1. The Presidency
CHAPTER 13

2. President’s Roles Chief of Chief
Section 1
President’s Roles
Chief of
Ceremonial head of the gov’t of the U.S.
Symbol of all the people of the nation
Chief
Head of executive branch
Manages the Federal Gov’t
Sets the nation’s foreign policy

3. Commander in Chief Chief Chief of Control of the nation’s armed forces
Determines Congress’s agenda
Chief of
Unofficial head of his political party
Expected to work for and to represent the public interest

4. Qualifications for President
Be “a natural born citizen”
Be at least 35 years of age
Have lived in the united States for at least 14 years
Informal qualifications, such as intelligence and character, are also important considerations

5. The President’s Term Term of office is 4 years
Until 1951, the Constitution placed no limit on the number of terms a President might serve
“Two-Term Tradition” – started by George Washington, most people after followed his example
Except F.D.R.

6. The 22nd Amendment placed limits on presidential terms
Each President may now serve a maximum of two full terms (8 years in office)
A President who succeeds to the office after the mid-point in a term could possibly serve more than 8 years
The President may finish out the predecessor’s term and then seek two full terms of his or her own
***The maximum number of years a President can serve is 10***

7. Term Limits Fair?
Some people (and former Presidents) argue that the two-term rule is undemocratic
Places limits on the people to decide who should be President
Propose an unlimited number of for-year terms
Several presidents have urged a single-year term
Argue a single, nonrenewable term would free a President from the pressures of a campaign for a second term which would allow the President to focus on the pressing demands of the office

8. Pay and Benefits
Congress determines the President’s salary, and this salary cannot be changed during a presidential term.
President’s first pay was $25,000 a year. Currently it is $400,000 a year.
Congress also approved an expense allowance for the President, which is currently $50,000 a year.
Besides monetary benefits, the President gets to live in the White House.
The President is also granted other benefits, including a large suite of offices, a staff, the use of Air Force One, and many other benefits.

9. Presidential Succession and the Vice President
Section 2
Presidential Succession and the Vice President
Presidential succession is the plan by which a presidential vacancy is filled
The 25th Amendment made it clear that the Vice President will become President if the President is removed from office
The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 set the order of succession following the VP

10. The Vice President is to become acting President if
Section 3 and 4 of the 25th Amendment provide procedures that follow when the President is disabled
The Vice President is to become acting President if
The President informs Congress, in writing, “that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” or
The Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is thus incapacitated
**The President may return to his duties when he thinks he is ready**

11. The Vice Presidency
Constitution only gives the VP two duties besides becoming President if the President is removed from office:
To preside over the Senate
To help decide the question of presidential disability
If the office of VP becomes vacant, the President nominates a new VP subject to the approval of Congress (has happened 18 times in our history….9 times by succession to the presidency, 2 by resignation, 7 times by death)

13. The VP cannot be removed from office by the President
Today, the VP often performs diplomatic and political chores for the President
Presidential candidates try to choose vice-presidential candidates who will help “balance the ticket” politically

14. Presidential Selection: The Framers’ Plan
According to Constitution, President and VP are chosen by a special body of presidential electors
Originally, these electors each cast two electoral votes, each for a different candidate. The candidate with the most votes would become President, and the candidate with the second highest total would become VP

15. The electoral college is the group of people (electors) chosen from each State and the District of Columbia that formally selects the President and VP.
With the rise of political parties in 1796, flaws began to be seen in the system

16. Election of 1800 2 defined parties
Each party nominated presidential and vice presidential candidates and also nominated candidates to serve as presidential electors
Elector-candidates were picked with the understanding that they would vote for their party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees
Each of the 73 Democratic-Republicans who were electors voted for his party’s nominees: ending in a tie for presidency

17. 1) party nominations for the presidency and vice presidency
Election of 1800 marked the introduction of three new elements into the process of selecting President
1) party nominations for the presidency and vice presidency
2) the nomination of candidates for presidential electors pledged to vote for their party’s presidential ticket
3) the automatic casting of the electoral votes in line with those pledges

18. 12th Amendment was added to Constitution in 1804 following the election of 1800
The major change in the electoral college made by the amendment was that each elector would distinctly cast one electoral vote for President and one for VP

19. Presidential Nominations
Section 4
Presidential Nominations
The Role of Conventions
Convention Arrangements
The convention system has been mainly built by the two major parties in American politics
Party national committees arrange the time and place for their party’s nominating convention
The Apportionment and Selection of Delegates
Parties apportion the number of delegates each State will receive based on electoral votes and its record in recent elections.
Delegates are selected through both presidential primaries and the caucus-convention process

20. Presidential Primaries
Depending on the State, a presidential primary is an election in which a party’s voters
Choose some or all of a State’s party organization’s delegates to their party’s national convention
Express a preference among various contenders for their party’s presidential nomination
Many States use a proportional representation rule to select delegates. In this system, a proportion of a State’s delegates are chosen to match voter preferences in the primary. The goal is to promote greater grass roots involvement in the convention process
More than half of the States hold preference primaries where voters choose their preference for a candidate. Delegates are selected later to match voter preferences.

21. The Caucus-Convention Process
In those States that do not hold presidential primaries, delegates to the national conventions are chosen in a system of caucuses and conventions
The party’s voters meet in local caucuses where they choose delegates to a local or district convention, where delegates to the State convention are picked
At the State level, and sometimes in the district conventions, delegates to the national convention are chosen

22. The National Convention
A party’s national convention is the meeting at which delegates vote to pick their presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Party conventions accomplish three main goals:
1) to officially name the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates
2) to bring the various factions and the leading personalities in the party together in one place for a common purpose
3) to adopt the party’s platform—its formal statement of basic principles, stands on major policy matters, and objectives for the campaign and beyond

23. ***Most of the rules governing the national conventions of the two major political parties are set by the parties themselves ***Conventions today are very tame because there is little doubt about who will win the party’s nominee for Pres. And VP

24. Who is Nominated?
If an incumbent President wants to seek reelection, their nomination is almost guaranteed
Political experience factors into the nomination process. State governors, the executive officers on the State level, have historically been favored for nomination. U.S. senators also have fared well
Many candidates come from key larger states. Candidates from larger states, such as California, New York, and Ohio, have usually been seen as more electable than candidates from smaller states.

25. The Electoral College Today
Section 5
The Election
The Electoral College Today
Voters do not vote directly for the President. Instead, they vote for electors in the electoral college. (electors chosen by direct popular vote)
All States, except two (Maine and Nebraska) select electors based on the winner of the popular vote in that State
Electors then meet in the State capitals on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December and cast their votes for Pres and VP
On Jan 6, the electoral votes cast are counted by the president of the Senate, and the Pres and VP are formally elected
If no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes (270), the election is thrown into the House of Representatives

26. Flaws in the Electoral College
There are three major defects in the electoral college:
It is possible to win the popular vote in the presidential election, but lose the electoral college vote. This has happened four times in U.S. history (1824,1876,1888 and 2000)
Nothing in the Constitution, nor in any federal statue, requires the electors to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote in their State
If no candidate gains a majority in the electoral college, the election is thrown into the House (where they choose between the top two candidates), a situation that has happened twice (1800 and 1842). In this process, each State is given one vote, meaning that States with smaller populations wield the same power as those with larger populations

27. Proposed Reforms for Electoral College
District Plan
How it works
Two electors are chosen from each State at large and cast votes in accordance with statewide popular vote.
All other delegates are elected separately from State’s congressional districts
Flaws
The winner of the popular vote may not win the electoral vote

28. Proportional Plan How it works Flaws
Candidates would receive the same percentage of a State’s electoral vote they receive in the State’s popular vote
Flaws
The election may not produce a clear winner, and third parties would gain power
Weaken the two-party system

29. Direct Popular Election
How it works
The electoral college would be scrapped and the Pres and VP would be elected by direct popular vote
Flaws
It requires a Constitutional amendment
It would weaken federalism
Small states would oppose it
Might not produce a clear winner
A truly national campaign would cost even more than the present system

30. National Bonus Plan How it works Flaws
Electoral votes allotted State by State, on winner-take-all basis (just like currently done)
102 electoral votes awarded to winner of popular vote
In a tie, run-off between two top contenders in popular vote
Flaws
Not well known or understood

31. National Popular Vote Plan
How it works
Calls upon each State’s lawmaking body to (1) amend the State’s election laws to provide that all of the State’s electoral votes are to be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote and (2) enter into an interstate compact, the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote
Flaws
No real flaws
Plan has gained a lot of attention because it appears to satisfy the major objections of the current system and doesn’t require any change to the Constitution

32. The Electoral College Supporters
There are two major strengths of the electoral college according to supporters:
It is a known process. Each of the proposed, but untried, reforms may very well have defects that could not be known until they appeared in practice
In most election years, the electoral college defines the winner of the presidential election quickly and certainly