1. Unit 4a: The Executive Branch
From Washington to Obama and beyond….

2. Some presidential trivia…
Youngest: Theodore Roosevelt (42)
Oldest: Ronald Reagan (69)
Longest Inaugural Address: William Henry Harrison (105 minutes)
Shortest Term: William Henry Harrison (32 days)
Longest Term: Franklin Roosevelt (12 years)
Tallest: Abraham Lincoln (6 feet, 4 inches)

3. Trivia, continued…. The ‘Teddy Bear’ was named for Theodore Roosevelt
Largest feet: Warren Harding (Size 14)
John F. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic President
Father-Son combos: John Adams and John Quincy Adams and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush

4. ….and more trivia….
President with most Grammy Awards: Barack Obama (2, both for Spoken Word performance)
Shortest and lightest President: James Madison (5 feet, 4 inches and +/- 100 pounds
Only President to not belong to a political party: George Washington
President who regularly went skinny dipping in the Potomac River: John Quincy Adams

5. The Roles of the President
Chief of State
Chief Executive
Chief Administrator
Chief Diplomat
Commander in Chief
Chief Legislator
Chief of Party
Chief Citizen

6. Chief of State
The ceremonial head of the government and the symbol of all Americans
“…the personal embodiment and representative of their dignity and majesty”

7. Chief Executive
The President has broad powers to carry out and enforce the laws of the United States

8. Chief Administrator Head of government offices 2.7 million employees
2.5 trillion dollar budget

9. Chief Diplomat
The President conducts foreign policy and is the nation’s spokesperson to the rest of the world

10. Commander in Chief The President is the head of the armed forces
The Constitution says this person must be a civilian and not an active military member
Washington, Grant, Eisenhower

11. Chief Legislator
The President is the main source of public policies and for the most part sets the agenda for what Congress works on

12. Chief of Party
The President is the leader of his or her political party.
Parties are not mentioned in the Constitution

13. Chief Citizen
The moral leader of the nation and the person who protects the interests of the people

14. President Barack Obama
Born August 4th, 1961.
Columbia University Graduate.
Law Degree from Harvard University.
Civil Rights attorney in Chicago.
Served 3 terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 – 2004.
Married with 2 children.
Elected as the United States’ first African American President.
44th President

15. Term and Compensation
The President serves a FOUR year term. According to the 22nd Amendment, he or she may only serve two full terms (or ten years in case he or she took over during another person’s term)
Some Presidents have called for a repeal of the 22nd Amendment. What do you think?

16. So you want to be President, eh…
What are the formal qualifications?
A “natural born citizen” of the United States
Be at least 35 years of age
14 years a resident within the United States
At least 100 million Americans meet these requirements!

17. $$$ 1789: $25,000 2011: $400,000 + $50,000/yr expenses
A nice house, big staff, protection, cars, Air Force One, Camp David, travel and entertainment funds and great health care!

18. Are you sure you want to be President?

19. The Vice President
“I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may become everything.”
--- John Adams
“ The Vice Presidency isn’t worth a pitcher of warm spit.”
--- John Nance Garner

20. The Vice Presidency
Vice President must meet all the same qualifications as the President
VPs take over if President dies, resigns, or is incapacitated (25th Amendment)
Duties: Presides over Senate (breaks ties)
and helps to decide if the President is incapacitated

21. Vice President Joe Biden
Born November 20th, 1942 in Scranton, PA.
US Senator from Delaware from 1973 – 2008.
Attended the University of Delaware.
Doctorate from Syracuse University.
Became the 47th Vice President of the United States on January 20th, 2008.

22. Order of Succession to the Presidency
Vice President
Speaker of the House
President pro tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security

23. The Powers of the President
Veto Bills from Congress
Call Congress into special session
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
Pardon federal criminals
Make treaties with other countries (with Senate approval)
Appoint ambassadors, federal court judges, Supreme Court justices, top government officials (all with Senate approval)

24. The State of the Union
The Constitution requires that the President report annually to Congress about the state of the country; this has become known as the “State of the Union Address”

25. Executive Orders
-A rule or command that the President issues that has the force of law
Only Congress can make laws
President can issue Executive Orders to ensure laws are being carried out properly

26. Criminal Matters
The President can assist those being charged with federal crimes in 3 ways:
Pardon ~ a declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment (Ex: Richard Nixon was pardoned by Gerald Ford)
Amnesty ~ a pardon toward a group of people (Ex: Jimmy Carter gave amnesty to Vietnam era draft dodgers)
Reprieve ~ order to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can hear the case (Ex: in the case of a person on death row)

27. Military and War Powers
Only Congress has the power to declare War
Only the President has the power to order American troops into battle
The Five ‘Declared Wars’:
The War of 1812, Mexican American War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II
Many military actions (including Vietnam and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) have been authorized by Congress without a formal declaration of war

28. Why has the President’s power grown so much in the past 100 years?
The unity of the Presidency
One President, 535 in Congress
As the nation becomes more complex, the executive branch has had to take on more powers
Crisis Points
War, the Depression, natural disasters, terrorism
Mass media
The President is one a truly ‘public’ figure

29. The Executive Branch (aka The Bureaucracy)
Executive Office of the President
“The West Wing”…
The Cabinet
Secretaries of…
Independent Agencies
From the CIA to the Postal Service…

30. The Executive Office of the President (EOP)
The President’s closest Advisors who work in the west wing of the White House
Chief of Staff: most powerful in White House
Press Secretary: speaks to the press on behalf of the President every day
Several Councils and groups, including:
National Security Council
Office of Management and Budget

31. Most powerful and critical office in the EOP for the President
Most powerful and critical office in the EOP for the President. This White House Office contains the President’s top advisors. The Chief of Staff is the most powerful.

32. National Security Council
Advise the President on all matters dealing with the nation’s security
President
Vice President
Secretaries of State, Treasury and Defense
Head of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff
Director of National Intelligence

33. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The OMB prepares the federal budget, which the President presents to Congress
The OMB oversees that the spending is carried out properly
Based on a ‘fiscal year’ (a year that doesn’t follow the calendar)
US Govt. fiscal year is October-September

34. The Cabinet 15 specialized departments
Leaders are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate
The President can fire Cabinet members
Cabinet members are there to advise the President in their area. They are also in line for succession to the Presidency

35. Cabinet Departments State – foreign policy Treasury - $ and taxes- IRS
Defense – military
Justice – Enforce fed law- prisons
Interior – public lands & parks
Agriculture – farm and USDA- food stamps
Commerce – Census, trademarks, trade
Labor – workplace safety, enforces labor laws- unemployment

36. Cabinet Departments (cont.)
Health and Human Services – health research, FDA, Medicare and Medicaid
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – public housing, fair housing laws
Transportation – highways, mass transit
Energy – Nuclear plants, energy research
Education – aid to schools, educational research
Veterans Affairs – benefits for Veterans
Homeland Security – Borders, preparedness and response, FEMA

37. Department of State
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

38. Department of Justice
Eric Holder is the first African American Attorney General
This is the only position not known as a ‘Secretary’
These are the attorneys who prosecute federal crimes

39. Independent Agencies
These agencies are not part of the President’s cabinet. They operate independently of who is President
Office of Personnel Management
NASA
CIA
FCC
USPS

40. The Electoral College
States’ Electoral votes are based on number of Reps + number of Senators
Ex: NC has 13 Reps and 2 Senators = 15 Electoral Votes
The candidate who gains the majority vote in the state gets ALL of that state’s Electoral votes
A candidate needs 270 to gain the Presidency out of 535 total

41. Electoral Map of 2008 Obama: 365 Electoral Votes, 53% of popular vote
McCain: 173 Electoral Votes, 46% of popular vote

42. Election of 2000 Electoral Vote Popular Vote Bush: 271 50,456,002
Gore: ,999,897