The American President

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The American President
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The Presidents Job Description

• The Presidents roles
• Chief of State- The President acts as the
  ceremonial head of the United States Government.
• Chief Executive- Holds the executive power of
  the United States.
• Chief Administrator- Administers the Federal
  Bureaucracy.
• Chief Diplomat- The main architect of American
  foreign policy.

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The Presidents Job Description cont.

• Commander in Chief- Commands the Nations
  military.
• Chief Legislator- Sets the shape of Public
  Policy.
• Chief of Party- The automatic leader of the
  political party in power.
• Chief Citizen- Representative of all the people.
• Each role played simultaneously and is
  inseparable from the others.

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Formal Qualifications for the Presidency

• Must be Natural-born citizen of the U.S. who has
  lived in country at least 14 years.
• Must be at least 35 years old.
• Youngest elected, JFK 43 years
• Youngest to serve, Teddy Roosevelt 42 years old.
• Oldest Ronald Reagan.

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The Presidents Term

• The President is elected to a single four-year
  term.
• 22nd Amendment(1951) limits Presidents to two
  full terms in office.
• FDR elected to four terms

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Pay and Benefits

• Presidential salary.
• 400,000 a year plus 50,000 a year expense
  account.
• Salary fixed by Congress.
• Presidential Fringe Benefits.

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Pay and Benefits cont.

• Expense account
• White House Residency
• Health Care
• Lifetime pension(F.P.A. 1958) 191,300
• Widow-20,000 franking privilege
• Presidential Yacht
• Fleet of Automobiles
• Air Force One
• Generous Travel and Entertainment funds.
• Healthcare at military facility

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The White House

• 1st occupied by John Adams, 1800
• 232,000
• 18 acres
• 132 rooms
• 23 bathrooms
• 3 kitchens
• Burned in 1812

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• The Oval Office
• Life in the White House

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Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency

• The Constitution and Succession
• If President dies, resigns, or is removed from
  office, VP succeeds to the office.
• After VP, succession is Speaker of the House,
  president pro tem of Senate, Secretary of State,
  then the other 15 cabinet members in order of
  precedence.

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Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency
cont.
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Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency

• Presidential Disability
• If President becomes disabled, VP may temporarily
  assume the duties of President.
• 25th Amendment- acting President
• The President may resume duties by informing
  Congress no inability exists

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Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency

• The cabinet and the VP may challenge the
  Presidents resumption of power
• 21 days to decide by 2/3 vote in both Houses of
  Congress or President will reclaim Presidency
• If VP and Congress decide President cannot
  dispute
• Eight times in history we have had no VP

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The Vice Presidency

• The constitutional duties of the VP are to
  preside over the Senate and help decide the
  question of Presidential disability
• Position is often treated as an unimportant one.
• The most insignificant office that ever the
  invention of man contrived or his imagination
  conceived. John Adams

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Importance of the Office

• The Vice President must be ready to assume the
  Presidency at a moments notice.
• If office of the VP is vacated the President must
  nominate a new Vice President
• Nixon- Agnew
• Nixon- Ford
• Ford- Rockefeller

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Presidential Selection The Framers Plan
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Original Constitutional Provisions

• Framers created electoral college as an
  alternative to either popular election or
  congressional election of the President
• Electoral vote was State by State, with each
  elector casting votes for two candidates
• Person with most votes became President, second
  most became VP
• In case of a tie, House of Representatives would
  elect the President. Senate, VP

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Impact of the Rise of Political Parties

• Election of 1800
• Political parties arose during the Washington and
  Adams administrations
• Each side put up their own candidates and
  electors
• This development led to a tie between Jefferson
  and Burr
• Election was decided in the House of
  Representatives with Jefferson winning

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Nominating Presidential Candidates Today
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The Role of Conventions

• Extent of control by law
• Little legal control over the convention process
• Conventions are left up to the parties control

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The Role of Conventions

• Convention Arrangements
• The national committee of each party calls a
  convention in the summer of each presidential
  election year
• 2004 the Republican National Convention was in
  New York City, Democratic National Convention was
  in Boston

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The Role of Conventions

• The Apportionment of Delegates
• The party tells each State how many delegates it
  may send
• The number is based on the States electoral
  votes with bonus delegates for those states that
  have supported the party in recent years

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The Role of Conventions

• Selection of Delegates
• State laws and/or party rules fix the procedures
  for selection of delegates.
• The procedure differs from State to State

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Presidential Primaries

• History
• Presidential primaries were first held in the
  early 1900s
• Today 36 States hold some form of Presidential
  primary

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Presidential Primaries

• Primaries Today
• Primaries are a delegate selection process or an
  election in which voters express their preference
  for presidential candidates
• More than half the States have only presidential
  preference primaries

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Evaluation of the Presidential Primary

• Primaries democratize the presidential nomination
  process and force office seekers to test their
  candidacies before the public
• Unlike the Party in Power, the party out of power
  usually have hard fought primary campaigns

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National Convention
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Convention Setting

• Party conventions meet in large auditoriums, with
  seating arranged State by State
• Large areas of the hall are reserved for
  spectators and for the press

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Opening Session

• Conventions run about four days, with one or two
  sessions per day
• Temporary convention officials are chosen and
  welcoming speeches are given

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Second and Third Sessions

• Permanent convention officials chosen
• Credentials of delegates examined
• Rules are adopted
• Party platform is debated
• Platform is important because it will state the
  Partys position on key issues

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Final Sessions

• Nominations are made and balloting proceeds
• Once the candidate has been selected, the
  vice-presidential nominee is named and the
  candidate makes their acceptance speech

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Whom Does the Party Nominate?

• Incumbent Presidents almost always get another
  nomination if they want it.
• In order to win their partys nomination, other
  candidates must have considerable political
  experience and popularity
• Historically nominations have gone to white male
  Protestants that have either been governors or
  Senators

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The Electoral College Today

• Electors are chosen by popular vote.
• The party that wins the majority of the popular
  vote in each State gets all of the States
  electoral votes. Winner takes all
• Electors meet at a time set by law. Votes are
  then sent by registered mail where they are
  counted on January 6th
• In case of a tie for either President or Vice
  President, the decision is made by Congress

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Flaws in the Electoral College

• First Major Defect- Electoral votes are not
  distributed in exact proportion to the population
  so it is possible that the winner of the popular
  vote does not win the electoral vote
• Second Major Defect- Electors are not bound by
  the Constitution to vote for the candidate
  favored by their State
• Third Major Defect- Election may be thrown into
  the House of Representatives, where voting is
  State by State

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Proposed Reforms

• District Plan- Would allow electors to be elected
  by district as opposed to winner take all
• Proportional Plan- would give each candidate the
  proportionate number of the electoral vote as
  they did the Popular vote
• National Bonus Plan- winner take all feature
  would be kept but weighted in favor of the winner
  of the Popular vote and the electoral college
  would be abolished
• Defenders of the current system emphasize that it
  is a known process, and identifies the winner
  quickly

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The Changing View of Presidential Power
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Why Presidential Power Has Grown

• Founding fathers feared a monarchy worst
• Presidential powers were much more restricted
  then than they are now
• As the country grew and industrialized, and in
  times of emergency, people demanded that the
  government play a larger role in peoples lives
• Congress has granted much authority to the
  President

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How Presidents Have Viewed Their Power

• Stronger and more effective Presidents have taken
  a broad view of the powers of the office
• FDR, Ronald Reagan
• Other Presidents have viewed a strong executive
  as a threat to liberty, and have interpreted the
  powers of the office narrowly
• Thomas Jefferson

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The Presidents Executive Powers
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Executing the Law

• The President is responsible for carrying out the
  nations laws

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Ordinance Power

• The President has the authority to issue
  executive orders, which have the force of law
• Executive orders become law

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Appointing Power

• Major appointments, such as ambassadors, cabinet
  members and judges must be approved by the Senate
• Over half of all officials in the federal
  workforce are selected through civil service
  exams
• Staff/line jobs

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Removal Power

• The President has the power to remove at will
  persons whom he or she has appointed with the
  consent of the Senate
• Exceptions are federal judges, and members of
  independent regulatory agencies
• U.S. v. Johnson

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Diplomatic and Military Powers
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The Power to make Treaties

• The President usually acting through the Sec. of
  State may negotiate treaties or international
  agreements
• The Senate must approve treaties by a 2/3
  majority before they become law
• NAFTA

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Executive Agreements

• Most routine international agreements are made by
  executive agreement GATT
• These agreements are pacts between the President
  and the leaders of foreign countries
• Do not require Senate approval

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The Power of Recognition

• Presidents have the power to recognize, or
  acknowledge the legal existence of a country
• Diplomatic recognition

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The Presidents Role in Military Affairs

• The President shares the war powers with Congress
  but has no limits on his role as commander in
  chief
• Presidents usually delegate much of their command
  authority to military subordinates while
  retaining final authority

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The Presidents Role in Military Affairs

• Only Congress can declare war, but Presidents
  have often used the military without a formal
  declaration of war
• Korea
• Vietnam
• Persian Gulf
• Bosnia

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The Presidents Role in Military Affairs

• The President may use the armed forces and State
  militias to keep the peace in times of domestic
  turmoil

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Legislative and Judicial Powers
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The President in the Legislative Field

• Gives the State of the Union address and gives
  the annual budget
• Recommends specific legislation to Congress
• Has the power to veto legislation
• May call special sessions of Congress

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Judicial Powers

• The President may grant reprieves and pardons in
  cases involving federal law
• May commute (reduce) sentences or fines imposed
  by a court
• May grant amnesty (general pardon) to persons
  that have violated the law.

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Executive Office of the President and the Cabinet
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The Executive Office of the President

• Made up of several separate offices and are
  staffed by the Presidents closest advisers and
  assistants
• Chief of Staff
• Counsel to the President
• Expert advisers

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National Security Council

• NSC advises the President on all matters of
  national security, both foreign and domestic
• Vice President
• Sec. of State and Defense
• CIA Director
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

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The Office of Management and Budget

• Monitors the spending of funds appropriated by
  Congress and oversees the management of the
  Executive Branch

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Office of National Drug Control Policy

• Prepares an annual drug control policy
• Coordinates the efforts of more than 50 federal
  agencies involved in the war on drugs

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The Council of Economic Advisers

• Consists of the top three economists, appointed
  by the President and approved by the Senate
• The Presidents chief source of information and
  advice on the economy