1. AIM: How is power given and limited for the executive under the Constitution? Do-Now: Who is your favorite President? Why is this the case?

2. Presidential Powers
Formal Powers = those that are found in Article II of the Constitution.
Informal Powers = powers that are not explicitly written in the Constitution.
"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.“ – R.M. Nixon

3. Formal Powers

4. Formal Powers: Commander-in-Chief
Commander in Chief of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines
Formal Declaration of War comes from Congress
President Bush aboard U.S.S. Lincoln, May, 2003

5. Formal Powers: Chief Executive
Ordinance Power – power to run the executive branch
May issue “commands” or “orders”
President Bush holds cabinet meeting
in October, 2005
President Clinton with Janet Reno, the first female Attorney General,
February, 1993

6. Formal Powers: Chief Executive
Appointment Power
Federal Judges
Cabinet members
Heads of Agencies
Ambassadors

7. Formal Powers: Chief Diplomat
Make treaties
Confers with Secretary of State
Needs 2/3 Senate approval
Not all are approved: Treaty of Versailles, Kyoto Agreement
Recognize Nations
Receive Ambassadors
Spokesperson for US to other nations
President Obama and Russian
President Medvedev sign the
New START Treaty to reduce Nuclear armaments

8. Formal Powers: Chief Legislator
Give State of the Union address to Congress
Convene both houses of Congress
Laws
Veto
Sign
Pocket Veto – not sign at end of Congress’ Session
Not sign – becomes law in 10 days

9. Informal Powers

10. Informal Powers: Chief Executive
Executive Orders
Executive Agreements
Executive

11. Informal Powers: Chief Executive
Executive Orders - orders that have the weight of law
Don’t have to be approved by any other branch or person
Clinton signing his “don’t ask don’t tell” executive order for gays in the military

12. Informal Powers: Chief Executive
Executive Agreements - International agreements made by a president that has the force of a treaty
does NOT need Senate approval
Jefferson made an executive agreement with France to make the Louisiana purchase

13. Qualifications for President

14. Presidential Qualifications
Formal Qualifications – written in the United States Constitution, Article II Section I
35 years old
14 year resident of the US
Natural Born Citizen

15. 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
Almost 100% Caucasian
97% Protestant
82% of British ancestry
77% college educated