1. American Government
- UNIT 4 -
The Executive Branch
The Presidency

2. Roles of the president: chief executive – actually runs
the government
commander in chief – civilian
leader of the U.S. military.
chief agenda setter

3. Roles of the president (cont.):
representative of the nation
chief of state – U.S. symbolic leader.
foreign-policy leader
political party leader

4. Constitutional requirements
and terms of the office of the
presidency:
be a native-born U.S. citizen
be at least 35 years old
have been a U.S. resident
for at least 14 years
can serve two four-year terms
but no more than a total of 10
years in office.

5. “Traditional” Requirements (Unwritten Qualifications)
Presidents historically…..
….all (except one) have been white
….all have been male
….all (except one) have been Protestants

6. “Traditional” Requirements (Unwritten Qualifications)
….most raised in well-to-do families, in small towns and rural areas (in big states)
….most had a college education

7. Order of presidential succession:
Vice-President – Joe Biden
Speaker of the House of
Representatives – John Boehner
president pro tempore of the
Senate – Daniel Inouye
cabinet members, in the
order of their department’s
establishment

8. 4.Secretary of State – Hillary Clinton
5.Secretary of the Treasury – Timothy Geithner
6. Secretary of Defense
7. Attorney General
8. Secretary of the Interior
9. Secretary of Agriculture
10. Secretary of Commerce
11. Secretary of Labor
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services
13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
14. Secretary of Transportation
15. Secretary of Energy
16. Secretary of Education
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs
18. Secretary of Homeland Security

9. Presidential Perks

10. Presidential Perks
SALARY = $400,000/yr.

11. ZERO YEAR CURSE
According to a legend Tecumseh had placed a curse on Harrison, claiming that every President to be elected in a year ending with the number zero (which happens every 20 years) would die in office. It is called the Curse of Tecumseh and sometimes called the "zero-year curse". Harrison (elected 1840)- took two hours to read inaugural address, got pneumonia and died a month later, Lincoln (elected 1860) –assassinated in a theater, Garfield (elected 1880)- assassinated. Shot in July but died in September.

12. ZERO YEAR CURSE
McKinley (elected 1900) – died eight days after he was shot from gangrene, Harding (elected 1920) – died of either a heart attack or stroke- wife refused autopsy, Roosevelt (elected 1940) died from cerebral hemorrhage during 4th term, and Kennedy (elected 1960) assassinated. Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, broke the curse, though there was an assassination attempt on Reagan in The next president in the line was George W. Bush, elected in 2000.

13. The president’s executive powers:
executing laws
appointing key officials
executive privilege

14. The president’s foreign-policy
powers:
making treaties
making executive agreements
diplomatic recognition

15. The president’s judicial powers:
appointing Supreme Court
justices
appointing federal judges
granting reprieves, pardons,
and commutations

16. The president’s legislative powers:
recommending legislation
vetoing legislation
lobbying members of Congress