The President and Executive BranchChapter 13: The Presidency

Objectives

•Describe the roles and formal qualifications of the President

•Categorize each activity on a President's actual appointment schedule, according to the roles involved

•Compile a list of informal qualifications for a President, based on an analysis of roles.

Bellringer

•What are some of the roles of the President?

•What do they do?•Write them on the board and we will come

back to them.

Presidential Roles - Hats• Chief of state – ceremonial

head of the US – symbol of the nation

• Chief executive – has domestic and foreign powers – “most powerful office in the world” (checks and balances

• Chief administrator – head of the executive branch. 2.7 millennium workers and 3 trillion dollars a year.

• Chief diplomat – head ambassador and makes foreign policy

• Commander in chief – head of the 1.4 million person military

• Chief legislator – helps make policy – write laws – executive orders

• Chief of the party – leader of their political party

• Chief citizen – “representative of all the people” – take the high road, champion public interest and private interests, moral leadership

The PresidencyFormal Qualifications The Presidential Term

• Must be a natural born citizen – can you be born over seas and become president?

• Must be 35 years old• Must have spent 14 years

in the US.• What are informal

qualifications?

• Originally four years unlimited

• 22nd amendment after FDR made it 2

• 10 years total• Is the 22nd amendment

democratic?• Would a 6 year one term

be better? Why?

It is good to be the President

•$400,000•$50,000 expense account•Perks:

▫132 room mansion – White House▫Large staff▫Fleet of automobiles▫Air Force One and Marine One▫Camp David▫The finest medical, dental, healthcare, travel

and entertainment funds and much more

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•What are some qualities of the President•Get in groups and come up with a list of

10

Presidential Succession and the Vice President• Vice President was originally intended to

temporary become President until new elections – never written in Constitution.

• When William Henry Harrison died John Tyler had himself sworn in as President – not acting President. Became tradition – 8 times.

• 1947 – if Presidential Succession Act set order after Vice President – Speaker of the House, President pro tempore, the each of the cabinet heads in order their offices were created by Congress

Presidential Disability•What happens if the President has a stroke

and becomes brain dead but doesn’t die? •1967 25th Amendment on Presidential

Succession and Disability•VP becomes acting President if the President

informs Congress or the VP gets a majority of the Cabinet to sign a letter saying the President is incapacitated. President will write a letter saying he is fine to get it back. IF VP disagrees – Congress has 21 days to decide who is President.

The Vice PresidencyImportance of Office

The Vice President Today

• “I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything” (page 372)

• Usually used to balance the ticket – not so anymore

• Dick Cheney• Joe Biden• VP only

person President cannot fire.

• That is why they don’t get more responsibility

• What if there is a Vice President vacancy?

• 25th Amendment

• President appoints with a majority of both houses of Congress.

Vice-Presidential Vacancy

Bellringer

Presidential Selection: The Framers Plan•Debate at Philadelphia in 1787 was how to

pick the President – direct vote or parliamentary style (Congress pick)

•Hamilton did not want the President, “under the legislative thumb”

•Agreed to have the people vote for presidential electors who then would get 2 votes for President. Someone would not vote and that person would be Vice President

•Washington and Adams

The Rise of Parties

•In 1796, Adams beats Jefferson by 3 votes to become President. His rival is now Vice President

•1800 it all crashed – Jefferson and his VP Burr tied (no one forgot to vote) – took the house 36 votes to settle on Jefferson – needs to be fixed

The 12th Amendment

•Took in effect three new changes in the US

1) Nomination by party2) Electors by party (pledge)3) Automatic casting of electors by the

pledge- 12th Amendment says President and Vice

President run together (technically separated them)

How it works today•Each state gets a number of electors

based on the total number of representatives.

•Example Illinois has 18 Congressmen and 2 Senators.

•Montana has 1 Congressman and 2 Senators

•2 sets of electors are voted on in the Primary (Democrat and Republican)

•Each state is winner take all in the General Election

•Total of 538 electoral votes – need a majority (271) to win.

Review

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Objectives

National Conventions• At first, caucus was used first – not good

because it is closed• From 1832 on, both parties used conventions• National committee makes arrangements for

convention (RNC, DNC)• States send delegates based on electoral votes

R-2,380 and D – 4,233 (super)• Each state different – R leave it to the states, D –

have national rules• 3 elections for President – Republican primary,

Democrat primary, general election in Nov.

Presidential Primaries

•Primaries choose who are the delegates and preference for President

•Wisconsin had first Primary in 1905 to stop party-boss domination

•In 40 states now•State primaries do two things – vote on

delegates and/or vote on candidate•Each state is different – different laws

Proportional Representation

•Some states are winner take all – some are proportional

•Democrats have more proportional

Primary AppraisalEvaluation of the Primary Reform Proposals

• More democratic• Force candidates to learn

political combat• Party of power usually has

not fights• Is long though

• No one really wants to change it

• Can have national primaries over a three week period

• National Conventions can be cut down a day to pick VP and party platform

• Shorten it up

Caucuses

•Closed meeting of members of a political party who gather to select delegates to the national convention

•Old way•Iowa has state law that they are always

first – compete with New Hampshire

Securing the Nomination•Quadrennial – every four years•National convention – delegates select their

presidential and VP candidates•Used to be crazy – now scripted for TV•Keynote address is usually from an up and

comer – last day the President candidate speaks.

•Thee goals▫Name the candidate▫Bring factions together▫Adopt the platform – statement on issues

Who is Nominated

Political Experience Shattering barriers

• Incumbent usually gets nomination (1976, 1980)

• Pick the most electable• Most common is past

governors (15 in last 100 years/36)

• Mostly protestants (Romney, JFK)

• Most from large states – not so much anymore – internet

• Good speakers

• 1984 – Democrats nominate Geraldine Ferraro as VP

• 2008 – Hillary Clinton comes very close to being the candidate

• 2008 – Sarah Palin nominated by Republicans for VP

• 2008 – Republicans nominated oldest man – 72 McCain

• 2008 – Democrats nominate first African American in Barrack Obama

Review

Objectives

Bellringer

The Presidential Election

•55 times in a row it has happened every 4 years

•Survived civil war, two world wars, several economic depressions – the Constitution has been followed.

The Presidential Campaign• Organized chaos• Radio, TV, speeches, adds, direct mail, Internet, bus

tours, press conferences, press releases, rallies, party dinners, stickers, buttons, pamphlets, balloons, and billboards

• Swing voters – one third of the electorate who have not made up their mind

• Battleground states – states that either candidate can win – focus efforts there

• JFK and Nixon debated first on TV• 3 Presidential and one VP• One town hall styles, one on foreign policy and one on

domestic

The Election

•The people in states vote for electors•After election day, the electors meet in the

state capital and “rubber stamp” the election

•Send letters to the President of the Senate who counts the vote

•If no majority – House of Representatives chooses (1800 and 1824) – each state gets one vote (26)

Flaws in the Electoral CollegeDefects Proposed Reforms

• Person with the most popular vote might not win the Presidency (4 times)

• Electors are not required to vote for the winner of their state (Faithless)

• House of Representatives can decide the election (twice)

• Every term a bill is introduced to end the electoral college

• District plan – vote on electors by rep district (2 at large) (Maine and Nebraska)

• Proportional plan – candidate gets a proportion of the electors (winner take all)

• Direct election• National popular vote plan –

circumvent the Constitution as states are in charge of elections

Defending the Electoral College

•Only two gone to the house – 180 years ago

•Non-popular vote president won 4 time in 56

•Known process •Usually indentifies president quickly•Helps promote 2 party system

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