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The Presidency
What are the requirements to become the president of the
United States?
Requirements
• At least 35 years of age
• Natural born citizen
• Lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years
Goals and Big Question
• To understand the responsibilities and powers of the president.
• Big Question: Which branch is most powerful – the legislative or the executive?
Jobs of the President
What is the president responsible for in our government?
The Presidency
Chief of State, Chief Executive, Chief Administrator, Chief
Diplomat, Commander in Chief, Chief Legislator, Party Chief, and
Chief Citizen
Chief of State
Ceremonial head of state
Chief Executive
Power to enforce and create policies that enforce laws
Chief Administrator
Head of federal bureaucracy
Chief Diplomat
Architect of foreign policy
Commander in Chief
Head of national armed forces
Chief Legislator
Architect of public policy
Chief of Party
Leader of his/her political parties
Chief Citizen
Represents public interests
Jobs of the PresidentFind two articles involving President Obama
•Decide which of his eight jobs he is doing in each article.
– Make sure he is doing different jobs in each article.
– Make sure you can give a summary of the article as well as explain how the president is exhibiting that particular job.
•Grading Rubric:
– 50 = Great summary and description of job was done correctly.
– 25 = Knew what job it fit under, but did not give a satisfactory summary of the article.
– 0 = Did not give a summary or chose wrong job for your article.
Power of the President
What power does the president have? What does the Constitution give him? What
powers do the American people give him?
Powers of the President
• Executive Order
• Appointing Power
• Removal Power
• Treaty Power
• Executive Agreement
• Recognition
• Veto Power
• Judicial Powers– Reprieve– Pardon– Commutation– Amnesty
Executive Order
• Rules or regulations issued by the president or his/her office.
• Has the force of law, but cannot contradict the Constitution or laws passed by Congress
Appointing Power
• Power to appoint federal officials– Ambassadors, Judges, Cabinet officials
• Top appointments require Congressional approval (confirmation)
Removal Power
• Power to remove appointed officials for any reason.
• Can not remove judges - impeachment
Treaty Power
• Agreement between two heads of state – president usually acts through the Secretary of State
• The Senate must give its approval through 2/3 vote – then treaties become part of the Constitution
Executive Agreements
• A pact made by the president with the head of a foreign state
• Binding international agreement with the force of law
• Does not require consent of Senate
Recognition
• Presidential reception of the diplomatic representatives of another sovereign state.
• United States accepts that country as an equal.
Veto Power
• Power of the president to reject a law that was passed by Congress
• Can be overruled by Congress – 2/3 vote• Line-Item Veto – power to eliminate
certain parts of appropriation bills
Judicial Powers
• Reprieve– Postponement of the execution of a sentence
• Pardon– Legal forgiveness of a crime
• Commutation– Reduction of the length of a sentence or fine
• Amnesty – General pardon offered to a group of law violators
Limits on the President
What are the limits on the power of the President?
Limits on the President
• Term of Office
• Limited Power
Term of Office
• Four-year Terms• Limit of two terms or 10 years
– set by the 22nd Amendment
• Presidential Succession set by the 25th Amendment
Limited Power
• Separation of Powers– President cannot make laws, just carry them out– Supreme Court decides if a law is Constitutional
• Checks and Balances– Congress must approve of many actions– Impeachment could result from improper actions– Supreme Court can declare actions unconstitutional
Wartime Powers
• Congress can give the president far-reaching powers during a war
• Rationing, control of prices and wages, ability to seize/control certain companies
War Powers Resolution
• Limits the ability of the president to wage war…– Notification of Congress– Time limit on mobilization of forces– Power of Congress to end the conflict
Bureaucracy
How does the president exercise these powers?
Executive Office of the President• White House Office
– President’s personal & political staff
• National Security Council– Advises on domestic, foreign & military matters that affect
the nation’s security
• Office of Management & Budget– Prepares the Federal Budget
• Office of National Drug Control Policy– Conducts the “War on Drugs”
• Others: Council of Economic Advisors, Office of Policy Development, Council on Environmental Quality, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Office of Science & Technology and Office of Administration
The Executive Departments
They carry out the laws and run government programs
Department of State
• Carries out foreign policy
• Supervises ambassadors and other U.S. diplomats
• Represents the U.S. at the United Nations
Department of Treasury
• Collects taxes through the Internal Revenue Service
• Prints money and postage stamps; makes coins
Department of Defense
• Maintains the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force
• Conducts research on military weapons
• Builds and maintains military bases
Department of Interior
• Manages national parks and other federal lands
• Protects fish, wildlife and other natural resources
Department of Agriculture
• Provides assistance to farmers• Inspects food-processing plants• Runs the food stamp and school lunch
programs• Works to control animal and plant diseases
Department of Justice
• Investigates and prosecutes violation of federal laws
• Operates federal prisons
• Runs the Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Represents the federal government in lawsuits
Department of Commerce
• Provides assistance to American businesses
• Conducts the national census
• Issues patents and trademarks for inventions
• Maintains official weights and measures
Department of Labor
• Enforces laws on minimum wage, job discrimination and working conditions
• Helps run job training and unemployment programs
• Provides statistics on changes in prices and levels of employment
Department of Health and Human Services
• Directs Medicare Program
• Runs the Food and Drug Administration
• Runs the Public Health Service
• Runs the Family Support Administration
Department of Education
• Provides assistance to elementary, high school and college education programs
• Conducts research and provides statistics on education
• Promotes equal access to educational opportunities
Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Helps provide housing for low-income citizens
• Assists state and local governments in financing community development and housing projects
Department of Transportation
• Helps state and local governments maintain highways
• Enforces transportation safety standards
Department of Energy
• Conducts research on sources of energy
• Promotes the conservation of fuel and electricity and directs programs to deal with possible shortages
Department of Veteran’s Affairs
• Gives medical, educational and financial help to people who have served in the armed forces
Department of Homeland Security
• Runs the Federal Emergency Management Agency• Runs Transportation Security Administration• Protects the President and Vice President through the
Secret Service• Operates the United States Coast Guard and the U.S.
Customs Service
Becoming President
We have addressed the requirements, jobs and power of the president… now…
HOW DO YOU BECOME PRESIDENT?
How do you become President?
• Nomination
• Campaign
• Vote
Nomination
• Candidate must secure party’s nomination
• Primary elections in some states, conventions in others helps decide the nominee
• The national convention announces the party’s decision
Campaign
• Candidates travel across the nation to gather votes
• Candidates engage in debates with opponents to help the public understand their ideas
Vote
• Presidents are chosen by the Electoral College
• Each state decides on Electors based on that state’s popular vote
• The winner of the popular vote in each state gets all that state’s Elector’s votes
Electoral College
• Under the winner-take-all system, the winner of the popular vote may not get enough electoral votes to become president.
• What’s wrong with this system?
• Why should we keep the Electoral College?
Let’s look at some electoral maps…
Election of 2000Gore = 266 Bush = 271
Let’s look at some electoral maps…
Election of 2004Kerry = 251 Bush = 286
Let’s look at some electoral maps…
Election of 2008Obama = 365McCain = 173
Let’s look at some electoral maps…
Election of 2012Obama = 332Romney = 206
