1. Hail to the Chief
The Power of the
American Presidency

2. Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Presidents
69% politicians
62% lawyers
>50% from the top 3% wealth and social class
0.5% born into poverty
69% elected from large states
100% male
97% Protestant
82% of British ancestry
77% college educated

3. Constitutional Qualifications
Must be at least 35 years old
Must have lived in the United States for 14 years
Must be a natural born citizen

4. Presidential Benefits
$400,000 tax-free salary
$50,000/year expense account
$100,000/year travel expenses
The White House
Secret Service protection
Camp David country estate
Air Force One personal airplane
Staff of
Christmas at the White House, 2004

5. Presidential Roles

6. Head of State Queen Elizabeth and President Reagan, 1983
President Kennedy speaks at Berlin Wall, 1963

7. Chief Executive

8. Commander-in-Chief
President Obama with the Joint Chiefs of Staff—August 2011
President Bush aboard U.S.S. Lincoln, May, 2003

9. President Clinton delivers the State of the Union Address, 1997
Chief Legislator
President Clinton delivers the State of the Union Address, 1997
President Obama signs the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) March 23, 2010

10. Chief Diplomat Derived from power to negotiate treaties
Conducts foreign relations
Obama
and
British
Prime
Minister
David
Cameron
2011

11. Political Party Leader (Informal)
President Reagan & Vice-President Bush accepting their party’s nomination in 1980

12. Crisis Manager (Informal)
President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
Vice-President Johnson sworn in aboard Air Force One
after President Kennedy’s assassination, 1963

13. Moral Persuader (Informal)
President Roosevelt and the “Bully Pulpit,” 1910
President Lincoln during the Civil War, 1862

14. Formal Powers of the President
Constitutional or enumerated powers of the presidency
Found primarily in Article II of the Constitution

15. Formal Powers: Commander-in-Chief
Commander in Chief of the Army & Navy
Commander in Chief of the state militias (now the National Guard)
Commission all officers
Mobilize forces at any time

16. Formal Powers: Chief Executive
“Faithfully execute” the laws
Require the opinion of heads of executive departments
Grant pardons for federal offenses except for cases of impeachment
Nominate judges of the Supreme Court and all other officers of the U.S. with consent of the Senate
Fill vacancies that may happen during recess of the Senate

17. Formal Powers: Foreign Affairs
Appoint ambassadors, ministers and consuls
Make treaties subject to Senate confirmation
Receive ambassadors

18. Formal Powers: Chief Legislator
Give State of the Union address to Congress
Recommend “measures” to the Congress
Upon “extraordinary occasions” convene both houses of Congress

19. Formal Powers: Chief Legislator (cont.)
Presidential Veto
Veto Message within 10 days of passing the House of origin
Pocket Veto - President does not sign within 10 days
Congress can override with 2/3 majority from both Houses
Veto Politics
Congressional override is difficult (only 4%)
Threat of veto can cause Congress to make changes in legislation

20. ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
DEMOCRATIC BECAUSE ELECTORS VOTE ACCORDING TO WILL OF MAJORITY
FEDERALISM-VOTING EXPRESSED STATE BY STATE
***MINORITY REPRESENTATION
GUARANTEE OF AT LEAST 3 ELECTORAL VOTES

21. ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
POPULAR VOTE MORE DEMOCRATIC
ELECTORS CAN VOTE CONTRARY TO WISHES OF MAJORITY
POPULAR THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE--HOUSE OF REPS MAY DECIDE

22. PROPOSALS TO REFORM THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Create a proportional system—candidate receives proportional number based on size of popular vote in state.
Abolish the Electoral College and allow election to be determined by popular vote. This would require a designated minimum.
Create a limited term of six years—no reelection

23. Informal Powers
Those powers not explicitly written in the Constitution
Similar to “necessary and proper” powers of Congress

24. Executive Orders
Orders issued by the President that carry the force of law
Do not need congressional approval
FDR’s internment of Japanese Americans
Truman’s desegregation of the armed forces
Notice for Japanese “relocation,” 1942

25. Executive Agreements
International agreements, usually related to trade, made by a president that has the force of a treaty; does NOT need Senate approval
Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana in 1803

26. Executive Privilege
Claim by a president that he has the right to decide that the national interest will be better served if certain information is withheld from the public, including the Courts and Congress
United States v. Nixon (1973) – presidents do NOT have unqualified executive privilege (Nixon Watergate tapes)

27. Presidential Quotations

28. 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."
Truman, 33rd President,

29. 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.”
President Kennedy’s nationally televised address during the Cuban Missile Crisis, October, 1962

30. 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.”
President Johnson,
36th President,

31. President Richard M. 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."
In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, President Nixon departs the White House after his resignation, Aug., 1974

32. President George W. Bush
“To those of you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say 'Well done.' And to the C students, I say 'You, too, can be president of the United States.'”
President George W. Bush, speaking at Yale University's 300th commencement ceremony
President Bush, 43rd President,

33. Formal Powers in Foreign Policy
President:
Commander-in-chief
Appointments of ambassadors
Negotiate treaties
Recognize nations
Receive ambassadors
Congress:
Confirm ambassad.
Fund the military
Provide army/navy
Declare war
Pass f.p. laws
Regulate foreign trade
Ratify treaties

34. Informal Powers in Foreign Policy
President:
Executive agreemen.
Access to media / bully pulpit /
Agenda setting
Meet w/ leaders
Crisis manager
International coalition building
Congress:
Give president advice
Oversight / investigations/ committees that look into f.p. activities