1. President of the United States
Job Description
Succession and Vice-President
Electoral College

2. Presidential Roles Chief of State
Ceremonial head of the United States Government
Symbol of all the people of the nation
President reigns and rules
“the personal embodiment and representative of their dignity and majesty”

3. Chief Executive Sees that the Nation’s laws are carried out
Vested by the Constitution with “the Executive Power” of the United States
Broad powers domestically and internationally - foreign affairs
Most powerful office in the world

4. Chief Administrator Heads the largest government machine:
The Federal Bureaucracy
Directs an administration that employs 3 million people and spends ~ $1.5 trillion per year

5. Chief Diplomat Determines Foreign Policy
Main architect of American Foreign Policy
The United States chief spokesperson to the rest of the world

6. Commander in Chief Commands the United States’ armed forces
2 million men and women are in the US armed forces
All of the power of the military and its arsenal are at his disposal

7. Chief Legislator Proposes laws to Congress
Main architect of public policy - what the people want
Sets the shape of the Congressional agenda

8. Party Chief
The acknowledged leader
of his political party
His political party controls the Executive Branch - the party in power

9. Chief Citizen
Expected to be the representative of all of the American people
Works for and represents public interest against private interests
“place of moral leadership” - FDR

10. Term of Office
Framers decided on 4 year term - “long enough period for a President to have gained experience, demonstrated his abilities and established stable polices”.
George Washington set tradition of two terms in office - who broke it?
Maximum term now? Why, what changed?

11. 22nd Amendment 1951 Two terms,10 year maximum? Presidential tyranny
Undemocratic - preventing the will of the people

12. Presidential pay history
Salary in 2009 dollars
September 24, $25,000 $566,000
March 3, $50,000 $865,000
March 4, $75,000 $1,714,000
January 19, $100,000 $906,000
January 20, $200,000 $1,175,000
January 20, $400,000 $487,000

13. Other Benefits
Air Force One
Marine One

14. U.S.S. Sequoia

15. Camp David, MD
Whitehouse, Washington D.C.

16. http://www. whitehouse

17. Presidential Cabinet 15 executive departments
Appointed positions, confirmed by Senate
Secretary of . . .
Attorney General
1st Cabinet
Secretary of State
Secretary of Treasury
Secretary of War

18. Roles of Cabinet Head of a particular executive department
Advisor to the president regarding his/her department
Part of the presidential succession.

19. Presidential Succession
No mention in the Constitution
William Henry Harrison 1841
John Tyler: VP
8 Presidents died in office
1 resigned - Nixon
1967 Constitution amended to make VP succession official.

20. Presidential Succession
Who becomes president if Barack Obama can no longer hold the office?
John Boehner Orrin Hatch
Joe Biden Jack Lew
John Kerry
Who is next? Write down the correct names in order, #’s

21. 1. Vice-President: Joe Biden
2. Speaker of the House: John Boehner
3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate:
Orrin Hatch
4. Secretary of State: John Kerry
Secretary of Treasury: Jack Lew
#6-18 listed in textbook p. 359

22. 25th Amendment “in case of the removal of the
President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice-President shall become President”
Purpose: orderly change of the head of government
Constitution did not address what should be done if something happened to the President.

24. Presidential Succession Act of 1947
Congress adopted the order of succession following the Vice-President
Was an Act of Congress, not an amendment to the Constitution
Purpose was to fix the order
of succession - no debate

25. Presidential Disability
The 25th Amendment, sections 3 & 4 discuss what should be done if the President was disabled.
VP becomes “acting” Pres. If
1. President informs Congress, in writing, he is unable to work or
2. VP & a majority of cabinet members inform Congress in writing

27. Vice-Presidential Duties
the first vice president, described it as "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” John Adams
The Constitution two formal duties:
1. Presides over the Senate
2. Helps to decide the question of Presidential disability

28. Vice President may be insignificant – but is a “heartbeat away” from the presidency.
What does that expression mean?
Do you think most Americans consider the Vice-Presidential candidates when casting their votes for president?
Why or why not? Should they?
Why do you think
the Cons. has so little
to say about the VP
Duties?
Intentional? Why?
VP office not at 1600 PA Ave until 1976 – why?

29. Daniel Webster was asked to be a Vice-Presidential candidate in 1848.
His reply: “I do not propose to be buried until I am really dead.”
What does this quote suggest abut the way the Vice-Presidential job was viewed?

30. Recent Roles of Vice-President
More Vice-Presidents recently have had active roles in the administration (Gore, Chaney)
Advisor to President on specific issues
Jimmy Carter 1st Pres. To give his VP, Walter Mondale, an office in the west wing of the White House
Joe Biden is Obama’s advisor on foreign policy and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, helping to rebuild our economy, recently help negotiate the “Fiscal cliff” deal in Jan 2013.

31. Presidential Selection: The Framer’s Plan
What were three methods of presidential election discussed by the Framers?
2. How did the Framers arrange for the electors to choose the President and Vice President?

32. Why did the Framer’s choose the Electoral College method of electing the President?
How did the rise of political parties affect the Electoral College?
How did the election of 1800 lead to the passage of the 12th Amendment?

33. Electoral College – why?
Framers afraid of a direct election
Thought the general population could be manipulated by a tyrant
Alexander Hamilton and other Framers believed that the electors would be able to insure that a qualified person became President
Act as a check on “We the People”
Electoral College only meets once – Dec
They could not be manipulated over time by foreign nations or factions within the US

34. Electoral College
Responsible for electing the President and the Vice President
Founding Fathers had two purposes:
Wanted states involved in electing the Pres.
Protect the country from ill-informed populace
Each state has same number of electors as representatives to Congress and Washington DC has 3 = 538 total electors

35. Nov: Voters are choosing electors who in turn cast their vote for the President and Vice President - “Electors for . . .”
Majority winner in each state receives all of the electors for that state - winner takes all
Nebraska and Maine have proportional system, 60% of vote, 60% of electors
December, electors go to state capitals and cast their votes - sent to President of the Senate

36. Senate chooses the Vice President
January 4th - ballots are opened, counted and President and Vice President winner is officially announced
House of Representatives chooses President if neither candidate received 270 electoral votes
Senate chooses the Vice President
Choice not made by Jan 20th - 20th Amendment states the newly elected VP shall act as Pres until a choice is made.

37. Flaws in the system Small states rule
Winner of the popular vote can lose the election - Al Gore 2000 won popular vote but George Bush won the electoral college
Winner takes all rule
Electors are not Constitutionally required to vote for the candidate the voters indicated
Election can be decided in the House of Representatives - voting is by State, not individual members - 50 votes

39. Proposed Reforms
District Plan: electors chosen same way as congressmen - 2 electors from state at large and others selected from each of the states districts
Proportional Plan: candidates receive same share of a states electoral vote as he or she received in the state popular vote (Nebraska and Maine)

40. Direct Popular Election: do away with electoral college and allow people to vote directly for the President and VP.
National Bonus Plan: winner of popular vote would receive a bonus of 102 electoral votes in addition to his or her state based electoral college votes Winner needs 321 electoral votes
Run off election held if 321 is not received

41. Confused? So are many Americans.

42. Should we elect the President of the United States by popular vote?
Should we keep the Electoral College in the Constitution?