Transcript The P

Describe the following political cartoon.
Demographic
Characteristics of U.S.
Presidents
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100% male
97% Caucasian
97% Protestant
82% of British ancestry
77% college educated
74% have some sort of
military experience
• 69% politicians
• 62% lawyers
• >50% from the top 3%
wealth and social class
• 0.5% born into poverty
• 69% elected from large
states
Constitutional Qualifications
 Must be at least 35
years old
 Must have lived in
the United States for
14 years
 Must be a natural
born citizen
Presidential Benefits
 $400,000 tax-free salary
 $50,000/year expense
account
 $100,000/year travel
expenses
 The White House
 Secret Service
protection
 Camp David country
estate
 Air Force One personal
airplane
 Staff of 400-500
Christmas at the White House, 2004
Presidential Roles
Head of State
The President is chief of state.
This means he is the ceremonial
head of the government of the
United States, the symbol of all
the people of the nation.
Queen Elizabeth and President Reagan, 1983
President Kennedy speaks at Berlin Wall,
1963
Chief Executive
The Constitution vests the President
with the executive power of the United
States, making him or her the nation’s
chief executive.
President Clinton with Janet Reno,
the first female Attorney General,
February, 1993
President Bush holds cabinet meeting
in October, 2005
Commander-in-Chief
The Constitution makes the
President the commander in chief,
giving him or her complete control
of the nation’s armed forces.
President Johnson decorates a soldier
in Vietnam, October, 1966
President Bush aboard U.S.S.
Lincoln, May, 2003
Chief Legislator
The President is the chief
legislator, the main architect
of the nation’s public policies.
President Clinton delivers the State
of the Union Address, 1997
President Roosevelt signs into law the
Social Security Act, 1935
Political Party Leader
The President acts as the chief
of party, the acknowledged
leader of the political party
that controls the executive
branch.
President Reagan & Vice-President Bush accepting their party’s
nomination in 1980
Chief Administrator
The President is the chief
administrator, or director, of the
United States government.
President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
Vice-President Johnson sworn in
aboard Air Force One
after President Kennedy’s
assassination, 1963
Chief Diplomat
As the nation’s chief diplomat, the
President is the main architect of
American foreign policy and chief
spokesperson to the rest of the
world.
President Lincoln during the Civil
War, 1862
President Roosevelt and the “Bully
Pulpit,” 1910
Chief Citizen
The President is expected to be
“the representative of all the
people.”
Presidential Succession
Presidential succession is the
plan by which a presidential
vacancy is filled.
1) Vice President
2) Speaker of the House
3) President Pro Tempore
Role of the Vice President
Role of the Vice President
____ 1. The vice president is also the president of
the Senate.
_____2. The vice president is also head of the
judicial branch and presides over the Supreme
Court.
____ 3. The vice president and cabinet are part of
the legislative branch.
____ 4. The vice president is first in the line of
succession to the presidency.
____ 5. The Constitution notes only one official
role for the vice president.
____ 6. The qualifications for the vice presidency
are not the same as those for the presidency.
____ 7. The vice president administers the oath of
office to the president.