Ch. 13 - The Presidency

1. Ch. 13 - The Presidency

2. The Many Roles of the President • Chief of State • Ceremonial head of the country • Acts as the “face of the U.S.” • Welcomes foreign dignitaries • For example…

3. The Many Roles of the President • Chief Executive • Ensures that the nation’s laws are enforced and carried out • Head of the executive branch

4. The Many Roles of the President • Chief Administrator • Head of the entire bureaucracy – people who work for the government to implement policies • Appoints everyone in the top levels of the bureaucracy, with approval of a majority of the Senate • May also fire any appointed person • does not need Senate approval for firing

5. The Many Roles of the President • Chief Diplomat • Develops the nation’s foreign policy stances • Top advisor on foreign policy is the Secretary of State • Spokesperson to the rest of the world • Meets and befriends leaders of foreign countries

6. The Many Roles of the President • Commander-in-Chief • Top commander of all branches of the armed forces • All are subject to his immediate control • Can wage undeclared wars

7. The Many Roles of the President • Chief Legislator • Proposes Laws to Congress • Chooses whether to sign bills into law or veto them • Can also issue executive orders – changes in executive branch policy that have the effect of law

8. The Many Roles of the President • Chief of Party • He is the undisputed leader and face of the party that helped elect him • Plans future strategy and direction of the party • Helps raise money and campaign for other party members

9. The Many Roles of the President • Chief Citizen • Work to help the public as a whole, rather than private interests • Represent what all American people should be (in terms of character)

10. Qualifications • 35 years old • Natural Born U.S. Citizen • Could be born in another country to an American parent (jus sanguinis) • Or born on U.S. soil (jus solis) • Resident of the U.S. for 14 years

11. Terms • Pres. serves a 4 year term • Limited to 2 terms by the 22nd Amendment • If V.P. takes over less than half of President’s term, it doesn’t count against him • Thus, most possible years = 10

12. $ Perks $ • Salary of $400,000 per year for life • $50,000 in expenses • Free medical care for life • Live in the White House • Use of Air Force One, Marine One, other transportation

13. Presidential Succession • Constitution originally only provided that when Pres. becomes incapable, V.P. would become “acting president” • Didn’t address: • Is V.P. now president forever? • Does “acting president” have the same power as president? • What if the V.P. leaves office? • Who decides if the president is “unable” • How is it determined when the president is “able” again? • All of this was fixed by the 25th Amendment (1967)

14. Presidential Succession • If president dies, resigns, is impeached, or is temporarily incapable, succession occurs • Pres. can be declared temporarily incapable by himself, or V.P. with a majority of the Cabinet (25th Amendment)

15. Presidential Succession • What if more than just the president dies, or is removed from office? • Order of Succession – set by Presidential Succession Act of 1947 • Vice President • Speaker of the House • President Pro-Tempore • Secretary of State • Each Cabinet Dept. Secretary in the order they were created

16. Vice-Presidential Succession • If V.P. dies or resigns, president picks a new one • Majority of both houses of Congress must approve

17. What Does the Veep Do? • 2 Important Jobs (sarcasm) • Take over if the Pres. dies • Preside over the Senate • These 2 jobs take no time, and allow Dick Cheney to spend time shooting old men in the face

18. So What do They Really Do? • They do whatever the president lets them do

19. How to Pick a V.P. • Balance the Ticket – pick a guy with qualities that will draw voters you wouldn’t

20. President Reagan From California (West Coast) Very conservative Idea man – not concerned with details Vice-President Bush From Connecticut (East Coast) Moderate conservative Technocrat – obsessed with nuance/details Example of Balancing the Ticket

21. Presidential Selection • Constitution says – “president shall be chosen by a number of electors” • These electors are the electoral college

22. Original Plan • Each elector gets 2 votes • 1st Place becomes president • 2nd Place becomes vice-president • Then, a crisis occurs…

23. The Election of 1800 • Political Parties had just appeared • Jefferson and Burr – Democratic Republicans • Adams and Pinckney – Federalists • Each elector casts his 2 ballots for his party’s 2 candidates

24. The Election of 1800 • Final Result: • Thomas Jefferson - 73 • Aaron Burr - 73 • John Adams - 65 • Charles Pinckney - 64 • John Jay - 1

25. The Election of 1800 • Burr had run intending to become Jefferson’s Vice, then realized he had a legitimate claim to win! • Took 36 votes in the House of Reps. to settle the dispute and pick Jefferson

26. The 12th Amendment • Requires presidential and V.P. elections to be separate

27. The Current Selection Process • Thankfully for you, the process is much more complicated today • It all starts with the nominating process…

28. The Nominating Process • Candidates must win a majority of delegates at the party convention • Each state gets delegates at the convention based on the number of electoral college votes, plus a bonus for states loyal to the party • States have choices on how to award these delegates

29. State’s Options – How to Vote • Primary Election – election among the public to choose a nominee • Open Primary – all eligible voters may vote • Closed Primary – only party members may vote

30. State’s Options – How to Vote • Caucus – meeting of party members to debate and vote

31. State’s Options – How to Award Delegates • Winner-Take-All – winner of the state’s contest gets all of the state’s delegates • Proportional Representation – Each candidate gets delegates equal to the % of the vote they got • **Democratic Party rules require proportional representation**

32. The Convention • Delegates “vote” – everyone knows who will win • President officially nominates his running mate

33. General Election • General Election – one candidate from each party run against each other for the presidency

34. General Election • Each state sets requirements for how a party gets qualified to be on the ballot

35. General Election • Traditionally, the Republican and Democratic Candidates will debate each other at least once

36. General Election • Winner of the election is determined by who gets a majority of electoral college votes (270 out of a possible 538)

37. General Election • Electoral College is winner-take-all – whoever gets a plurality (not a majority) in the state gets all the state’s electoral college votes

38. Pros Preserves stable 2 party system No mass confusion over recounts Pushes candidates to campaign in smaller states Cons Undemocratic – can win with fewer votes Outdated – we have technology for voters to have full control Voters in closely divided states matter more The Electoral College

39. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College • District Plan • Electoral College Votes based on who wins each congressional district • Example: California has 53 districts • Bush wins 20, gets 20 electoral votes • Kerry wins 33, gets 33 electoral votes • Kerry wins popular vote in CA, gets 2 bonus votes

40. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College • Proportional Plan • Electoral College votes awarded based on % of popular vote • Example: State has 20 electoral votes • Bush gets 60%, Kerry gets 40% • Bush gets 12 electoral votes, Kerry gets 8

41. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College • Direct Popular Election • Whoever wins the most votes nationwide becomes the president

42. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College • National Bonus Plan • Electoral College system still in place • Whoever wins the popular vote nationwide gets a bonus of 102 electoral college votes • 102 is the number which makes it mathematically impossible to win popular vote and lose the election