Executive Branch

Day 1

Who were the 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates?

Republicans

Rudy Giuliani Mitt Romney John McCain Fred Thompson

Who were the 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates?

Republicans

Sam Brownback Duncan Hunter Mike Huckabee Ron Paul

Who were the 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidates?

Democrats

Hilary Clinton Barack Obama John Edwards

Who are the final Presidential candidates for 2008?

Republican Democrat

John McCain Barack Obama

Executive Branch

• The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but Congress has the ability to declare war.

• Today the executive branch includes the president and vice-president, their advisory staff, as well as other departments and agencies

Current Executive Branch Leaders

George W. Bush, President Dick Cheney, Vice-President

Executive Branch

• The president’s advisory staff is called the Cabinet.

• The Cabinet, which was not specified in the Constitution, was established by George Washington.

Current Executive Branch Leaders

Ed Shaffer, Dirk Kempthorne, Carlos Gutierrez, Michael Mukasey,

Sec. of Agriculture Sec. of the Interior Sec. of Commerce Attorney General

Current Executive Branch Leaders

Robert M. Gates, Elaine Chao, Margaret Spellings, Condoleezza Rice,

Sec. of Defense Sec. of Labor Sec. of Education Sec. of State

Current Executive Branch Leaders

Michael Chertoff, Dr. James Peake, Steve Preston, Samuel W. Bodman,

Sec. of Homeland Sec. of Veterans Sec. of Housing and Sec. of Energy

Security Affairs Urban Development

Executive Branch

• Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton as secretary of the treasury, Henry Knox as secretary of war, and Edmund Randolph as attorney general.

• The word “cabinet” originally meant a small room to display things.

Executive Branch

• No one from the legislative branch may serve in the president’s Cabinet.

• Cabinet members are responsible to the president and serve as long as he chooses.

• Even though the Senate must confirm presidential appointments to the Cabinet, they rarely stand in the way of his choices.

Executive Branch

• Congress creates departments and determines the salary of the Cabinet.

• The Framers decided that the voters would choose electors who would actually choose the president for them.

• This group of electors is called the Electoral College.

Executive Branch

• Before becoming president, a candidate must go through the following phases:

Primaries/Caucuses Conventions General Election Inauguration

Executive Branch

• When voting for the president first began, caucuses were the primary way candidates were selected

• Most states’ primaries are winner-take-all, in which the voters’ choice gains all of the state’s delegates at the convention.

Executive Branch

• An open primary is one in which the polls are open to votes of any party.

• A closed primary limits participation to party members only.

Executive Branch

• New Hampshire has the earliest primary, and one of the most important ones.

• The races are usually settled by

Super Tuesday, which is a day in

which most states have their primary

elections.

Executive Branch

• After a candidate is chosen at the convention, the parties attempt to settle on their platform, which is a set of beliefs and opinions that the party supports.

• The general election is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November (this year it will be November 4th).

Executive Branch

• Sometimes it is possible to win the popular vote but

lose the election.

• Each state gets as many electors as it has members of Congress.

• There are 538 total electoral votes. A candidate must obtain at least 270 to win.

Executive Branch

• In 1933, the official inauguration date was changed from March to January 20th after the passage of the 20th amendment.

20th Amendment

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Day 2

Hmm…I wonder what it would take to become President of the United States…

Well fellas…

First you need to be a natural-born citizen of the United States.

Proud to be an American!!!!

Well fellas…

Second, you need to be at least 35 years old.

Our future President of the United States

Well fellas…

Finally, you must be a resident of the United States for 14 consecutive years.

But wait, there’s more…

Many voters have certain things that they want/don’t want to see in a president (unofficial qualifications), such as:

No Smoking

But wait, there’s more…

Many voters have certain things that they want/don’t want to see in a president (unofficial qualifications) , such as:

Monogamy

But wait, there’s more…

Many voters have certain things that they want/don’t want to see in a president (unofficial qualifications), such as:

Religion

But wait, there’s more…

Many voters have certain things that they want/don’t want to see in a president (unofficial qualifications), such as:

Criminal History

So what happens if the president doesn’t do his job???

“We leave with high hopes, in good spirits, and with deep humility…”

Impeachment

Definition: The removal of a high ranking official in the United States government.

Only 2 presidents have ever had articles of impeachment drawn up against them: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.

Impeachment

Process:

1.Formal charges are brought against the official in the House of Representatives.

2. Inquiry of impeachment (Should the official stand trial?)

3.House of Representatives votes on articles of impeachment.

4.Senate tries the accused official.

5.Official is removed from office.

So you want to know more about foreign policy?

Diplomacy

The art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations.

Economic, Military, and Humanitarian aid

Economic Aid: lending money to other nations.

Economic, Military, and Humanitarian aid

Military Aid: US lends its troops to other nations who need protection.

Economic, Military, and Humanitarian aid

Humanitarian Aid: US lends its volunteer organizations to other countries who need assistance, such as the Red Cross.

Treaties

A formal written agreement between countries or governments.

Sanctions

Penalties imposed by the courts.

Military Intervention

When the military steps in to stop a potentially, or ongoing, volatile situation.

There are certain agencies that contribute to the Executive Branch

• Dept. of Education• Environmental Protection Agency• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation• Federal Communications Commission• Consumer Product Safety Commission• Federal Aviation Association• Drug Enforcement Association

Department of Education (ED)

• Cabinet-level department of the United States government created by the Department of Education Organization Act.

• Opposed by many in the Republican Party.

• Under George W. Bush, the department has focused mainly on elementary and secondary education through the No Child Left Behind Act.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Charged with protecting humanhealth and with safeguardingthe natural environment: air,water, and land.

• Established by President Richard Nixon on December 2, 1970.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

• Created by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, theFDIC provides deposit insurance which currently guarantees checking and savings deposits in member banks up to $100,000 per depositor.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

• Established by the Communications Act of 1934,it is charged with regulating allnon-Federal Government use ofthe radio spectrum (radio & television), and all interstate telecommunications (wire, satellite and cable) as well as all international communications that originate or terminate in the United States.

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

• An independent agency of

the federal government

created in 1972 through the

Consumer Product Safety Act

to protect “against unreason-

able risks of injuries associated with

consumer products

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

• Created by the Federal

Aviation Act of 1958, it is

an agency of the US Dept. of

Transportation with authority

to regulate and oversee all

aspects of civil aviation in the

US

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

• A US Dept. of Justice law

enforcement agency tasked

with combating drug

smuggling and use within the

United States.