chapters 8 & 9 the presidency. 8-1 president and vice-president
TRANSCRIPT
Chapters 8 & 9
The Presidency
8-1
President and Vice-President
Qualifications for President
Formal: • Natural born citizen of U.S.• 35 years old• resident of US for 14 years before taking
office
Qualifications for President
Informal: • Government experience• Money – ability to raise• Political beliefs – moderate • Personal characteristics – generally male married WASPs
Succession
1. Vice-President
2. Speaker
3. President Pro-Tempore
4. Secretary of State
5. Cabinet secretaries, in order that department were first created
Vice President’s Role
According to Constitution:• Preside over Senate and vote in case of a tie• Helps decide if the president is disabled and
acts as president should that happen
Actual:• Whatever the president assigns
8-2
Electing the President
Electoral College
Originally:• Electors voted for two candidates of their
party. • Candidate with highest vote was president;
the other was vice president
1804 – 12th Amendment• President and VP voted for separately
1820’s• States began putting presidential candidates
on ballot; electors chosen by popular vote
Electoral College
Why?• It was a compromise between
those who wanted the legislature to choose the president, and those who wanted popular vote.
Electoral College
How does it work?• When you vote for a presidential
candidate on the ballot, you are actually voting for electors.
• The electors’ names may or may not be on the ballot.
• The electors meet in December in the state capital to officially cast their votes.
Electoral College
In case of a tie:• Election goes to House of
Representatives.• Each state gets one vote (no matter
what their population).• If the representatives are unable to
agree on a candidate, they lose their vote.
Electoral College
Issues: • “Winner takes all” system.
– Margin of victory does not matter.• Winner of popular vote may not win electoral
vote.– This has happened four times.– Happens when the loser has a larger margin
of victory in the states he wins, thus gaining popular votes, but does not win in enough states to have sufficient electoral votes.
Electoral College
Issues: • “Faithless electors”
– An elector is not legally obliged to vote for his party.
– Occasionally an elector defects.
Electoral College
Arguments against:• Candidate can win the popular vote but
lose the election.• If there is a tie, the election is decided
unfairly, because populous states have the same vote as small states.
• It favors republicans, who predominate in less populous states.
Electoral College
Arguments for:• With popular elections, candidates would
focus on areas with high concentrations of population.
• With the electoral college, a candidate must win a large number of states to win.
• Popular elections would erode federalism; they would take away states’ rights.
Quotes from Famous Inaugural Speeches
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt, during Great Depression
“ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”- John F. Kennedy
8-3The Cabinet
Two Main Jobs
1) Advise the President
2) Administer large bureaucracies
Selection
• Nominees often selected before president-elect takes office.
• Nominees must be approved by the Senate. Generally they are approved.
• Nominees names are often deliberately “leaked” to the press to gauge Congress’ and the public’s response.
Selection Considerations
• Background in field of the department• Satisfy interest groups• High level administrative skills and
experience• Geographic balance in cabinet• Race and gender balance in cabinet• They need to be willing to take the job
Role of Cabinet
• Usually meet with the president once per week or less.
• “Inner cabinet” – Secretaries of state, defense, treasury and attorney general.
• They may compete with or not agree with each other on policy.
• They may have conflicting loyalties – president, department, interest groups.
Names
• Secretary of War Secretary of Defense
• Secretary of State Secretary of Foreign Affairs??
8-4Executive Office
Selection
• Usually longtime supporters of president
• Do not require senate confirmation
Reputation
Secretaries and top advisors may be:• Highly respected
– Henry Kissinger won Nobel Prize
• Loved or hated– Donald Rumsfeld left office
• Celebrities or unknowns
Chapter 9Presidential Leadership
9-1Presidential Powers
Presidential Powers in Constitution
• Commander-in-Chief• Appoints executive department heads• Conducts foreign policy• Appoints federal judges• May pardon people convicted of federal
crimes or reduce prison sentences or fines• Makes sure Congress’ laws are “faithfully
executed”• Delivers annual State of the Union address• May call Congress into special session
Limits on Presidential Powers
• Congress – overrides of vetoes• Courts – judicial review• Bureaucracy – may be unintentional• Public Opinion – may prevent reelection
9-2Roles of the President