The President
Obama
• Are individual
personalities now more
important than parties?
Bush
Can the
President
control
public
discussion?
Clinton, Reagan, Nixon
Does a president
have to be ―moral‖
in order to be a
good president?
Nixon
Do Americans need a
President to have
trustworthy character?
Eisenhower
Must the modern
President always
be involved in
everything or
have a solution for
everything?
Franklin Delano
Roosevelt
What role does
confidence in the
President have on
American morale?
FDR
Does a lot of action and
policy creation make a
President ―great‖?
Can a President be ―great‖
if not much is changed
during their Presidency?
Constitutional
Requirements
Qualifications
• Art. II
• ―natural-born citizen‖
• 14 years of US residency
• 35 years of age
• THAT’S IT!!!
Qualifications of
Presidency
• Informal qualifications:
– Government experience—Congress,
Governor, VP, cabinet member, etc
– Military experience
– Money $$$$$$
• $33.78 million in primaries & $67.56 million in
general election on average in modern elections
– Political beliefs—moderate
– Personal characteristics and background
Take Five
What ―informal‖ characteristics
are required to be President today?
Duties of the President
• Appointing heads of executive
departments, federal ct judges etc. (with
Senate consent)
• Commander in chief
– Manages a $400 billion defense budget
• Conducting foreign policy
• Lawmaking abilities
• State of the Union address
Take Five
What are some of the perks to
being President today?
Benefits of Presidency
• Most powerful man in the free world
• Salary $400,000 + $100,000 travel allowance
• Air Force One—planes, trains and automobiles
• Free medical, dental, health care etc
• The White House = home!
• Camp David = vacation
• Lifetime retirement pension $148,400 per year +
free office space + free mailing service +
$96,000 for office support + Presidential Library
and other honors
Lincoln’s Bedroom & the
Rosewood Bed
The Red Room &
The China Room
Balancing work and
home
Oval Office in the 1960’s
Oval Office under
George W.
Obama’s Oval Office
Camp David
Malia & Sasha
Obama’s Playhouse
Constitutional Powers
• Powers/duties are very limited
• ―executive power‖ – enact/enforce law
1. Military Power
2. Diplomatic Power
3. Appointment Power
4. Veto Power
Presidential Powers
• ―The Executive Power shall be vested in a
President of the United States of America‖
• Too vague…
The top 10 BEST
Presidents
(1) Abraham Lincoln
(2) Franklin D. Roosevelt
(3) George Washington
(4) Thomas Jefferson
(5) Theodore Roosevelt
(6) Andrew Jackson
(7) Woodrow Wilson
(8) Harry S. Truman
(9) James K. Polk
(10) Dwight D. Eisenhower
The top 10 WORST
Presidents
(1) James Buchanan
(2) Warren G. Harding
(3) Andrew Johnson
(4) Franklin Pierce
(5) Millard Fillmore
(6) John Tyler
(7) Ulysses S. Grant
(8) William H. Harrison
(9) Herbert Hoover in a tie with
(9) Richard Nixon
(10)Zachary Taylor
Presidential traditions
• George Washington
– Mr. President
– 2 terms and stepping down
– Salary
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
– 22nd Amendment
Strengthening the
Presidency
• Washington – set precedent for
future
• Jackson – frequent use of veto
power
• Lincoln – Commander and Chief to
new levels of power during the Civil
War
• FDR – huge influence on policy with
New Deal, checked by Supreme
Court
Strong executives
• Thomas Jefferson
– LA Purchase= ―inherit powers‖
• Abraham Lincoln
– Suspended the writ of habeas corpus & raised an army
• Theodore Roosevelt
– ―president’s right and duty to do anything that the needs of
the Nation demanded unless such action was forbidden
by the Constitution or by the laws‖
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
– Social welfare programs
• Lyndon Johnson
– Gulf of Tonkin incident & the blank check
• George W. Bush
– Homeland security
Roles of the President
• Head of State
– Ceremonial duties—living symbol of the nation
• Chief Executive
– Ensures the laws of Congress are carried out
– Right to appoint or remove federal officials
– Appoints all federal judges and justices of the Supreme Court
– Granting Amnesty—group pardon
• George Washington & the Whiskey Rebellion
– Issues repreives and pardons
• Ford pardoned Nixon
• Clinton pardoned numerous individuals before leaving office
– Impoundment—refusing to spend money that Congress has authorized
• Jefferson refused to spend money on gunboats
• Nixon refused to spend money on social programs
– Issues exectutive orders
• Desegregation of armed forces under Truman
Roles of the President
• Chief Legislator
– State of the Union address
– Influencing Congress for support
• Political favors
• Power of veto
• Line item veto—ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v City of NY
• Economic Planner
– Council of Economic Advisors
• Nixon control to freeze prices and wages
• Prepares the federal budget
• Party Leader
Veto Power
• Veto – return the bill to house it originated
(no action within 10 days – bill becomes law)
Appointment Power
• Power to appoint ambassadors, public
officers, and Supreme Court Judges with
Senate approval (advice and consent)
• Civil Service – most gov jobs under
executive filled based on merit system
John Roberts Harriet Miers John Bolton
Roles of the President
• Chief Diplomat
– Directs foreign policy
– Directs CIA, State Department, Defense Department
& NSC
– Power to make treaties (w/ Senate approval)
– Recognition of foreign governments
• Wilson refused to recognize the leader of Mexico
• Kennedy refused to recognize the leader of Cuba
– Power to make Executive Agreements
• FDR and G. Britain in WWII
• Nixon’s secret deal to N. Vietnam
• Congress makes it illegal in 1972
Diplomatic Power
• Create treaties with foreign nations with
Senate permission, 2/3 Senate approval
(advice and consent)
• Executive agreement – not permission
needed, deal between heads of state, not
binding to next administration
• Diplomatic Recognition – power to officially
recognize foreign gov as legit
– Ex. 1917-1933 – USSR not recognized
– Ex. 1949-1970s – China not recognized
Roles of the President
• Commander in Chief
– Power to make war
• Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Panama (overthrow of
dictator Manuel Noriega) War on Terror—
Afghanistan & Iraq
– Military operations and strategy
• Day to day operations
• Military backgrounds of Presidents
• Atomic capabilities
– Nagasaki and Hiroshima
Military Power
• Commander in Chief (civilian control)
• Prez can send armed forces abroad
– Congress has not declared war since 12/8/1941
– Korea, Vietnam, Iraq? – all Constitutional
• War Powers Resolution, 1973
– Prez must report to Congress within 48 hours after
deployment
– If Congress does not OK in 60 days, must withdraw
– Check on president, attempt to limit president
Presidential deaths in
office (Tecumseh’s
curse?)
• 8 Presidents have died in office
– William Henry Harrison - April 4, 1841, died of pneumonia after giving a
long inaugural address in the cold and rain.
– Zachary Taylor - July 9, 1850, died of cholera after eating tainted
cherries and milk in the middle of the summer.
– Abraham Lincoln - April 15, 1865, died a few hours after being shot by
an assassin.
– James Garfield - September 19, 1881, died of blood poisoning two
months after being shot by an assassin.
– William McKinley - September 14, 1901, died eight days after being shot
by an assassin.
– Warren G. Harding - August 2, 1923, died of pneumonia.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt - April 12, 1945, died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
– John F. Kennedy - November 22, 1963, died a few hours after being
shot by an assassin.
– 25th Amendment establishes Presidential Succession
Order of Succession…
• Succession Act of 1947 established order of
succession based on creation of cabinet
positions
– VP; Speaker of the House; President Pro Tempore;
Sec. of State; Sec of Treasury; Sec of Defense….
• First applied in 1973 (Nixon administration)
– Spiro Agnew resigned
– Gerald Ford becomes newly appointed VP
– Richard Nixon resigned
– Gerald Ford becomes Pres
– Nelson Rockefeller becomes newly appointed VP
Take Five
What happens if the President is
NOT dead, but disabled?
Presidential disabilities
• James Garfield
• Woodrow Wilson
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Ronald Reagan
• 25th amendment
– President informs Congress of disability or
– VP & majority of cabinet informs Congress of
disability
• Congress has 21 days to settle disputes in favor of Pres or
VP by 2/3 vote
Presidential Disability
and Succession
• 22nd Amendment – limited President to 2
terms, serving no more than 10 years
• 25th Amendment – If the VP office is
vacated, then the President can select a
new VP
Role of the Vice
President
• All qualifications of President apply
• Presides over Senate—tie breaker
• 25th Amendment—waiting for the
President to die (14 VP’s have become
President in this fashion)
• Modern day—diplomatic responsibly,
foreign policy, lawmakers, extension of
President
Vice President
• Preside over the Senate, tie breaking vote
• Takes over the presidency if the President
cannot finish term
• 12th Amendment – voters choose
President and VP together
– Previous to 1804, the losing candidate
became VP
– WHAT A DISASTER!!!!
Electing the President
• Electoral college
– Popular vote is actually a vote for either the Democrat
or Republican electors of each state
– 538 Electors determine the President
– State electors = # of HOR + Senators in Congress
• Wyoming = fewest electoral votes (3)
• California = largest electoral votes (55)
– Candidates must win 270 electoral votes to win
– Maine & Nebraska are exceptions (split the electoral
vote)
Take Five…
• Is the ―winner take all‖ system of the
electoral college fair? Why or why not?
What are some possibilities for reforming
the current system?
The role of third party
candidates
• Third parties could win enough votes to prevent
a majority for either party
• Third party candidates then bargain to release
votes to one side or the other
• In the event the House of Rep. has to decide,
each state casts 1 vote, the candidate with 26
votes wins
– Problems with HOR vote
• Equal representation
• States in disagreement lose their vote
• States with strong third party favorites lose vote
The Inauguration
• Shift of power
– President and President elect ride together to
the inauguration or ―swearing in‖ ceremony
– President elect takes the oath of office
– Current President delivers a speech and
ceremonies begin
The Cabinet
• 15 major executive departments
– Secretary of State, Sec. of Treasury etc…
• Vice President
• Top officials
• All cabinet members must be approved by the
Senate
– Typically has the background, education and
qualifications for the job, race, and gender also play a
role
– Salary: $161,200
Role of the Cabinet
• Depends on the President
• ―kitchen cabinet‖ & ―brain trust‖
• Aides & spouses
• ―inner cabinet‖
• Party loyalty, special interest groups, etc
• Secrecy and trust
The Executive Office
• Executive office agencies
– Attorneys, scientists, educators, financial
advisors, etc
– 1,500 full time employees
– Enlarges each administration
• Ex: Reagan Office of national drug control policy
• Largest EOP = Office of management & budget
Executive Office of the
President
• National Security Council – advises on
military and foreign policy
• Office of Management and Budget –
prepares national budget, largest office
• National Economic Council – advises with
economic planning
Take Five…
• What is a modern day EOP?
White House Staff
• President appoints w/o Senate approval
• Chief of Staff
• Press Secretary
– G. Washington = 0
– F.D.R. = 50
– Nixon = 600
– Clinton = 380
The Cabinet
• 15 major department heads advising prez
• ―Inner cabinet‖ – Secretary of State,
treasury, attorney general, and defense
Hillary Clinton – Secretary of State Robert Gates – Secretary of Defense
White House Office
• ―Pyramid‖ model – assistants answer to a
hierarchy up to a chief of staff (few top
advisors to prez, prez free but isolated)
• ―Circular‖ model – direct contact with staff
(many top advisors to prez, prez busy but
connected)
• Significance: determines what aids have the
most influence on presidential decisions
Take Five…
• How does the President get the mandate –
popular support—of the people? What
happens if a President does not receive a
mandate?
Mandate of the People
• Mass media, press conferences, leaking
information
• Opinion polls
– Nixon—90% of the public wanted to see an
end to the war in Vietnam
– Reagan—the ―Great Communicator‖
– George W.—90% approval rating after
―declaring a war on terror‖ in 2001…but
dropped significantly as the war in Iraq
continued and Katrina hit
Limits on Presidential
Powers
• Congressional override 2/3 vote to
override a Presidential veto
• Senate confirmation of appointees
• Congressional power to Impeach
– Andrew Johnson; Richard Nixon; Bill Clinton
Limits on Presidential
Powers
• Supreme Court has authority to limit the
President (Executive Branch)
– Marbury v Madison
– Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v Sawyer
Executive privilege
• The right to privacy of conversation
between advisors and prez
Why?
1. Separation of powers prevents branches
from sharing internal workings
2. Privacy is needed for candid advice from
advisors with out political pressure
Executive Privilege
US v. Nixon
- Nixon refused to hand over
recorded conversations,
claiming Exec. Privilege
- Court ruled in favor of US
- EP can’t be used to block the
function of the federal court
procedures
Impoundment
• Presidential practice of refusing to spend
money appropriated by Congress.
• Budget Reform and Impoundment Act of
1974 – president must spend funds
The President as Morale
Builder
• Symbolic importance (FDR – Great
Depression, Bush – 9/11)
• Unify nation
Agenda Setting
The President can control public policy and
discussion through…
• The media
• State of the Union speech
• Make policy proposals
• Encourage the Congress
Executive Orders
• Prez issues executive orders that have
force of law
• Ex – power to enforce the Constitution,
treaties, laws, etc.
– FDR – allowed Japanese internment
– Truman – integrate military
– Eisenhower – desegregate public schools
Line-Item Veto???
• Should the President be able to veto
certain parts of a bill, and not other parts?
• Line-Item Veto Act 1996
• Clinton v. City of New York (1997) – law
found unconstitutional
Gridlock
• Divided government – Prez and Congress
majority represent different political parties
• ―gridlock‖ – the inability to accomplish goals
– Con – government operation shuts down
– Pro – slows the decision making process,
example of check and balance
Take Five
Which Presidents have been
Impeached?
Impeachment
• House impeaches, Senate tries the prez,
Chief Justice presides over the trial
• Two presidents impeached, neither
removed (Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton)