2. Warm-Up: True or False?
1) The President can declare war if America's national
security is threatened.
2) The President has the right to withhold certain information
from Congress if he thinks it would endanger America.
3) The power of the vice-presidency has been increasing
since the early 1990s.
4) No president has ever made it to the highest office without
being elected to either the Presidency or the vice-
presidency.
5) The president is one of the highest paid members of
American society.
3. Qualifications
Must be born as a US citizen
Be at least 35
Kennedy was youngest elected (42)
Have lived in US for at least 14 years
4. Length of Term
May only be ELECTED twice
Four year terms
IF one gains presidency through
succession (VP becomes pres after Pres
dies) for more than two years, then can
only serve ONE additional term.
IF serving for LESS than two years, then
can still be elected for two full terms
Thus a total of 10 years is possible.
5. The Two Term Precedent
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
FDR was the only president to win more than
two terms
He led the US through the Depression and
WW II
George Washington set the precedent for the
limit of two terms until the 22nd Amendment
made law in 1951
6. Benefits
$400,000 a year
(Note: VP makes $230K,
Congressmen make $165K and
Supreme Court judges make $203K)
Free room and board
The White House
Get your own airplane
747 “Air Force One”
Get your own mountain hideaway
Camp David in Maryland
Nice Pension - $165K
Expense account - $50K
7. The Roles
The Constitution speaks briefly about the
duties of the President
His duties can be broken into 6 main roles:
Chief of State
Chief Executive
Chief Diplomat
Commander in Chief
Chief Legislator
Chief of Party
8. Chief of
State
President is ceremonial head of
the government.
We don’t have a king, so he does
the social job of one – with an
American Twist
EXAMPLES:
–Decorating War Heroes
–Throwing Out The 1st Pitch
–Dedication Ceremonies
–Receiving VIPs at White House
9. The Chief of State
Some believe it
limits the
President’s ability
to do “real work.”
Takes up too much
of his time
Some have called GWB and QE2
for a separate Chief
of State to take
over this role
10. The Chief Executive Role
Acts as boss of the executive branch of
the gov’t – 15 executive departments
He is the CEO of the Government
Makes sure govt is running efficiently
Carries out, enforces, executes the law
Constitutionally bound to enforce the acts
of Congress, judgments of federal courts,
and treaties signed by the United States.
11. The Chief Executive
Has the bureaucracy to
help him with these tasks
Cabinet positions
Federal Agencies
Powers of the Chief
Executive:
Appointment and
Removal
12. Chief Executive
(Guardian of the Economy)
Controls budget
Monitors
unemployment,
Inflation, taxation, business,
and general welfare of the nation.
He does not control the economy, but he
gets credit if it goes well.
13. Oversees Numerous Departments Offices, Agencies, Bureaus, etc
Executive Departments
://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Feder
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
al/All_Agencies/Includes/Agenc
Department of Commerce (DOC)
y_Index.pdf
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Education (ED)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Department of State (DOS)
Department of the Interior (DOI)
Department of the Treasury
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
14. Commander in Chief
The armed services
are under civilian
rather than military
control
Secty of Defense
Chrmn of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff
The supreme
commander of the
military forces of the
United States
Commander in Chief - Bush
15. Commander in Chief
This gives Presidents a
tremendous amount of power
Powers based upon Washington
as President
Exercises more authority
than in any other role.
Where ever the President goes, so
goes the Nuclear Code briefcase (the
“football”). Theoretically, only the
President has the power to order the
launch nuclear weapons.
16. Commander In Chief
Congress has the power to declare war, but
the President can send troops.
In many cases the situation is confrontational
War Powers Act (1973)
Spelled out conditions when the
President can send troops
President must report within 48 hours
If Congress does not issue a
declaration of war, troops must be
withdrawn in 60 days.
○ Yeah, Right. Never been done
17. Chief Diplomat
Conducts foreign
policy, directs
actions of
ambassadors
Under this Role
the President has
3 main powers:
1. Recognition Power
2. Sign Treaties
3. Executive
Agreements
Nuclear Test Ban Treat (JFK)
18. Recognition Power
Recognition power
is the power to
recognize, or
refusal to, foreign
countries.
Receives foreign
diplomats;
therefore the
President
recognizes their
government.
Hussein, Rabin & Clinton
19. Creation of Treaties
Has the sole power to negotiate treaties
The Senate must approve these treaties (2/3)
The Senate can also make amendments to the
treaties, possibly leading to the dismissal of the
entire treaty
Woodrow Wilson felt that changes to the
Versailles Treaty were so extensive that it led
to the US not becoming a part of the League
of Nations
Senate changes made the treaty ineffective
20. Executive Agreements
What are executive agreements?
Answer: international agreements made by
the President w/o Senatorial ratification.
However, the Senate and House may not
appropriate funds to support the agreement
P.S. When putting the American Flag alongside other
nations’ flags – the US flag always goes on the right (as in
this picture)
21. Advantages / Problems
•Advantages of this power is speed and secrecy
•Essential during a crisis
•Agreements and treaties are binding on all future
administrations.
•.
John F Kennedy and Nikita Kruschev
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
“You pull your missiles out and
I will pull our missiles out.”
22. Chief Legislator
Influences the making of laws
The President can recommend laws to
Congress.
Helps create Congressional Agenda
What is the big push this year?
What was it last year?
State of the Union Address
23. Chief Legislator
President must give a State of the Union
Address every year.
Displays what legislation the President would
like to see passed in the upcoming session of
Congress
Getting Legislation Passed
Power of Persuasion
Compromise
Presidents who share the majority party in
Congress have an easier time passing
legislation
24. Chief Legislator
The President has the power to veto legislation.
Congress may override w/ a 2/3 majority
○ VERY hard to override a veto
If you are curious -Top 3 “Vetoing” Presidents:
1. Franklin Roosevelt 635 vetoes
2. Grover Cleveland 414 vetoes
3. Henry Truman 250 vetoes
How many has President Obama vetoed?
25. Chief of Par ty
Not mentioned in
Constitution
Chooses national
chairperson
Disciplines party
President Obama supporting fellow
members who do not Democratic Candidate last October
support him.
Rewards those that
support him
(patronage)
26. Chief of Par ty
Try to maintain a high level of public
opinion ratings. This gives them even
greater influence
Can help others in party
○ Unpopular presidents can hurt others in party
27. Special Powers
Presidents have a variety
of powers and special
privileges not available
to other branches of the
U.S. government.
The 4 types are:
1.Emergency Powers
2.Executive Orders
3.Judicial Powers
4.Executive Privilege
28. Emergency Powers
These are also known as inherent powers.
Exercised by the President during a period of
national crisis, particularly in foreign affairs
EXAMPLE: 1952 – Truman tried to take over
steel mills because he needed weapons for
Korean War.
Supreme Court said the President could not take
away private property.
Example: President sent soldiers to deliver
mail during 1970s postal strike
29. Executive Orders
Rules issued by the President that have the force of
law.
They can do 3 things:
1. Give force to legislative statutes
2. Enforce the Constitution or treaties with nation
3. Establish practices of administrative agencies
This represents the Presidents legislative pwr.
EXAMPLES: 1) to classify gvt. Information as secret, 2)
ration consumer goods, and 3) restructure the White
House bureaucracy (dept of Homeland Security was
created by Executive Order)
30. Granting Reprieves and Pardons
Pardon: granting of a release from
the punishment of a crime. Legal
forgiveness. A pardon can be
granted before/after a conviction
Amnesty – forgiveness of a crime to a
group of law violators
Reprieve: To postpone the execution
of sentence imposed by a court of
law; usually done to await new
evidence/humanitarian.
Commutation: reduction in severity of
legal penalty
31. Executive Privilege
The President’s right to refuse to appear
before, or to withhold information from a
court or Congressional investigation.
Nixon and Watergate Tapes
The Supreme Court held that executive privilege could not be
used to prevent evidence from being heard in criminal
proceedings.
32. Identify the President’s Role
1) President Clinton appointed Ruth Bader Ginsberg to the
Supreme Court.
2) Jimmy Carter brought Egypt and Israel together to sign
the Camp David Peace Accords in 1979.
3) President Clinton sent Hillary Clinton to represent the
United States at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
4) President Kennedy ordered America's nuclear forces on
high alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
5) President Carter placed restrictions on the sale of
gasoline during the 1979 energy crisis.
6) The president made his annual state-of-the union address
to Congress to outline his agenda for the year.
33. Homework:
Read about the Vice President’s role
and the order of succession to the
presidency on the Moodle
Answer:
What is the President’s most important
role? (Your opinion)
○ TEAEAC response (Due Weds.)
Notas do Editor
William Taft stated that this position represents the majesty and dignity of the American people.
What are executive orders? Rules that executive branch employees must follow. However, this rules cannot violate the Constitution or the laws passed by Congress
Currently there are some 3 million employees in the bureaucracy consuming over a trillion dollars a year in funding.
Harry Truman made the awesome decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 forcing the Japanese to surrender. Lyndon Johnson ordered bombing missions against the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. He personally selected the targets Bush sent troops the the Panama Canal and the Middle East Reagan sent troops to Lebanon and Grenada and ordered American fighter planes to attack Libya for terrorist attacks against American citizens.
Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon waged an undeclared war in Vietnam, where 57,000 Americans were killed and 300,000 wounded. Yet war was never declared
What are treaties? Formal agreements with other countries The president also can appoint ambassadors which are official representatives in foreign countries
Main legislation that is passed to Congress is the budget. Every the President creates a budget and sends it to Congress for approval. It is always a source for heated debate. The budget is a plan for how to raise money/appropriations for the Presidents proposed programs. The President also has the power to call special sessions of Congress if problems arise and Congress is not meeting. Today however the Congress meets for most of the year and the power is not really used.
During the state of the Union Address the president talks about problems at home and suggests programs called Domestic Plans to deal with these problems EXAMPLE: Increasing the police force to curb crime. The president writes to, telephones, and meets with various congressional leaders; makes public announcements to force the weight of public opinion onto Congress in favor of a legislative program
Pocket Veto: if the President refuses to sign the bill and Congress is in its 2 nd session and adjourns within 10 working days after the bill has been submitted to the President, the bill is killed permanently for that session of Congress. A veto is a clear cut indication of the President ’s dissatisfaction with congressional legislation. Congress rarely overrides a presidential veto There have been 2,494 vetoes and only 104 of those have been overridden.
President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate affair before any charges were brought in court. This was criticized heavily. Pardons are usually granted in the last days of a President ’s reign. Example, Dennis Rich. This is an example of the checks and balance system that influences the Judiciary
Executive privilege is based on the separation of powers. It helps keep the other branches from interfering with the President ’s job. Sometimes the safety of the nation needs to be addressed with secrecy, if the President has to tell Congress the information is more likely to leak out.