Chapter 13: The Presidency Opener

Chapter 13: The PresidencyOpener

In the scheme of our national government, the presidency is preeminently the people’s office. –President Grover Cleveland, 1900

Essential Question • Does the current electoral process result in the best candidates for President?

Guiding Questions • Section 1: The President’s Job Description • What are the roles and qualifications of the office of the President? • The President’s roles include chief of state, chief executive, chief administrator, chief diplomat, commander in chief, chief legislator, and chief citizen. • Qualifications for President include being 35 years old, a natural born U.S. citizen, and having lived in the United States for 14 years.

Guiding Questions • Section 2: Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency • What occurs when the President is unable to perform the duties of the office? • If a President dies, resigns, or is removed by impeachment, the Vice President succeeds to the presidency. The Vice President also assumes the role of Acting President if the President is temporarily incapacitated.

Guiding Questions • Section 3: Presidential Selection: The Framer’s Plan • How did the process of choosing a President change over time? • The 12th Amendment replaced the old system of electors casting two votes for two different presidential candidates with electors casting separate votes for President and Vice President.

Guiding Questions • Section 4: Presidential Nominations • Does the nominating system allow Americans to choose the best candidates for President? • Opinions differ, as the presidential primary system forces candidates to prove their ability to withstand challenges but does not necessarily place the greatest priority on political skills.

Guiding Questions • Section 5: The Presidential Election • Does the election process serve the goals of American democracy today? • This question is widely debated. Opponents argue that the current process does not always give victory to the winner of the popular vote. Supporters believe that the electoral system is reliable and preserves the influence of individual states.

Chapter 13: The PresidencySection 1

Objectives – I CAN: Describe the President’s many roles. Understand the formal qualifications necessary to become President. Explain how the President’s term of office has changed over time. Describe the President’s pay and benefits.

Key Terms chief of state:the ceremonial head of government chief executive:the leader of the executive branch and holder of executive power under the Constitution chief administrator:the director of the executive branch chief diplomat:the main architect of the nation’s foreign policy and its chief spokesperson to the world

Key Terms, cont. commander in chief:the leader of the nation’s armed forces chief legislator:the main author of the nation’s public policies chief of party:the leader of the political party controlling the executive branch chief citizen:the representative of all the people and the champion of public interest

Introduction • What are the roles and qualifications of the office of the President? • The President’s roles include: • Chief of state • Chief executive • Chief administrator • Chief diplomat • Commander in chief • Chief legislator • Chief citizen • Qualifications for President include being 35 years old, a natural born U.S. citizen, and having lived in the United States for 14 years.

Presidential Roles The President acts as chief of state, the ceremonial head of the U.S. government and the symbol of the American people. The President is the chief executive, holding the nation’s executive power in domestic and foreign affairs. The President is the chief administrator, directing the more than 2.7 million civilian employees of the executive branch.

Presidential Roles, cont. The President is the nation’s chief diplomat, the main architect of American foreign policy and the nation’s chief spokesman to the rest of the world.

Presidential Roles, cont. The President is the commander in chief of the 1.4 million men and women of the nation’s armed forces.

Presidential Roles, cont. The President is the chief legislator, proposing laws that set the congressional legislative agenda. The President is the unofficial head of the political party that controls the executive branch. The President is the unofficial chief citizen, expected to champion the public interest and be the representative of all the people.

Formal Qualifications Checkpoint: What are the three requirements a potential President must meet to be eligible for office? The President must be a natural born citizen of the United States. The President must be at least 35 years of age. The President must have been a U.S. resident for at least 14 years.

Terms in Office The Constitution sets no term limits for the presidency. George Washington set the custom of serving two terms. Franklin Roosevelt broke this custom by being elected to four terms from 1932 to 1944.

Terms in Office, cont. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits Presidents to no more than two full elected terms in office. If a President succeeds to the office after the middle of a term, he or she can still seek two full terms. No President can serve more than 10 years in office.

Views on Term Limits Many people, including some Presidents, have argued that the two-term rule unfairly limits the right of the people to choose their President. Some say it also weakens a President’s influence at the end of the second term in office. Supporters say the amendment protects against abuse of executive power. Some have argued for a single six-year term, which would free the President from worrying about reelection.

Pay and Benefits Congress decides the President’s annual salary. This salary cannot be changed while a President is in office. The current salary, set in 2001, is $400,000 a year plus $50,000 a year for expenses. The Constitution forbids the President from receiving any other pay from the government or the States while in office.

Pay and Benefits, cont. • The President also receives many benefits, including the White House, Air Force One, Camp David, a fleet of cars, a large staff, a suite of offices, excellent healthcare, and many other fringe benefits.

Review Now that you have learned about the roles and qualifications of the office of President, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question. Does the current electoral process result in the best candidates for President?

Review Now that you have learned about what occurs when the President is unable to perform the duties of the office, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question. Does the current electoral process result in the best candidates for President?

Objectives Explain how the Constitution provides for presidential succession. Understand the constitutional provisions relating to presidential disability. Describe the role of the Vice President.

Key Terms presidential succession:the scheme by which a presidential vacancy is filled Presidential Succession Act of 1947:the current law fixing the order of succession to the presidency after the Vice President balance the ticket:the practice of choosing a vice presidential running mate who can strengthen the presidential candidate’s chance of being elected

Introduction What occurs when the President is unable to perform the duties of the office? If a President dies, resigns, or is removed by impeachment, the Vice President succeeds to the presidency. If the President is temporarily incapacitated, the Vice President becomes Acting President until the President can resume office.

Presidential Succession The Vice President succeeded the President nine times in U.S. history, beginning with John Tyler replacing William Harrison in 1841. At first, the Vice President technically assumed only the powers and duties of the presidency.

Presidential Succession, cont. However, the custom was that the Vice President took the presidential office as well. Under the 25thAmendment, adopted in 1967, the Vice President now formally assumes the office of President.

Order of Succession The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 sets the order of succession after the Vice President. The presiding officers of Congress are followed by the heads of the cabinet departments in the order that they were created.

Presidential Disability For many years, there were no provisions for deciding if a President was too disabled to continue in office. Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke in 1919 and was too ill to meet with his cabinet for seven months. President Eisenhower had three serious but temporary illnesses while in office. In 1981, President Reagan was badly wounded in an assassination attempt.

Presidential Disability, cont. The 25th Amendment addressed the disability issue. The Vice President becomes Acting President if: The President informs Congress, in writing, that he or she cannot carry out the powers and duties of the office, OR The Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is incapacitated.

The Vice Presidency Checkpoint: What are the formal duties of the Vice President? The Constitution gives the Vice President two formal duties: to preside over the Senate, and to help decide if the President is disabled (under the 25th Amendment). Otherwise, the Vice President must be ready to assume the duties of the presidency if necessary.

The Vice Presidency, cont. Historically, the office of Vice President has had low status. Often the vice presidential candidate is chosen because he or she can balance the ticket, helping the president get elected due to personal characteristics such as ideology, geographic background, race, ethnicity, or gender. This puts little emphasis on the presidential qualities possessed by a vice presidential candidate.

The Vice Presidency Today • Recent Vice Presidents have had more political experience and influence. • Dick Cheney is widely viewed as the most influential vice president in history. • Joe Biden, right, brought years of foreign policy experience to his office.

The Vice Presidency Today, cont. • No Vice President has been given as much power as the President, in part because the President cannot remove the Vice President. • What does this cartoon imply about the growth of the power of the Vice President?

Vice Presidential Vacancy The vice presidency has been left vacant nine times by succession, seven times by death, and twice by resignation. Under the 25th Amendment, the President can fill a vice presidential vacancy by nominating a Vice President, who must be confirmed by both houses of Congress. In 1973, Gerald Ford became the first Vice President appointed in this fashion.

Review Now that you have learned about what occurs when the President is unable to perform the duties of the office, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question. Does the current electoral process result in the best candidates for President?

Objectives – I CAN: Explain the Framers’ original provisions for choosing the President. Understand how the rise of political parties changed the process of choosing a President as set out in the Constitution.

Key Terms presidential elector:one of a group of individuals who cast the formal votes that choose the President electoral vote:one of two votes cast by an elector, one for President and one for Vice President electoral college:the group of people chosen from each State and the District of Columbia to formally select the President and Vice President

Introduction How did the process of choosing a President change over time? At first electors cast two votes for president, each for a different candidate. The winner became President and the runner-up became Vice President. The 12th Amendment added separate electoral votes for President and Vice President. Electors also pledged to vote for their party’s candidates.

The Constitutional Debate The Framers of the Constitution debated whether to have the President chosen by Congress or by the popular vote of the people. Opponents of congressional selection felt it would upset the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. Opponents of popular election felt that the people would not know enough about the candidates to make wise choices.

The Electoral College The Framers agreed on a plan put forth by Alexander Hamilton. They created the electoral college, a special body of presidential electors representing each state. Each state would have as many electors as it had senators and representatives in Congress. The state legislatures would decide how presidential electors would be chosen in each state.

The Electoral College, cont. Each elector would cast two electoral votes, each for a different candidate. The candidate with the most electoral votes would become President. The candidate with the second-most votes would become Vice President. The Framers did not anticipate the rise of political parties competing for the presidency.

The Election of 1796 In 1796, the Democratic-Republican candidate Thomas Jefferson finished a close second to Federalist John Adams. Jefferson then became Adams’s Vice President, even though they were political rivals.

The Election of 1800 In 1800, the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans faced each other again. For the first time, each party nominated two candidates, one for President and one for Vice President. John Adams and Alexander Hamilton formed the Federalist ticket, while Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were the Democratic-Republican candidates.

The Election of 1800, cont. Each party also nominated electors who, if chosen, swore to vote for their party’s presidential and vice-presidential nominees. In the map at right, the orange areas voted for Adams, the green for Jefferson.

Chapter 13: The Presidency Opener