Transcript Chapter 13

Chapter 8
The Presidency
What is the main job
of the Executive
Branch?
The main job is to
EXECUTE the law.
" I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
faithfully execute the Office of President of the
United States, and will to the best of my Ability,
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution
into
of the United States." The President is sworn
th
office on January 20 @ noon.
As of January 20, 2009,
Barack Obama is the fortyfourth President.
He is the first African
American to hold the office.
Obama was the junior United
States Senator from Illinois
from January 2005 until
November 2008, when he
resigned following his
election to the presidency.
Obama is a graduate of
Columbia University and
Harvard Law School.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the youngest man,
the first Roman Catholic to be elected president,
the first to win a Purple Heart, the 4th president
to be assassinated, and the first Pulitzer Prize
winner
John F. Kennedy's father gave him $1,000,000
when he turned twenty-one. (Each of his nine
brothers and sisters got a million dollars too!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icri43ttTo
Assassination video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbgwB3_C4s
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only person
who was elected President to four terms:
1932, 1936, 1940, 1944.
Franklin Roosevelt had three Vice
Presidents during his terms:
John Nance Garner (1933-1941)
Henry A. Wallace (1941-1945)
Harry S Truman (1945)
Harrison's inaugural address was the
longest of any president. (one hour and 40
minutes in the cold, he caught a cold that
led to his death.) (some sources say his
speech was 105 minutes.)
President Harrison had a billy goat at the
White House during the short period he
was there.
President Reagan was the oldest president
in history; he was just shy of his 78th
birthday on leaving office.
Reagan was the only professional actor to
be elected President.
Reagan's would-be assassin, John Hinkley
wanted to assassinate the President to
impress actress Jodie Foster. After the
assassination attempt he was put in a
mental institution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoZeZpr http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTEi2
7JpwBY&NR=1
XnDg Assassination attempt video
Formal Qualifications
Qualifications for the Presidency of the United States
Constitution: Article II, Section I, Paragraph 5:
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a
Citizen of the United States, at the time of
the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be
eligible to the Office of President; neither
shall any Person be eligible to that Office who
shall not have attained to the Age of thirty
five Years, and been fourteen years a Resident
within the United States.
•
•
•
Must be a natural born citizen of the U.S.
Minimum Age: 35
Resident for at least 14 yrs of the U.S.
Unwritten Qualifications
Government experience
Importance of money
Political beliefs
–Most take moderate positions
Personal characteristics
–Most have been white, married,
Protestant, and wealthy
President’s Term
Term: 4 years
Washington set precedent of 2 terms
FDR was elected to 4 terms
22nd amendment (1951)
– Limits a President to 2 terms or 10 years
Late 20th /21st century –
– Push for single 6-year term
– and/or an unlimited # of terms
Salary & Benefits
1789 - $25,000/year
Currently - $400,000
$50,000 expense account
$120,000 travel & entertainment
Access to jets, helicopters, limos, etc
– Air Force One
– Marine One
– Camp David
James Polk, the 11th President, was the first President to have his
photograph taken. Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to
ride in a car while in office. His fifth cousin and the 32nd President,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the first to ride in an airplane.
CADILLAC ONE
Once in the White House, each President made his mark in different
ways. In fact, before Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, came
to office, the White House wasn't even called the White House!
People called the building the President's Palace, President's
House, and the Executive Mansion. Roosevelt officially named it the
White House in 1901.
Oval office
The White House has:
A main residence and architectural wings on
the east and west sides
4 stories, plus a basement and subbasement
55,000 ft² (5,100 m²) of floor space (67,000
ft² including the wings)
132 rooms and 35 bathrooms
412 doors
147 windows
28 fireplaces
8 staircases
3 elevators (main, pantry, and a lower-levels
elevator under the Grand Staircase)
several gardens a tennis court, basketball
court, putting green, a bowling alley, a movie
theater, a jogging track, and a swimming
pool
Since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt, when it was
known as "Shangri-la," this isolated camp in the hills of
western Maryland has served as an official Presidential
retreat. Heavily guarded, it may not be visited by the
public.
In March 1942 President Roosevelt directed the National
Park Service to investigate locations reasonably close to
the Washington area for use as a Presidential retreat.
In July 5 the President inspected the retreat, which he
had named "Shangri-la" in April. Roosevelt's successor,
Harry S Truman, used the retreat only a few times.
President Eisenhower, however, was a frequent visitor
and renamed it Camp David in honor of his grandson.
Their most famous guest, in 1959, was Premier Nikita
Khrushchev of the Soviet Union.
Salary & Benefits
Free medical, dental and other health
care
Residence at the White House
–132 rooms on 18.3 acres
Lifetime pension of $148,400/year
If President dies, spouse receives
$20,000/year
Vice President
25th Amendment
– V.P. may temporarily take office if the
President requests so
– Congress has to authorize by majority
vote
In case of a vacancy of the V.P. the
President nominates a new V.P. w/
Congressional approval
– 18 times
The Vice President
Formal Duty:
– Preside over the Senate
– Make decisions in cases of Presidential
disability
– Ambassador for the US
Most not looked up to as having qualities
to become President
“Balancing the ticket”
Salary: $187,500
Presidential
Succession
&
Vice Presidency
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUh6Sg
zeld8
Lyndon B Johnson swearing in
Harry Truman signed
the Presidential
Succession
Act of 1947.
Presidential Succession
25th Amendment
# Office and Current Officer
Vice President
2 Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner
Speaker of the House
3 President pro tempore of the Senate Robert Byrd
4 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
President Pro Temp
5 Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
6 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Secretary of State
7 Attorney General Eric Holder
8 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Secretary of the
9 Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
10 Secretary of Commerce
Gary Locke
Treasury
11 Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
12 Secretary
of Health and
Services Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary
ofHuman
Defense
13 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
14 Secretary
of Transportation
Ray LaHood
Attorney
General
1Vice President Joe Biden
15 Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
16 Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
17 Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
18 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
US Presidents Who Died in Office
William H. Harrison, 1841
Zackary Taylor, 1850
Abraham Lincoln, 1865 (Assassinated)
James Garfield, 1881 (Assassinated)
William McKinley, 1901 (Assassinated)
Warren G. Harding, 1923
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1945
John F. Kennedy, 1963 (Assassinated)
Section II Electing the President
Initially, at the Constitutional Convention,
the founders proposed that Congress
choose the president w/o a popular or an
electoral vote. They gave up the idea
because it violated the principle of
separation of powers.
Founders feared a direct election, because
they thought citizens could not make a
wise decision.
Electoral College
The founders settled on a compromise
that Alexander Hamilton introduced. This
compromise set up an indirect method of
election called the Electoral College.
Article II, Section 1 established the
Electoral college. It provided that each
state would chose electors according to a
method the state legislatures set up. Each
state would have as many electors as it
does senators and representatives.
Original Plan
– Most votes became President
– Runner-up became Vice President
– A tie would allow the House of
Representatives to choose the President or
Vice President.
– After President Washington retired, political
parties began to play an important role in
national elections.
– The 12th Amendment was later added-it
required that electors cast separate ballots for
President and Vice President.
Electoral College System
Millions of voters go to the booths not to
vote for the candidates but rather to vote
to elect Presidential electors (Dem & Rep)
Each state has as many electors as it has
members of Congress
Electors almost automatically vote for their
party’s candidate for President
– Not the original intent of the Constitution
Electoral College System
In order to win an election a candidate must receive 270 out of 538
electoral votes (Washington D.C. has 3)
The least number of presidential electors a state can have is 3.
The electoral college system was set up under article II of the
constitution and amended by the 12th amendment in 1804.
While state laws determine how electors are chosen, they are
generally selected by the political party committees within the states.
Should none of the candidates win 270 electoral votes, the 12th
amendment kicks in and the House of Representatives decides who
wins. This has happened twice-Thomas Jefferson in 1801 and John
Quincy Adams in 1825
Formal election of President does not take place until Jan 6th
– When all votes are counted
President takes office @ noon on January 20th
– Chief Justice swears the president into office
Electoral Votes
Electors meet at their State capitol on the
Monday after the second Wednesday in
December
– Cast their vote
– Signed, sealed, and sent to Washington
D.C.
Criticisms of Electoral College
Winner Take All
– It is possible to win the popular vote but
lose the election
1824, 1876, 1888, 2000
Constitutional Flaw
– Does not require the electors to vote for
the candidate favored by the popular
vote in their state
Criticisms of Electoral College
Ties
– Determined by the House of
Representatives
Chances increase when there is a
strong 3rd party candidate
Proposed Reforms
District Plan
– Electors would reflect Congressional districts
Two electors would reflect the state as a whole
The remaining electors would represent
individual districts
Proportional Plan
– Candidates would receive same share of a states
electoral votes as they received of state popular
votes
– Ex. If a candidate won 40% of votes cast in a state
with 20 EV, they would receive 8 electoral votes
Proposed Reforms
Direct Popular Election
–Do away with the electoral college
all together.
–Candidate with the most popular
votes wins.
Proposed Reforms
National Bonus Plan
–102 electoral votes would go to the
winner of the popular vote
–102 EV would be added to the
electoral votes that the candidate
won
–321 EV votes needed to win
Executive Departments
Ch. 8 Section 3
President’s
Cabinet
Presidential
Cabinet
Abraham Lincoln's son Tad once fired on the Cabinet after receiving a
pretend military commission.
Illustration by Bob Brugger
The Cabinet
The tradition of the Cabinet dates back to the beginnings of the Presidency
itself. Established in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, the Cabinet's
role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the
duties of each member's respective office.
The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive
departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense,
Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security,
Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation,
Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General.
This is NOT an
elected position.
The President
nominates and
the Senate
approves!
The Cabinet
During a meeting of the President's
Cabinet, members are seated according
to the order of precedence, with higher
ranking officers sitting closer to the
center of the table. Hence, the President
and Vice President sit directly across
from each other at the middle of the oval
shaped table. Then, the Secretaries of
State and Defense are seated directly to
the right and left, respectively, of the
President and the Secretary of Treasury
and the Attorney General sit to right and
left, respectively, of the Vice President.
This alternation according to rank
continues, with Cabinet-rank members
(those not heading executive
departments, the Vice President
excluded) sitting at the very ends,
farthest away from the President and
Vice President.
Job Qualifications
Expertise
Party loyalty
Acceptability to interest groups
Managerial ability
Gender representation
Geographical balance.
Purpose
15 major executive departments
Implement policies within own department
Serve as the advisory board to the
president
The Cabinet has expanded as the
responsibilities of the president has
increased.
The workload of the federal government
expanded as the country grew.
Department of State
Major Responsibilities
– Negotiates treaties
– Develops foreign
policy
– Protects citizens
abroad
– Terrorist alerts
– Establish foreign
policy goals for
areas that
geographically
significant to the
U.S.
Sub-agencies
– Passports Agency
– Diplomatic Security
– Human Rights and
Humanitarian Affairs
– Bureau of
Intelligence
Hillary
Rodham
Clinton
Department of Treasury
Major Responsibilities
Pays federal bills
Borrows money
Collects Federal
Taxes
Prints and coins
money
Sub-Agencies
IRS
Bureau of Alcohol
Tobacco and
Firearms
U. S. Mint
Timothy Geithner
Department of Defense
Manages the Armed
Forces
Operates military
bases
Responsible for civil
defense
Intelligence Capable
National Guard
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Departments of Air
Force, Navy, Army
Re Leon E.
Panetta
Department of Justice
Furnishes legal
advice to president
Enforces federal
criminal laws
Supervises the
federal prisons
FBI
Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA)
Bureau of Prisons
U. S. Marshals
Attorney General
Eric Holder
Department of Interior
Supervises federally
owned land and parks
Federal hydroelectric
power facilities
Native American
Affairs
U. S. Fish and Wildlife
National Park Service
Bureau of Indian
Affairs
Bureau of Mines
Bureau of Land
Management
Ken Salazar
Department of Agriculture
Provides assistance
to farmers and
ranchers
Research to improve
agriculture
Protect forest from
fires and disease
Research to prevent
plant disease
Oil conservation
Agricultural research
Food and Safety
inspections
Federal Crop
Insurance
Tom
Vilsack
Department of
Commerce
Grants patents and
trademarks
Conducts National
Census
Monitors the weather
Protects the interest
of Business
Bureau of Census
Bureau of Economic
Analysis
Patent and Trademark
U. S. Travel and Tourism
John Bryson
Department of Labor
Administers Federal
Labor Laws
Promotes the interest
of workers
Workers Health
Benefits
Improve Employers
Insurance
OSHA
Bureau of Labor
Minority Business
Development
Secretary of Labor
Hilda Solis
Department of Health and Human
Services
Administers the
Social Security
programs (Medicare)
Promotes public
health
Enforces pure food
and drug Laws
Kathleen
Sebelius(is
nominated for
the position)
Social Security
Administration
Family Support
Administration
Office of Human
Development
Public Health Service
FDA
Department of Housing & Urban
Development
Concerned with
nation’s housing
needs
Develops &
rehabilitates urban
communities
Promotes
improvements in city
streets and parks
Fair housing and
Equal Opportunity
Minority Grant
Assistance Program
Emergency Shelter
Grant
Shaun L.S.
Donovansing
Department of
Transportation
Finances
improvements in
mass transit
Develops &
Administers programs
for highways,
railroads, and aviation
Involved with offshore
maritime safety
Federal Aviation Adm.
Federal Highway
Adm.
Maritime Safety
Urban Mass-Transit
Adm.
Ray LaHood
Department of
Energy
Involved in
conservation of
energy resources
Analyzes energy data
Conducts research
and development
Clean up of Nuclear
waste sites
Energy Information
Adm.
Office of Nuclear
Energy
Office of
Conservation &
Renewable Energy
Steven Chu
Department of
Education
Coordinates Federal
programs and policies
for education
Administers aid to
education
Promotes educational
research
Office of special
education
Office of elementary
and secondary ed.
Office of Vocational
and Adult education
Arne
Duncan
Department of
Veterans Affairs
Promotes the welfare
of Veterans of U. S.
armed forces
Health of Veterans
Benefits to Veterans
Health Care Service
Benefit Programs
Memorial Affairs
Medical Training
Eric Shinseki
Department of
Homeland Security
Border Security
National Defense
Protect Nation
Security
Aviation Security
This department was
created as a direct
response to 911
terrorist attacks in
2001.
Immigration and
Customs
Enforcement ICE
Transportation
Security Office
FEMA
Secret Service
Janet Napolitano
The Executive Office
It consists of individuals and agencies that directly assist
the President.
The Office of
Management and
Budget-prepares the
national budget that the
president proposes to
Congress.
The Council of Economic
Advisors-offers advice to
the President in areas
such as unemployment
and inflation.
National Security CouncilAids the President in
coordinating the military
and foreign policy.
The Homeland Security
Council-helps to
coordinate all federal
agencies working to
counter terrorism.
Presidential
Nominations
&
National
Conventions
Campaigns
There are two campaigns for the
Presidency every four years
1. Republicans v. Democrats
2. Battle for convention delegates
National Convention
Usually takes place in mid-summer (July)
Purpose
– Nominate a candidate for office
– Adopt a party platform
Basic principles, stands on political matters,
objectives for the campaign
– Gain support for candidate chosen
Site is chosen by a national committee
– “Up in the air”
National Convention
Lasts 4-5 days
Party nominee is not selected until the last
day
Conventions built on hype
Attempt to show the nation the strength of
their party
Parties try to nominate the most noncontroversial person possible
Characteristics of Nominees
Parties look for the “electibility” of
candidates
–Appearance
–Happily married
–Family values
–Great speaking ability
–Portray the “correct” image
If an incumbent President is not in the field
of candidates, the battle for nomination
can be intense
Up to a dozen or so candidate vie for
position
– No more than 2 or 3 have a realistic chance
Candidate that receives the most delegate
votes win their party’s nomination
Next step – the National Election