Transcript NOTES: The Presidency

Hail to the Chief
POTUS
U.S. Constitution
Article II:
The President of the
United States of
America
I Want to be President!
35 Yrs-old
U.S. Born
14 year resident
PAY ME PLEASE!
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$400,000 (effective 2001)
$50,000 expense account
$19,000 entertainment account
Free Housing and transportation
FORMER PRESIDENTS ACT (1958)
$199,700 pension + $150,000 for
staff (cut after 2.5 years to $96,000)
• $20,000 former widowed first ladies
“The Big 5”
Constitutional
Powers
of
POTUS
(Article II Sec 2 & 3)
Power:
Commander-in-Chief
• Chief of all armed services
• Determines war strategy
• Use military at home if needed
War Powers Resolution
1973
• Vetoed by Nixon then
overridden!
• Constitutional??
• Obama in Libya? Syria?
Power: Chief Diplomat
• Makes U.S. Foreign Policy
• Represents U.S. abroad
• Makes treaties
Power: Chief Legislator
• Suggest Bills to become laws
(state of the union)
• Sign Bills into law
• Veto Bills/Pocket Veto
(all or nothing)
Power: Chief of State
• Formally greets World leaders
• Performs ceremonial duties
Obama: 17 state dinners
Power: Chief Executive
• Ensures laws are enforced
• Appoints government officials
• Supervises executive branch
Executive Orders
• Executive Orders are orders to
staffers of the executive branch
and not to citizens
• Obama and Executive Orders
13492 & 13493
• Most recently: Gun Control
• Immigration?
The Vice Presidency
• to preside over the Senate
• to help decide the question
of presidential disability
• “President in waiting”
• Only person Pres. Cannot
fire
The Presidential Amendments
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•12
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•20
nd
•22
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•25
State of the Union
• “He shall from time to time give to
Congress information of the State of the
Union and recommend to their
Consideration such measures as he shall
judge necessary and expedient”
--Article II Section 3
State of the Union
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Not necessarily in person
Pre-Wilson; Post-Wilson
Dates have changed throughout history
FDR coined the phrase SOTU; prior it was
“The President’s Annual Message to
Congress”
• Coolidge: Radio; Truman: TV; Clinton:
Internet
• “Designated Survivor” – 2016 Homeland Security
Sergeant at Arms: "Mr. [or Madam] Speaker,
The President of the United States!“
Notable State of the Union
Moments
• Monroe Doctrine Announced
• Polk kicked off the Gold Rush
• “One year of Watergate is enough!”
Notable State of the Union
Moments
• “I did not hear George Washington say
that”
• “Axis of Evil”
• “Not True” (“Liar!”)
Pardons (amnesty)
Note: when a person is
convicted of a felony, they
lose their civil liberties -- the
right to vote, serve on a jury,
own a firearm. Living without
certain rights is referred to as
civil disability.
Not to mention: JOBS!
Pardons (Amnesty or Clemency)
• Executive order vacating a
conviction…interesting to note:
NO CHECK on this! (except impeachments)
• Commutations: “To commute a
sentence” - Lessening the sentence,
conviction still stands
• Reprieves (respite): Delays
The Most Famous Pardons?
Dr. Mudd, Richard Nixon, Marc Rich, Scooter Libby
2015 Honest & Abe
IMPEACHMENT
• Power of the legislative body to
remove a public official from office
• Encompasses an accusation and a
trial
• 16 Full Impeachment trials in
American history (mostly judges)
• 2/3 senate vote to convict
Secret Service
Secret Service - 1865
• Secret Service Protection began in
1901 after McKinley
• President, VP and families.
• Those in line for succession
• Major Presidential
Candidates
• Visiting foreign dignitaries
• Other individuals as
designated per Executive
Order of the President
Secret Service…Lesser
known responsibilities
• crimes that involve financial institution
fraud
• computer and telecommunications
fraud
• false identification documents
• electronic funds transfers and money
laundering
PROTECT ME PLEASE!
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Secret Service Protection for life!
Began in 1965
Reinstated 2013
Nixon only president to relinquish
Dead Presidents!
…and other stories of
close calls.
43 Men Have Been President
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8 have died in office
4 were shot and killed
4 others died of natural causes
20+ KNOWN credible assassination
attempts
• Mostly insane individuals (duh  )
• Politically motivated attacks are unlikely
Andrew Jackson
SOME of the credible attempts
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Lincoln – 2 prior attempts
Bull Moose Candidate TR
Pres. Elect Hoover on a RR in Argentina
Pres. Elect FDR in Chicago
Truman – Letter Bombs and Puerto Ricans
Nixon – airliner
Ford – 2 attempts by women
Reagan – John Hinckley Jr.
Clinton – 2 attempts: Small Plane and a bridge in the
Philippines
Presidential Succession Act
1947
• Order of presidential
succession in case of
emergency
• In order the office was created
by Congress
Prez for a day!
Polk leaves…Z. Taylor comes in…
but not on a Sunday!
Presidential Succession
• “In case of the removal of the
President from office or of his
death or resignation, the Vice
President shall become President.”
25th Amendment: Section I
(1967)
The
th
25
Amendment:
(Gerald Ford’s favorite Constitutional
Amendment)
•Gerald Ford becomes VP
(25th Amendment: Section II)
•Ford becomes Prez
(25th Amendment: Section I)
•Ford chooses Rockefeller
(25th Amendment: Section II)
Presidential Disability
• President informs Congress “that he
is unable to discharge the powers and
duties of his office” (25th Sec III)
• H.W.Bush and Cheney served briefly
as Prez
Presidential Disability
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Amendment 25 Section IV
Oohhhh…this one is awesome!!
VP & Majority of “principal officers”
2/3 Congress if contested
The President’s Cabinet
• The *Vice-President along
with the heads of 15
Executive Departments
• Advises the President on
issues
• Appointed by Prez and
Senate Approved
• $157,000 - $197,000
Cabinet Departments
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Sec. of State
Sec. of Defense
Attorney General
Homeland Security
Sec. of Treasury
Sec. of Education
Sec. of Labor
Sec. of Commerce
• Sec. of Agriculture
• Sec. of Interior
• Health & Human
Services
• Housing & Urban
Development
• Sec. of Energy
• Sec. of Veteran’s
Affairs
• Transportation
Denis McDonough
Secretary of
State
John Kerry
Secretary of
Treasury
Jacob Lew
Secretary of
Defense
Ashton
Carter
Attorney
General
Loretta
Lynch
Homeland
Security
Secretary
Jeh
Johnson
CIA
Director
John
Brennan
Chairman of
the Joint
Chiefs
General
Joseph
Dunford
USMC
National Security Advisor
Susan Rice
Who are Obama’s KEY Advisors?
What do they do?
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Chief of Staff
Sec. of State
Sec. of Treasury
Sec. of Defense
Attorney General
Homeland Security
CIA Director
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
National Security Advisor
National Security Council
• President’s forum for considering
National Security and Foreign Policy
(Truman)
• VP
• National Security Advisor
• Sec. of State, Treasury, Defense
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
• CIA director
• Chief of Staff and Attorney General have
open invites
Most consider these individuals the president’s top advisors