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Chapter 13: The PresidencySection 1


Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 2Chapter 13, Section 1

Presidential RolesPresidential Roles

• The President acts as chief of state– ceremonial head and the symbol of the America

• The President is the chief executive– in domestic and foreign affairs.

• The President is the chief administrator– 2.7 million civilian employees of the executive

branch.


Presidential Roles, cont.Presidential Roles, cont.

• The President is the nation’s chief diplomat– foreign policy – chief spokesman



• The President is the commander in chief



• The President is the chief legislator

• The President is the unofficial head of the political party

• The President is the unofficial chief citizen– champion the public interest and be the

representative of all the people.


Formal QualificationsFormal Qualifications

– natural born citizen of the United States.

– at least 35 years of age.

– U.S. resident for at least 14 years.


Terms in OfficeTerms in Office

• 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.Terms in Office, cont.

• The 22nd Amendment 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.


Pay and BenefitsPay 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.


• White House• Air Force One• Camp David• fleet of cars, • large staff• excellent healthcare,

Pay and Benefits, cont.Pay and Benefits, cont.




Presidential SuccessionPresidential Succession

• The Vice President succeeded the President nine times in U.S. history

• At first, the Vice President technically assumed only the powers and duties of the presidency.


Presidential Succession, cont.Presidential Succession, cont.

• However, the custom was that the Vice President took the presidential office as well.

• Under the 25th

Amendment, adopted in 1967, the Vice President now formally assumes the office of President.


Order of SuccessionOrder 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 DisabilityPresidential 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.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 PresidencyThe Vice Presidency

– 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.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.


• 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 The Vice Presidency Today


Vice Presidential VacancyVice Presidential Vacancy

• 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.




The Constitutional DebateThe 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 CollegeThe Electoral College

• 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.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.

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Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 1chadpotter.weebly.com/uploads/3/9/9/9/39994837/gov... · Chapter 13: The Presidency Section 1. ... middle of a term, ... Succession Act of 1947