Transcript Presidential Powers

Roles of the President
Powers of the President
 Electing a President

Jumpstart Assignment
Describe the following political cartoon.
Today’s Agenda
• Presidential Roles/ Jobs
• Presidential Succession
• Presidential Powers
Demographic
Characteristics of U.S.
Presidents
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100% male
97.67% full Caucasian •
97% Protestant
82% of British ancestry •
77% college educated •
69% politicians previously
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64% lawyers
>50% from the top 3%
wealth and social class
0.5% born into poverty
69% elected from large
states
4 assassinated in office
6 others shot at in office
2 of those hit but survived
Constitutional Qualifications
 Must be at least 35
years old
 Must be a natural
born US citizen
 Must have lived in
the United States for
14 years
Presidential Benefits
 $400,000 tax-free salary
 $50,000/year expense
account
 $100,000/year travel
expenses
 the White House
 Secret Service
protection for life
 use of Camp David
 use of Air Force One
 Staff of 400-500
 Lifetime pension =
salary of Cabinet
Christmas at the White House, 2004
The White House
Oval Office
in the West Wing
where Prez conducts
most of business
Executive Residence
2nd floor Central Bldg
where Prez & family
actually live
CAMP DAVID
• wooded retreat
• Located in Maryland
• Used by Prez to get
away from Capitol
• Consists of a main lodge
and several smaller
cabins
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
Head of State
This role requires a president to be an inspiring
example for the American people. As the American
Chief of State, the president is a living symbol of the
nation. It is considered a great honor for any citizen
to shake the president's hand.
Examples of actions in this role:
Awarding medals to the winners of special awards
Meeting dignitaries from foreign nations
Throwing out first pitch of professional Baseball season
Making a patriotic speech on the Fourth of July
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
Chief Executive
This role requires the president to be the "boss" for
millions of gov’t workers in the Executive Branch,
deciding how the laws of the United States are to be
enforced and choosing officials and advisers to help
run the Executive Branch.
Examples of actions in this role:
Appointing the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Holding Cabinet meetings to discuss government business
Issuing an Executive Order dealing with Cyber-security
Granting a pardon to a convicted criminal
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
Commander-In-Chief
In this role the president is in charge of the U.S.
armed forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and
Marine Corps. He decides where troops shall be
stationed, where ships shall be sent, and how
weapons shall be used. All generals & admirals take
their orders from the President.
Examples of actions in this role:
Inspecting a Navy shipyard
Deciding, in wartime, whether to bomb foreign cities
Calling out troops to stop a riot in a US city
Meeting with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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
Chief Legislator
Only Congress has the actual power to make laws.
But the Constitution gives the President power to
influence Congress in its lawmaking. The President
may urge Congress to pass new laws or threaten to
veto bills that he opposes
Examples of actions in this role:
Inviting members of Congress to lunch in the White House
Making the State of the Union speech before Congress
Travel around the country speaking in favor of a new law
Signing or vetoing a bill sent to him from Congress
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 Diplomat
In this role the president decides what American
diplomats and ambassadors shall say to foreign
governments. With the help of advisers, the
president makes the foreign policy of the US and
shapes our relations with other nations.
Examples of actions in this role:
Traveling to London to meet with British leaders
Entertaining Japanese diplomats in the White House
Signing a trade agreement treaty with Canada
Delivering a speech to the United Nations
Chief 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 Party Leader
In this role, the President helps members of his
political party get elected or appointed to office. The
President campaigns for those members who have
supported his policies. The President is viewed as
the national leader of his party.
Examples of actions in this role:
Choosing leading party members to serve in gov’t positions
Traveling to NC to campaign in favor of candidate from his party
Appearing on TV show to speak in favor of his party’s views
Chief Guardian of the Economy
The President is responsible for
maintaining the health of the
United States economy.
Chief Guardian of the Economy
In this role, the President is concerned with such
things as unemployment, high prices, taxes,
business profits, and the general prosperity of the
country. The President does not control the
economy, but is expected to help it run smoothly.
Examples of actions in this role:
Appointing the head of the Federal Reserve Board
Presenting the proposed federal budget to Congress
Meeting with economic advisers to find ways to reduce unemployment
Meeting with business & labor leaders to discuss their needs &
problems

Popular votes

Electoral votes
cast by ordinary citizens cast by the Electoral College
each state has electors =
totals determine who
wins Electoral votes in state total # members in Congress
most states have winner
can lose the Popular
vote but win the election: take all system
John Quincy Adams (1824) only have to win majority of
Rutherford B. Hayes (1876) electoral college to be Prez
Benjamin Harrison (1888)
George W. Bush (2000)
What if no candidate wins a
majority of Electoral votes?
Abraham Lincoln (1860) won
House choses Prez
with >40% of popular vote
Senate chooses V.P.
Electing the President
538 total electoral votes
Takes 270 votes to win
HOW MANY VOTES DOES IT TAKE
TO WIN THE PRESIDENCY?
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
4-19) Cabinet Officials in
order of creation
Line of Presidential Succession
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
—
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
–
Vice President of the United States
Speaker of the House
President pro tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health & Human Services
Sec of Housing & Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security
[a] Naturalized US citizen born in the United Kingdom
[b] Acting department head- not permanent Cabinet member
Joe Biden (D)
John Boehner (R)
Patrick Leahy (D)
John Kerry (D)
Jacob Lew (D)
Chuck Hagel (R)
Eric Holder (D)
Sally Jewell (D) [a]
Tom Vilsack (D)
Penny Pritzker (D)
Thomas Perez (D)
Kathleen Sebelius (D)
Shaun Donovan (D)
Anthony Foxx (D)
Ernest Moniz (D)
Arne Duncan (D)
Eric Shinseki (I)
Rand Beers (D)[b]
Role of the Vice President
Cartoon interpretation
Describe the following political cartoon.
What does it say about V.P. Joe Biden?
Does Vice Prez have any
Constitutional Powers?
Article I, Section 3 - clause 4
The Vice President of the United States shall be
President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless
they be equally divided.
Article II - Clause 6
In Case of the Removal of the President from Office,
or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge
the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same
shall devolve on the Vice President
Powers of the President
Formal Powers of the
President
 Constitutional or expressed powers of
the presidency
 Found primarily in Article II of the
Constitution (the Executive Article)
Formal Powers:
Commander-in-Chief
 Commander in Chief of the Army & Navy
 Making undeclared war
 Limited by War Powers Act 1973
 President can commit troops for 90 days
Formal Powers:
Chief Executive
 “Faithfully execute” the laws
 Grant pardons for federal offenses except for
cases of impeachment
 Nominate judges of the Supreme Court and
all other officers of the U.S. with consent of
the Senate
 Fill vacancies that may happen during recess
of the Senate (recess appointments)
Formal Powers:
Foreign Affairs
 Appoint ambassadors, ministers and
consuls
 Make treaties subject to Senate
confirmation
 Receive ambassadors
 Diplomatic Recognition – acknowledging
the legal existence of a country/state
Formal Powers:
Chief Legislator
 Give State of the Union address to
Congress
 Recommend “measures” to the
Congress
 Upon “extraordinary occasions”
convene both houses of Congress
Formal Powers:
Chief Legislator (cont.)
 Presidential Veto
 Veto Message within 10 days of passing the House of
origin
 Pocket Veto - President does not sign within 10 days
 Congress can override with 2/3 majority from both
Houses
 Veto Politics
 Congressional override is difficult (only 4%)
 Threat of veto can cause Congress to make changes in
legislation
Informal Powers
• Those powers not explicitly written in the
Constitution
• Similar to “necessary and proper” powers
of Congress
• In the modern era (since 1933), the
President’s informal powers may be
significantly more powerful than his
formal powers
Executive Orders
• Orders issued by the
President that carry the force
of law
• FDR’s internment of
Japanese Americans
• Clinton’s “Don’t ask don’t
tell” gays in the military
policy
• GW Bush trying suspected
terrorists in military tribunals
Notice for Japanese “relocation,” 1942
Executive Agreements
• International agreements, usually related to trade, made
by a president that has the force of a treaty; does NOT
need Senate approval
• Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana in 1803
• GWB announced cuts in
the nuclear arsenal, but
not in a treaty; usually
trade agreements between
US and other nations
Executive Privilege
• Claim by a president that he has the right to decide
that the national interest will be better served if
certain information is withheld from the public,
including the Courts and Congress
• United States v. Nixon
(1973) – presidents do
NOT have unqualified
executive privilege (Nixon
Watergate tapes)
Interpreting Cartoon
• Describe the following political cartoon.