The Power and Roles of the American Presidency

1. Chapter 13 The Power of the American Presidency • Roles of the President • The Vice President • Powers of the President • Electing a President

2. 100% male 98% Caucasian 97% Protestant 82% of British ancestry 77% college educated Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Presidents • 69% politicians • 62% lawyers • >50% from the top 3% wealth and social class • 0.5% born into poverty • 69% elected from large states

3. Some folks are born made to wave the flag, Ooh, they’re red, white and blue. And when the band plays, “Hail to the Chief,” Ooh, they point the cannon at you, lord, It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son, son. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no. Some folks are born silver spoon in hand, Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh. But when the taxman comes to the door, Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes, It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son, son. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no. Fortunate SonRecorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

4. Some folks inherit star spangled eyes, Ooh, they send you down to war, lord, And when you ask them, “How much should we give?” Ooh, they only answer more! more! more! yo, It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no military son, son. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, one. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, son. It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, no, no, no. Fortunate SonRecorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)

5. 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

6. 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

7. Presidential Roles

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Chief Citizen • The President is expected to be “the representative of all the people.”

16. Presidential Roles Quiz

17. If President Obama were to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, he would be acting on his power as…..

18. President Obama recently went to South Korea to negotiate a trade deal with that country, in doing so he was fulfilling his role as…

19. President Obama recently (earlier this week) sent in DEA officers to medical marijuana operations in Detroit. Which role of the president was he fulfilling in doing so?

20. When President Bush came to Michigan in 2006 to help Congressional candidate Tim Wahlberg win his election, he was fulfilling his role as

21. When President Carter brought Egypt and Israel together to sign the Camp David Peace Accord in 1979, he was fulfilling his presidential role of

22. Last night President Obama released his plans to reduce the Federal debt by $4 trillion over the next few years, urging Congress to take action on his plan. This is the President acting as what role?

23. When President Bush attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II, he was fulfilling the presidential role of…

24. When President Obama went to Louisiana to let the people of that state know that the BP oil spill would be cleaned, he was fulfilling his role as….

25. When President Obama was filling out his NCAA bracket on ESPN, he was fulfilling his role as….

26. 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 The 25th Amendment clarified that the VP would become President if the President could no longer continue his duties.

27. Role of the Vice President • The Constitution only gives the Vice President two duties besides becoming President if the President is removed from office: • 1) to preside over the Senate, and • 2) to help decide the question of presidential disability. • If the office of Vice President becomes vacant, the President nominates a new Vice President subject to the approval of Congress. • Today, the Vice President often performs diplomatic and political chores for the President.

28. 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.

29. Chapter 13, Section 4 and 5Selecting a President:

30. Presidential Selection • Stage 1: Caucuses & PrimariesThe Battle for the Party Faithful • Stage 2: Nominating Conventions“Glorified Infomercials?” • Stage 3: General Election The Fight for the Center • Stage 4: Electoral College Power to the People?

31. George W. and Laura Bush at the 2000 Republican Convention Stage 2: Nominating Conventions • An assembly held by political parties every four years • Purpose: • Delegates at the convention adopt a party platform. • Delegates to the convention elect that party’s nominees for President and Vice-president.

32. What’s a Party Platform? • Party Platform - a statement of principles and objectives a political party and a candidate supports in order to win the general election. • Plank - Individual topics in a party’s platform (ex: abortion, war in Iraq) Cartoon satirizing the 1896 Democratic Party Platform

33. 13.5 Electoral College

34. Electoral College Setup • The electoral college votes decide who will be president, not the popular vote • Each state has electoral votes equal to the number of its congressional representatives • For example, a state with two Senators and three congressmen would have five electoral votes • The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes, even though it has no voting congressional representation

35. Election Chronology • General election in November • Meeting of electors at state capitals in December to cast votes traditionally in accordance with the outcome of the general election • Send votes to Washington DC • Presidential inauguration in January

36. Election Process • Winner-take-all: The presidential candidate who wins the most votes in the state will get all of the electoral votes (not Maine or Nebraska). • This feature largely eliminates disputes over election returns. • Electors may make their own decisions on who to vote for, but generally follow the state vote.

37. Problem 1 • Winner-take-all method - - winner of popular vote in state gets all the electoral votes • 4 times popular vote winner lost election • 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000

38. Problem 2 • Over or under representation • California 55 electoral votes • 1 per 615,848 people • Wyoming 3 electoral votes • 1 per 164,594 people

39. Problem 3 • Electors can vote for whoever they want. • What is stopping them? • State laws – have to vote for popular vote • Party chooses electors – why would they choose a questionable elector? • In 200+ years hasn’t affected the process

40. Problem 4 • No majority of 270 - House of Reps decides from top 3 with one vote/state • House can’t decide Senate choice of Vice President serves until House decides. • No longer becomes a vote of the people • States with small populations have extra power • States could lose vote if couldn’t decide • Majority needed to win

41. Possible Changes • District plan – vote the same way we vote for congress • Problem – popular vote could still lose • John Kennedy would not have become president under this plan • Proportional Plan – candidate would receive share of electoral vote based on proportion of popular vote – win 60% of popular vote get 60% of electors • Problem – 3rd parties could send the vote to the House • Extra elections if did not win 40%

42. Direct Popular Election • Get rid of the electoral college • Problem – change the constitution • Small states like the electoral college • Every vote counts – too taxing on candidates campaign time and resources • Demographic groups would lose their individual power within states.

43. National Popular vote • State’s change their laws to award popular vote winner their electoral college votes • Effective when enough states equally 270 electoral votes

44. Why still have the Electoral College? • Dangers really aren’t big enough – no major problems in 200+ years • House has decided elections 4 times • Known and understood process • We know quickly who is the president.