place becomes president 2nd Place becomes vice-president Then, a crisis occurs…

Political Parties had just appeared The Election of 1800 Political Parties had just appeared Jefferson and Burr – Democratic Republicans Adams and Pinckney – Federalists Each elector casts his 2 ballots for his party’s 2 candidates

The Election of 1800 Final Result: Thomas Jefferson - 73 Aaron Burr - 73 John Adams - 65 Charles Pinckney - 64 John Jay - 1

The Election of 1800 Burr had run intending to become Jefferson’s Vice, then realized he had a legitimate claim to win! Took 36 votes in the House of Reps. to settle the dispute and pick Jefferson

Requires presidential and V.P. elections to be separate The 12th Amendment Darn straight, they did. Requires presidential and V.P. elections to be separate

The Current Selection Process Thankfully for you, the process is much more complicated today It all starts with the nominating process…

The Nominating Process Candidates must win a majority of delegates at the party convention Each state gets delegates at the convention based on the number of electoral college votes, plus a bonus for states loyal to the party States have choices on how to award these delegates

State’s Options – How to Vote Primary Election – election among the public to choose a nominee Open Primary – all eligible voters may vote Closed Primary – only party members may vote

State’s Options – How to Award Delegates Winner-Take-All – winner of the state’s contest gets all of the state’s delegates Proportional Representation – Each candidate gets delegates equal to the % of the vote they got **Democratic Party rules require proportional representation**

General Election General Election – one candidate from each party run against each other for the presidency

General Election Each state sets requirements for how a party gets qualified to be on the ballot

General Election Traditionally, the Republican and Democratic Candidates will debate each other at least once

General Election Winner of the election is determined by who gets a majority of electoral college votes (270 out of a possible 538)

General Election Electoral College is winner-take-all – whoever gets a plurality (not a majority) in the state gets all the state’s electoral college votes

The Electoral College Cons Pros Undemocratic – can win with fewer votes Outdated – we have technology for voters to have full control Voters in closely divided states matter more Pros Preserves stable 2 party system No mass confusion over recounts Pushes candidates to campaign in smaller states

Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College District Plan Electoral College Votes based on who wins each congressional district Example: California has 53 districts McCain wins 20, gets 20 electoral votes Obama wins 33, gets 33 electoral votes Obama wins popular vote in CA, gets 2 bonus votes

Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College Proportional Plan Electoral College votes awarded based on % of popular vote Example: State has 20 electoral votes Obama gets 60%, McCain gets 40% Obama gets 12 electoral votes, McCain gets 8

Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College Direct Popular Election Whoever wins the most votes nationwide becomes the president

Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College National Bonus Plan Electoral College system still in place Whoever wins the popular vote nationwide gets a bonus of 102 electoral college votes 102 is the number which makes it mathematically impossible to win popular vote and lose the election