American Government

1. American Government Chapter 11 The President

2. Who can become president? • A natural born citizen (Obama’s “birthers”) • At least 35 years old • 14 years of continuous residency • This is why someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger can be a governor but not run for president of the US • American dream: any one can be president • Of course, this isn’t exactly true (usually older, white, male, wealthy lawyers)

3. Process of becoming president • Announce your intention to run • Win nomination at your party’s convention • Popular Vote • Electoral College vote • If the Electoral vote ends in a tie, the House of Reps decides

4. Roles of the President • Head of State- ceremonial head of government (symbolic gestures, like decorating war heroes, receiving heads of state from other nations at the White House, making telephone calls to astronauts in space) • Chief executive- head of the executive branch of government (appointing around 2000 federal jobs i.e. the Cabinet, federal judges, ability to grant reprieves and pardons)

5. More Roles • Commander in Chief- supreme commander of the armed forces (making decisions about when and how to engage in war) • Note: Congress alone has the power to declare war but the president can engage troops in warlike conditions (Korea/Vietnam Wars) • Chief diplomat- recognize foreign governments, make treaties, effect executive agreements without Senate approval with other heads of state) • Thus the president dominates American foreign policy • How could refusing to recognize a nation be helpful to the US? (Think Iran)

6. More Roles • Chief legislator- influences the making of laws • State of the Union- annual address in which the president proposes a legislative program (i.e. agenda setting) • Veto power falls under this role • Every bill passed by Congress must be addressed by the president: • Sign it, it becomes a law • If the president waits ten working days, it becomes a law • Veto, send it back to Congress who can change it and send it back to the president or override the veto with a 2/3 vote • If vetoed and Congress adjourns within 10 days, the bill is killed (pocket veto) • See chart 11-2, pg 389

7. Other Powers • Constitutional Powers- powers vested in the president under article II of the Constitution • Statutory Powers- powers created for the president by Congress (both Constitutional and Statutory powers are examples of expressed powers) • Inherent powers- i.e. “emergency powers”, kind of an elastic clause for the president

8. Party Chief and Superpolitician • Party leader- chooses the national committee chairperson and can discipline party members who fail to support presidential policy • Patronage- appointing supporters to desirable government or public jobs

9. Constituencies and public approval • Presidents are responsible for many different constituencies, the entire electorate in fact, their own party, member of the opposing party whose cooperation the president needs, etc.) • Is popularity necessary in order to be a good president? • George W. Bush as an example of both extreme highs and lows in public approval (p. 392) • TV as a way to address the entire public at once, gives the president ability to persuade and manipulate public opinion

10. Special Presidential Powers • Emergency powers, esp. during time of war • Executive privilege- right to withhold information from or to refuse to appear before a legislative committee (Watergate severely limited this privilege)

11. Impeachment • House of Representatives accuses high ranking executives of committing “Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors” • Has any president been impeached? • No one has been removed from office but Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate

12. Executive Organization • Slowly the executive branch became larger (the president didn’t even have an official secretary until 1857, FDR’s staff was only 37 people) • Now the White House employs 600 people • The Cabinet- advisors to the president to aid in making decisions (15 executive departments) • Kitchen cabinet- less formal group of advisors • Executive office of the president- organization dedicated to providing staff assistance for the president and to help coordinate the executive bureaucracy (p 398) • White House Office- personal office of the president (political needs of the president and management of the media) • Chief of staff (i.e. RahmEmanuel), William Daley • Press Secretary (i.e. Robert Gibbs, Jay Carney)

13. Vice-President • Not officially given many tasks • Preside over the Senate, but rarely • Strengthens the political ticket (Palin is a good example) • Support the president • Become president if the acting president dies while in office

14. Presidential Succession • 8 presidents have died in office, some naturally and some from assassination • Next in line: Vice-President • Then Speaker of the House • Senate President Pro Tempore • Secretary of State • Etc, etc.

15. What do you think? • Do you have a favorite president? Why? • Should presidents meet with heads of state whose countries are known to sponsor terror? • What characteristics do you think voters look for when they elect a new president? • Why do you think every eight years the party in opposition tends to win the presidency?