Introduction to the Presidency

Introduction to the Presidency

Roles of the PresidentChief of State: The president is the symbolic head of our nation. He is the man that everyone views America by and represents our nation abroad. Chief Executive: The president has executive power in domestic and foreign affairs. While his powers are limited, he is seen as the most powerful man of the free worldChief Administrator: The president is in charge of all 2.7 million government employees and is responsible for the huge budget we have, to some degree.

Roles of the PresidentChief Diplomat: The president is our top ambassador. He can make treaties and speak on behalf of the US to foreign nations and their leaders.Commander in Chief: The president is in charge of our military. Chief Legislator: The president signs all bills into law that come from Congress. Or, he can veto them.Chief of the Party: The president is seen as the leader of his political party.Chief Citizen: The president should work for the public good and represent what a good citizen should be.

Qualifications and BenefitsA president must be at least 35 years old. Teddy Roosevelt was the youngest at 42 but JFK was the youngest elected at 43. Reagan was the oldest at 77 when he left.A president must be a natural born citizen.A president must have lived in the US for a period of no shorter than 14 years previous.In 1789, the presidents pay was $25,000 a year. Now, it is $400,000.The president also gets full health coverage and a pension plus some nice perks.

Presidents TermA president has a four year term, which was deemed appropriate enough for someone to settle into the job and do what was required of him.There were no term limits until 1951 set the limit at 10 years in the 22nd Amendment.Up until FDR won four terms, there was a unwritten custom to take two terms only as established by Washington.Some people have called for a repeal of the 22nd Amendment.Others believe a single six year term would be better.

Presidential SuccessionIn the event of an emergency concerning the president and other offices, a succession line has been established to take control of the government.Until 1947, there was no set procedure for this.1 Vice President Joe Biden 2 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi 3 President pro tempore of the Senate Daniel Inouye 4 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton 5 Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner 6 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates7 Attorney General Eric Holder 8 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar 9 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack 10 Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke 11 Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis 12 Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius 13 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan 14 Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood 15 Secretary of Energy Steven Chu 16 Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 17 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki 18 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano

The 25th AmendmentPassed in 1967, it establishes, as part of the Constitution, the succession to the president in case of illness, incapacity, or death.John Tyler became the first vice president to become president upon William Henry Harrisons death in 1841. Afterwards, the VP took over as a precedent, but there was no provision in the Constitution before hand.This also covers major illness, like President Wilsons stroke.Also, the cabinet can remove a president if they feel he has lost his faculties. This requires a majority vote and approval of the vice president.

The Vice PresidentThe Constitution says very little about the vice president: preside over the Senate and presidential succession issues (25th Amendment).In the past, the VP was chosen to balance a national ticket by nominating someone from another part of the country. Now, it is seen as a way to bring two different factions of a party together.A VP candidate also provides something that the presidential candidate doesnt.The VP often represents the US overseas as a figure of goodwill or at state funerals.Sometimes the VP was nominated as a way to isolate a politician. (like Teddy)

My country has, in its wisdom, contrived for me the most insignificant office ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.John Adams

The Vice President2 Vice presidents have resigned (Agnew and Calhoun), 7 have died, and 9 have become president.Because of the 25th Amendment, the first time that a new VP was named was when Gerald Ford took over Agnews spot.The Vice President cannot be fired by the president. For this reason, no president has ever made his VP a assistant president.The current vice president is Joe Biden.

Question Time1. Name 3 roles that the president has.

2. Out of all of the roles, which one do you feel is the most important and why?

3. What is the purpose of the 25th Amendment and why was it necessary to make?How Someone is Selected as PresidentDuring the Constitutional Convention, the Founding Fathers spent more time in figuring out how to choose the president than any other matter.The Founding Fathers did not want to have the president to be chosen by direct vote of the people or a vote by Congress.Congressional voting would seem to cripple the office.Direct vote was an issue because of the size of the nation, education and literacy rates, and a general mistrust of the people.

How Someone is Selected as PresidentAlexander Hamilton created the idea of the electoral college.Initially, each elector would cast two votes for president. The person with the most votes became president and the second most became vice president.Every state received the same amount of electors as representation in Congress.State legislatures chose who the electors were and would cast their vote later. After Washington left office, political parties screwed this up.12th Amendment passed in 1804 placing president and vice president on same ticket.

How Someone is Selected as PresidentToday the process is much different.In 1824, there was one party, the Democrats. This election saw 4 candidates from the same party run.The election was solved by the House of Representatives.Since 1832, after the issues brought up in 1824, most parties choose to select their candidates during a convention.Delegates are chosen by the state party committees to attend the conventions. For many years, the conventions were where the presidential nomination was decided.

How Someone is Selected as PresidentStarting during the Progressive Era, primaries became a way to choose a presidential candidate. Wisconsin held the first one in 1905.Primaries were seen as a way to open the candidates up to the public instead of just allowing 4 men in a smoke filled room decide who the candidate was.In a primary, the party in each state holds a special election to choose between presidential candidates.Iowa holds the first caucus in early January with NH holding the first primary.19 states hold primaries on Super Tuesday with several Democratic caucuses and 2 other Republican only primaries.

How Someone is Selected as PresidentMost primaries are winner take all. Some divide up delegates amongst the top winners by percentage.Some states hold caucuses. These are non-binding conventions that show support for a candidate but do not bind the support to them.The Democratic Party has super delegates who can vote any way they want at the convention.Usually the winner of the first few primaries carries the nomination as bandwagoners appear. The winners also seem to be someone who spends lots of money.

How Someone is Selected as PresidentAt the convention, the party makes the nomination official, although most nominations have been wrapped up a long time earlier.At the convention, the party will also approve of the platform.The platform are the ideas and issues that the party will stand on during the campaign session.The conventions keynote address will be someone who is up and coming in the party.The final speech will be delivered by the nominee himself.

The Electoral CollegeElection day is when the people pick the president in the popular vote. However, you technically dont vote for the president.In reality, you vote for the electors. The party that wins the popular vote submits their electors to vote for president.Most states have laws that require that state electors must follow the popular vote (not Maine and NB).Whichever candidate wins the majority of electoral votes wins the election. You must have 270 votes as of right now.

The Electoral CollegeThere are some flaws in the electoral college system.One flaw is that there have been a few elections where the person who has won the popular vote has lost the electoral college election.There are no laws to enforce electors to vote the way they should if the state determines it.A strong third party bid could throw the election into the House of Representatives, just like in 1824. This was George Wallaces goal in 1968.Some states get more attention than others. Other states are surrendered.There are some plans to reform the system, but nothing really concrete yet.

Question Time4. How has the selection of presidential candidates change over time?

5. Why do we use the electoral college?

6. How does the electoral college work?The President in Action

What the Constitution SaysThe Second Article of the Constitution says that the executive power of the US is held by the president.The president has power over the military, makes treaties, signs or vetoes bills, can pardon people, and many other things.But what does executive power mean?Since 1787, our government has been trying to figure that out.

How Presidential Power Has GrownFor the better part of the 1800s, the president seemed to be not as important to our government as Congress was.Andrew Jackson changed that by forcing his will upon the other branches.Abraham Lincoln further increased the power of the presidency during the Civil War.Both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt increased the power of the president by becoming very active in public policy.Since the advent of television and radio, the presidents have become stronger in the eyes of the public.Richard Nixon was accused of being an imperial president.

How Presidential Power Has GrownPresidents still cannot pass laws, but they can drive them forward through the use of mass media. By appealing to the people themselves, the president can create a reaction to a cause he wants to fight for (bully pulpit)Sometimes this power can backfire when a president feels that they have too much power and backing(imperial presidency).

The Executive Powers of the PresidentThe powers the president gets come from the oath of office and Article II of the Constitution.The presidents chief job is to execute the laws of our nation. He cannot make them, but he carries them out.His powers cover all federal laws and apply to the whole nation on many issues.

The Executive Powers of the PresidentOne type of power the president has is an executive order.An executive order is something proclaimed by the president that will go into effect and must be carried out.Famous executive orders include Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation, Truman desegregating the armed forces, Eisenhower desegregating public schools, FDR interning the Japanese, Clintons war in Kosovo, Reagan firing air traffic controllers, and Teddy Roosevelt preserving wildlife land areas.

The Executive Powers of the PresidentAnother type of presidential power is ordinance power.This is the power to issue orders to anyone under the presidents jurisdiction.As more things have happened over the years, Congress has yielded more authority to the president and his cabinet as necessary.Ordinance powers can include giving an ambassador certain orders, asking the postal office to make a more balanced budget, or telling the justice department to hire more agents.

The Executive Power of the PresidentThe president also has the power to appoint people to any federal job, although the Senate must confirm them.These jobs include: ambassadors and diplomats, cabinet members and their aides, heads of agencies (FBI, CIA, NASA, EPA, etc.), federal judges, federal marshals, federal attorneys, and all officers in the armed forces.The president can appoint someone when Congress is on recess, but this is rare and usually for noncontroversial people.

Question Time7. In what ways has the power of the president grown?

8. What is an executive order and how have they been used? Give an example of an executive order?

Removal From OfficeSometimes, an appointee is bad. Then what?The only removal power issued in the Constitution is for an impeachment of the president. This has happened twice.For people appointed by the president, the president has the right to fire them or ask for a resignation.This has been a controversial item for many years as Congress felt they should have the power, or some of the power too. (Tenure of Office Act of 1867).

Diplomatic PowersThe president has the power to make and negotiate treaties.As the head of our nation, the president is viewed as the voice of our nation overseas.Most of the treaties negotiated are done by the Secretary of State and the State Department on behalf of the president.The Senate has the right to reject a treaty (Treaty of Versailles).Some of these treaties are agreements and not treaties (Lend Lease Act)The president can also recognize a country (Israel, Panama, Kosovo) or not to (Taiwan).

Military PowersThe president is in command of all the armed forces. He is the commander in chief.Presidents from Washington to Obama have used the military when they have needed it.The president can send troops into combat without a declaration of war, however, he is limited now by the War Powers Act.Congress can also pass measures to show its support for the presidents military actions without a declaration of war.

Legislative PowersThe president is seen as the chief legislator in the land.He is the head of his party and the face of the government, so he can help to push many of the policies that he and his party would like to implement.The president cannot create legislation but recommend it.All laws signed by the president become law.The president can also veto laws. This can be done with the whole law or a line item veto. President can also pocket veto a law.

Judicial PowersPresident can also pardon someone, commutation (reduce a sentence), and reprieve a sentence (delay it) however, it has to be a federal offense. The president can also grant amnesty to a large group of people, pardoning them all at once.The president can also grant asylum to foreigners who seek it.

Question Time9. What powers does the president have concerning the military and foreign relations?

10. What legislative and judicial powers does the president possess?