1. The President

2. Constitutional Requirements
Qualifications
Art. II
“natural-born citizen”
14 years of US residency
35 years of age
THAT’S IT!!!

3. Qualifications of Presidency
Formal qualifications: Article II, Section I of Constitution
At least 35 years old
Natural born US citizen
Resident of US for 14 years prior to taking office

4. Qualifications of Presidency
Informal qualifications:
Government experience—Congress, Governor, VP, cabinet member, etc
Military experience
Money $$$$$$
$33.78 million in primaries & $67.56 million in general election on average in modern elections
Political beliefs—moderate
Personal characteristics and background

5. Duties of the President
Appointing heads of executive departments, federal ct judges etc. (with Senate consent)
Commander in chief
Manages a $400 billion defense budget
Conducting foreign policy
Lawmaking abilities
State of the Union address

6. Benefits of Presidency
Most powerful man in the free world
Salary $400,000 + $100,000 travel allowance
Air Force One—planes, trains and automobiles
Free medical, dental, health care etc
The White House = home!
Camp David = vacation
Lifetime retirement pension $148,400 per year + free office space + free mailing service + $96,000 for office support + Presidential Library and other honors

7. Constitutional Powers
Powers/duties are very limited
“executive power” – enact/enforce law
Military Power
Diplomatic Power
Appointment Power
Veto Power

8. Presidential Powers
“The Executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America”
Too vague…

9. Presidential traditions
George Washington
Mr. President
2 terms and stepping down
Salary
Franklin D. Roosevelt
22nd Amendment

10. Strengthening the Presidency
Washington – set precedent for future
Jackson – frequent use of veto power
Lincoln – Commander and Chief to new levels of power during the Civil War
FDR – huge influence on policy with New Deal, checked by Supreme Court

11. Strong executives Thomas Jefferson Abraham Lincoln Theodore Roosevelt
LA Purchase= “inherit powers”
Abraham Lincoln
Suspended the writ of habeas corpus & raised an army
Theodore Roosevelt
“president’s right and duty to do anything that the needs of the Nation demanded unless such action was forbidden by the Constitution or by the laws”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Social welfare programs
Lyndon Johnson
Gulf of Tonkin incident & the blank check
George W. Bush
Homeland security

12. Roles of the President Head of State Chief Executive
Ceremonial duties—living symbol of the nation
Chief Executive
Ensures the laws of Congress are carried out
Right to appoint or remove federal officials
Appoints all federal judges and justices of the Supreme Court
Granting Amnesty—group pardon
George Washington & the Whiskey Rebellion
Issues repreives and pardons
Ford pardoned Nixon
Clinton pardoned numerous individuals before leaving office
Impoundment—refusing to spend money that Congress has authorized
Jefferson refused to spend money on gunboats
Nixon refused to spend money on social programs
Issues exectutive orders
Desegregation of armed forces under Truman

13. Roles of the President Chief Legislator Economic Planner Party Leader
State of the Union address
Influencing Congress for support
Political favors
Power of veto
Line item veto—ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v City of NY
Economic Planner
Council of Economic Advisors
Nixon control to freeze prices and wages
Prepares the federal budget
Party Leader

14. Veto Power Veto – return the bill to house it originated
(no action within 10 days – bill becomes law)

15. Appointment Power
Power to appoint ambassadors, public officers, and Supreme Court Judges with Senate approval (advice and consent)
Civil Service – most gov jobs under executive filled based on merit system
Harriet Miers
John Bolton
John Roberts

16. Roles of the President Chief Diplomat Directs foreign policy
Directs CIA, State Department, Defense Department & NSC
Power to make treaties (w/ Senate approval)
Recognition of foreign governments
Wilson refused to recognize the leader of Mexico
Kennedy refused to recognize the leader of Cuba
Power to make Executive Agreements
FDR and G. Britain in WWII
Nixon’s secret deal to N. Vietnam
Congress makes it illegal in 1972

17. Diplomatic Power
Create treaties with foreign nations with Senate permission, 2/3 Senate approval (advice and consent)
Executive agreement – not permission needed, deal between heads of state, not binding to next administration
Diplomatic Recognition – power to officially recognize foreign gov as legit
Ex – USSR not recognized
Ex s – China not recognized

18. Roles of the President Commander in Chief Power to make war
Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Panama (overthrow of dictator Manuel Noriega) War on Terror—Afghanistan & Iraq
Military operations and strategy
Day to day operations
Military backgrounds of Presidents
Atomic capabilities
Nagasaki and Hiroshima

19. Military Power Commander in Chief (civilian control)
Prez can send armed forces abroad
Congress has not declared war since 12/8/1941
Korea, Vietnam, Iraq? – all Constitutional
War Powers Resolution, 1973
Prez must report to Congress within 48 hours after deployment
If Congress does not OK in 60 days, must withdraw
Check on president, attempt to limit president

20. Order of Succession…
Succession Act of 1947 established order of succession based on creation of cabinet positions
VP; Speaker of the House; President Pro Tempore; Sec. of State; Sec of Treasury; Sec of Defense….
First applied in 1973 (Nixon administration)
Spiro Agnew resigned
Gerald Ford becomes newly appointed VP
Richard Nixon resigned
Gerald Ford becomes Pres
Nelson Rockefeller becomes newly appointed VP

21. Presidential disabilities
James Garfield
Woodrow Wilson
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ronald Reagan
25th amendment
President informs Congress of disability or
VP & majority of cabinet informs Congress of disability
Congress has 21 days to settle disputes in favor of Pres or VP by 2/3 vote

22. Presidential Disability and Succession
22nd Amendment – limited President to 2 terms, serving no more than 10 years
25th Amendment – If the VP office is vacated, then the President can select a new VP

23. The president’s role as chief diplomat is derived from
A. informal powers
B. delegated powers
C. concurrent powers
D. reserved powers
E. expressed powers

24. The constitutional powers of the president include all of the following EXCEPT
A. acting as head of the military
B. vetoing legislation
C. declaring war
D. granting pardons
E. appointing ambassadors

25. The War Powers Resolution does which of the following?
A. Gives the President the power to declare war
B. Requires that Congress report to the President before it cuts military appropriations
C. Requires that the president notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops
D. Allows the National Security Council to conduct military operations if the president is incapacitated
E. Shifts military command responsibility from the president to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

26. Role of the Vice President
All qualifications of President apply
Presides over Senate—tie breaker
25th Amendment—waiting for the President to die (14 VP’s have become President in this fashion)
Modern day—diplomatic responsibly, foreign policy, lawmakers, extension of President

27. Vice President Preside over the Senate, tie breaking vote
Takes over the presidency if the President cannot finish term
12th Amendment – voters choose President and VP together
Previous to 1804, the losing candidate became VP
WHAT A DISASTER!!!!

28. Electing the President
Electoral college
Popular vote is actually a vote for either the Democrat or Republican electors of each state
538 Electors determine the President
State electors = # of HOR + Senators in Congress
Wyoming = fewest electoral votes (3)
California = largest electoral votes (55)
Candidates must win 270 electoral votes to win
Maine & Nebraska are exceptions (split the electoral vote)

29. The role of third party candidates
Third parties could win enough votes to prevent a majority for either party
Third party candidates then bargain to release votes to one side or the other
In the event the House of Rep. has to decide, each state casts 1 vote, the candidate with 26 votes wins
Problems with HOR vote
Equal representation
States in disagreement lose their vote
States with strong third party favorites lose vote

30. The Inauguration Shift of power
President and President elect ride together to the inauguration or “swearing in” ceremony
President elect takes the oath of office
Current President delivers a speech and ceremonies begin

31. The Cabinet 15 major executive departments Vice President
Secretary of State, Sec. of Treasury etc…
Vice President
Top officials
All cabinet members must be approved by the Senate
Typically has the background, education and qualifications for the job, race, and gender also play a role
Salary: $161,200

32. Role of the Cabinet Depends on the President
“kitchen cabinet” & “brain trust”
Aides & spouses
“inner cabinet”
Party loyalty, special interest groups, etc
Secrecy and trust

33. The Executive Office Executive office agencies
Attorneys, scientists, educators, financial advisors, etc
1,500 full time employees
Enlarges each administration
Ex: Reagan Office of national drug control policy
Largest EOP = Office of management & budget

34. Executive Office of the President
National Security Council – advises on military and foreign policy
Office of Management and Budget – prepares national budget, largest office
National Economic Council – advises with economic planning

35. White House Staff President appoints w/o Senate approval
Chief of Staff
Press Secretary
G. Washington = 0
F.D.R. = 50
Nixon = 600
Clinton = 380

36. The Cabinet 15 major department heads advising prez
“Inner cabinet” – Secretary of State, treasury, attorney general, and defense
Robert Gates – Secretary of Defense
Hillary Clinton – Secretary of State

37. White House Office
“Pyramid” model – assistants answer to a hierarchy up to a chief of staff (few top advisors to prez, prez free but isolated)
“Circular” model – direct contact with staff (many top advisors to prez, prez busy but connected)
Significance: determines what aids have the most influence on presidential decisions

38. Mandate of the People
Mass media, press conferences, leaking information
Opinion polls
Nixon—90% of the public wanted to see an end to the war in Vietnam
Reagan—the “Great Communicator”
George W.—90% approval rating after “declaring a war on terror” in 2001…but dropped significantly as the war in Iraq continued and Katrina hit

39. Limits on Presidential Powers
Congressional override 2/3 vote to override a Presidential veto
Senate confirmation of appointees
Congressional power to Impeach
Andrew Johnson; Richard Nixon; Bill Clinton

40. Limits on Presidential Powers
Supreme Court has authority to limit the President (Executive Branch)
Marbury v Madison
Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v Sawyer

41. Executive privilege
The right to privacy of conversation between advisors and prez
Why?
Separation of powers prevents branches from sharing internal workings
Privacy is needed for candid advice from advisors with out political pressure

42. Executive Privilege US v. Nixon
Nixon refused to hand over recorded conversations, claiming Exec. Privilege
Court ruled in favor of US
EP can’t be used to block the function of the federal court procedures

43. Impoundment
Presidential practice of refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress.
Budget Reform and Impoundment Act of 1974 – president must spend funds

44. The President as Morale Builder
Symbolic importance (FDR – Great Depression, Bush – 9/11)
Unify nation

45. Agenda Setting
The President can control public policy and discussion through…
The media
State of the Union speech
Make policy proposals
Encourage the Congress

46. Executive Orders Prez issues executive orders that have force of law
Ex – power to enforce the Constitution, treaties, laws, etc.
FDR – allowed Japanese internment
Truman – integrate military
Eisenhower – desegregate public schools

47. Line-Item Veto???
Should the President be able to veto certain parts of a bill, and not other parts?
Line-Item Veto Act 1996
Clinton v. City of New York (1997) – law found unconstitutional

48. Gridlock
Divided government – Prez and Congress majority represent different political parties
“gridlock” – the inability to accomplish goals
Con – government operation shuts down
Pro – slows the decision making process, example of check and balance

49. Impeachment
House impeaches, Senate tries the prez, Chief Justice presides over the trial
Two presidents impeached, neither removed (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton)

50. The primary function of the White House Staff is to
A. initiate policy
B. advise the president
C. represents the bureaucratic agencies
D. provide information to the Office of Management and Budget
E. act as liaison with members of Congress

51. Which of the following best explains why cabinet secretaries might not aggressively pursue the president’s policy agenda?
A. Cabinet secretaries are unlikely to be members of the president’s party
B. Cabinet secretaries may develop strong loyalty to their departments
C. Cabinet secretaries are likely to compete with the president in a subsequent election
D. Under the Hatch Act, cabinet secretaries are prohibited from campaigning on behalf of the president
E. The Freedom of Information Act compels cabinet secretaries to divulge confidential information to the media

52. When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the Electoral College, the winner is chosen by the
A. Federal elections commission
B. Supreme Court
C. House of Representatives only
D. Senate only
E. majority of the House and Senate combined