Chapter 12- The Presidency: Leading the Nation

1. Chapter 12- The Presidency: Leading the Nation

2. The Presidency • Article II • Powers of the Chief Executive • Appoints officials • Commander-in-Chief • Sign/veto legislation • Grant Pardons • Chief Diplomat • Treaties, • Send/ receive ambassadors • Qualifications • 35 years of age • Natural born citizen • 14 year resident of U.S. • Limits • Two 4-year terms (22nd Amendment) • Impeachment (Article I) • Congress & the Courts (Acts & rulings)

3. The Presidency • The Framers’ vision of the presidency • National Leadership • Administration of the Laws • Statesmanship in foreign affairs • Executive accountability • The presidency has become much stronger than the Framers envisioned • constitutional roles have expanded • Foreign policy role has expanded since the U.S. has become a world power

4. Foundations of the Modern Presidency Asserting a Claim to National Leadership • Whig Theory- a limited or constrained Constitutional authority • James Buchanan- “My duty is to execute laws and not my individual opinions.” • Stewardship Theory- calls for an assertive pres. that is confined only at points specifically prohibited by law • Theodore Roosevelt- “bully pulpit”, challenged the power of business monopolies • FDR- felt he was permitted “to do anything that the needs of the Nation demand unless such action was forbidden…”

5. Foundations of the Modern Presidency • The Need for Presidential Leadership of an Activist Government • Foreign Policy Leadership • As sole representative of the U.S. the president can act quickly and speak authoritatively for the nation as a whole • Domestic Policy Leadership • Role has grown as the U.S. has gone from an agrarian to industrialized nation • Budget & Accounting Act of 1921 • Executive Office of the President • Importance of the Cabinet has declined as the rest of the Executive Branch has grown

6. Executive Office of the President Office of the Director of National Intelligence

7. Choosing the President • Toward a More “Democratic” System of Presidential Election • Electoral College • 270 votes needed out of 538 • Electors tied to state’s popular votes • House of Reps. chooses if no candidate receives a majority • Open Party Caucuses • Andrew Jackson ended the practice of nominating by Congressional caucus • Primary Elections • Used more extensively in recent decades

8. Choosing the President • The Campaign for Nomination • Momentum • Early “Mo” is a big factor • Early states vs. late states • disenfranchisement • Money • $20 million to $30 million to run an effective nominating campaign • Candidate with the most money wins most of the time • GW Bush nominating campaign in 2000 • $ 75 Million • Choice of Vice President (running mate) • Nominee’s choice at the convention

9. Choosing the President • The Campaign for Election • Election Strategy • Electoral College/Popular vote • Media and Money • Television: Debates and advertising • About ½ spent on TV • Kennedy-Nixon 1st televised debate • Federal Funding • Matching funds • The Winners

10. Presidents who lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College • John Quincy Adams • Rutherford B. Hayes • Benjamin Harrison • George W. Bush • Election of 2000 • Gore won the popular vote • Bush won Florida by 537 votes • The Supreme Court blocked a count of ballots in Florida • Bush receives 271 Electoral College votes, one more than the 270 needed

11. Electoral College Results- 2004

12. Presidential Voting by County- 2004

13. Electoral College Results- 2008

16. Presidential Election of 2012Obama - 332 Romney-206

17. Staffing the Presidency • Presidential Appointees • The Executive Office of the President • The Vice President • The White House Office • Policy Experts • The President’s Cabinet • Other Presidential Appointees • The Problem of Control • Too many people to see much less control • Career bureaucrats dominate

18. Factors in Presidential Leadership • The Force of Circumstance • It’s the economy stupid • Accomplishments usually depend on circumstances outside their control • The Stage of the President’s Term • Honeymoon Period- 1st 100 days • Strategic Presidency • The need to move quickly on important issues while conditions are favorable • May run out of ideas, get caught up in scandal, or exhaust political resources

19. Factors in Presidential Leadership • The Nature of the Issue: Foreign or Domestic • Two presidencies theory • Broad powers to act as the “sole arm” of the U.S. when reaching out to other nations • More likely to get the backing of Congress on foreign policy issues

20. Factors in Presidential Leadership • Relations with Congress • Seeking Cooperation from Congress • Benefiting from Partisan Support in Congress • Colliding with Congress • To veto or not to veto… • G.W. Bush- • 2 vetoes in first five years • 700+ Signing statements • War Powers Act, • Impeachment • House of Reps. – Impeachment Charges • Andrew Johnson • William Jefferson Clinton • Senate- Impeachment Trial • 0 presidents convicted

21. G.W. Bush had an 87 % success rate with Congress in his first year in office

22. Factors in Presidential Leadership • Public Support • Presidential Approval Ratings • Events and Issues • From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina • Economy • The Televised Presidency • Scandal is the largest threat to the pres. ability to control the media • The Illusion of Presidential Government • Too much credit • Too much blame