The Executive BranchThe PRESIDENCY

Executive• President

- formal qualifications- must be 35, natural

born citizen of the U.S., and a resident for at least 14

years- informal qualifications

- political experience- Eisenhower was the last with no political experience

Executive- access to money

• generally requires major party affiliation

– Ross Perot is an exception

- not an extreme point of view• far left/right wing don’t fair

well, moderates win

Executive

• Terms and salary– elected to a 4 year term

• can only serve 2 complete terms and a total of 10 years

– 22nd amendment set limits• Washington set the precedent, only

FDR has broken it– avoid hereditary offices, dying in

office

– salary is $400,000 a year + 100,000 for travel

• benefits include free medical, housing, staff, transportation

Executive• Duties

– commander-in-chief of all the military– appointment (with Senate approval) of

top officials and judges– makes treaties (with Senate approval)

and meets with foreign heads of state– ensures all laws are “faithfully executed”

• in charge of all federal police/enforcement groups

• creates agencies for carrying out this task– U.S. Marshalls– FBI– NTSB– ATF

Executive

• Powers of the executive– Formal / constitutional powers

• Spelled out in the Constitution– Duties…commander in chief, etc…

– Implied Powers• Inherent powers

– Acquiring territory

• Expanded the economy– Created the expectation of the nation to expect action

from the president

Executive

• How does the president gain power?– Through a mandate of the people

• Popular support• Utilize mass media to gain popular support

– T.V.– Radio– Internet/Newspapers

Executive

• Powers can be limited by – Congress

• Override vetoes• Refuse to appoint / confirm appointees• Impeachment

– Bureaucracy• Lack of complete information• Misinterpretation of information• Failure to complete tasks

Executive

– Public Opinion• Can’t effectively continue without public support