The President and the Executive Branch

1. The President and the Executive Branch Chapter 7

2. The President and the Vice-President Section 1

3. Qualifications for President • Constitutional Requirements • At least 35 years old • A native-born American citizen • Resident of the US for at least 14 years

4. Which of these is the most outdated? Why? • First Catholic President __________________ • First African-American President __________ • First African-American Candidate __________ • First Female VP Candidate ________________ • First Female Presidential Candidate_________ • First Jewish VP Candidate ________________

5. Electing a President • Elections take place every 4 years • Constitution doesn’t provide for a direct popular election – Electoral College • Electors = # of Senators + # of Representatives • 535 total electors; need 270 to win presidency • Most states have a “winner takes all” way to award electors

6. Term of Office • 4 year term • Constitution originally never said how many terms a president could serve • Washington set a tradition by stepping down after 2 terms • FDR broke that tradition … big time. Elected 4 times • 22nd Amendment (1951) limited presidents to 2 terms – officially. • 10 years if you start as VP

7. Perks of the Presidency • $400,000 per year, plus expenses and travel • White House • Private movie theater, gym, bowling alley, heated pool, 80 person domestic staff • Camp David • Vehicle Fleet • Air Force One

8. The Vice President • Elected at same time as president • Same qualifications • Little Constitutional Authority • Runs the Senate … remember? • Nine vice presidents have moved up “I am Vice President. In this, I am nothing, but I may become everything.” - John Adams: first vice president • How many vice presidents can you name?

9. Presidential Succession • 8 presidents have died in office. 1 resigned. • 1947 – Presidential Succession Act • Vice President • Speaker of the House • President Pro Tempore • Secretary of State • … rest of the Cabinet 1963: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in as president aboard Air Force One after President Kennedy’s Assassination

10. 25th Amendment - 1967 • If the president dies or leaves office, the VP becomes president and chooses a new VP • If the president is disabled, the VP serves as acting president – only used 5 times • 1973: VP Spiro Agnew resigned and President Richard Nixon replaced him with Gerald Ford • 1974: Nixon resigns, Ford moves up and picks Nelson A. Rockefeller as new VP • 1985: President Reagan has surgery and VP George H.W. Bush is acting president for 8 hours • 2002 and 2007: George W. Bush briefly sedated for medical procedures and VP Cheney took over

11. The President’s Job Section 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hail_to_the_Chief_-_U.S._Army_Herald_Trumpets.ogv

12. Constitutional Powers • Main job: execute laws passed by Congress • Also: • Veto bills • Call special sessions of Congress • Commander-in-chief • Receive foreign representatives • Make treaties (with Senate approval) • Make appointments (also with Senate approval) • Pardon criminals • State of the Union address very year

13. Roles of the President • Chief Executive • Chief Diplomat • Commander-in-Chief • Legislative Leader • Head of State • Economic Leader • Party Leader

14. Chief Executive

15. Chief Diplomat

16. Commander-in-Chief

17. Legislative Leader

18. Head of State

19. Economic Leader

20. Party Leader

21. Making Foreign Policy Section 3

22. The President and Foreign Policy • Goals • National Security • International Trade • World Peace • Promote Democracy Around the World The President and the First Lady meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace

23. Foreign Policy Powers Executive Branch Legislative Branch Declare War Prohibit certain military actions Controls defense spending • Chief Diplomat • Commander-in-Chief • Foreign Policy Bureaucracy • State Department • Defense Department • Central Intelligence Agency • National Security Council “The State Department wants to solve everything with words, and the generals, with guns.” -President Lyndon B. Johnson

24. Tools of Foreign Policy • Creating Treaties and Executive Agreements • Appointing Ambassadors • Foreign Aid • International Trade • Military Force

25. Presidential Advisors and Executive Agencies Section 4

26. Executive Office of the President • White House Office • Office of Management and Budget • National Security Council • Office of Administration • Council of Economic Advisors

27. Cabinet

28. Cabinet Responsibilities • Advise the president on issues related to their departments

29. Vice-President and the First Lady

30. Federal Bureaucracy • Hundreds of Agencies below the cabinet departments • Turn new laws into action by applying them to daily life • Administer day-to-day operations of the federal government • Regulate various activities • Help shape government policy

31. Independent Agencies • Executive Agencies • Government Corporations • Regulatory Boards and Commissions

32. Government Workers • Political Appointees • Civil Service Workers • Civil Service System • Spoils System Pendleton Act/ Civil Service Reform Act • Merit System