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THE PRESIDENCY
Electing the President
Electing the President
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Each state receives a specific # of electoral votes.
# of Congressmen + 2 Senators = # of Electoral
Votes
Each electoral vote is represented by a person
(more on that in a minute)
Following the November election, the electoral
college meets in December to officially cast their
votes for POTUS
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
•538 electoral votes/270
needed to win
•If neither candidate wins
a majority, the House of
Representatives elects
POTUS and the Senate
elects VPOTUS.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE & FEDERALISMElectors are chosen by the party leaders in each state
The Constitution leaves it up to the states how to
award their electoral votes (Winner-Take-All, District
Method etc.)
States also have different laws governing ***faithless
electors***-electors who refuse to cast their vote to the
candidate they were pledged to.
ORIGINAL SYSTEM
•Electors chosen by state
legislatures or popular vote
•Each elector cast two votes for
POTUS, one of which had to be
from outside of his state (Article II).
•1st Place = President
•2nd Place = VP
Problem: POTUS & VP could be
from different parties
***12th Amendment***
Electors cast a vote for POTUS and one
for VP
•Winner-Take-All/Plurality System
The winner of the popular vote in
each state wins all of that state’s
electoral votes.*
*Except in Nebraska & Maine who use
the district method.
Grover Cleveland won the popular vote for
the presidency but lost in the electoral
college to Benjamin Harrison.
CURRENT SYSTEM
Why don’t we elect POTUS by national popular vote?
I. Founding Fathers feared an uninformed or impassioned
electorate might popularly elect a tyrant.
***SAFEGUARD: They allowed the electors to vote their
conscience.
II. Forces candidates to coalition-build instead of focusing on
one geographic area/population centers
III. National popular vote would enable electoral fraud
Formal Qualifications
CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
•At least 35 years old
•A natural-born citizen of the U.S.
•A resident of the U.S. for at least 14
years
Informal Qualifications
It also helps to have:
•Several years prior government-
particularly executive experience;
•Prior military experience;
•Very few skeletons in your closet;
•Access to a lot of $$$;
•A middle-class background.
$alary & Benefit$•Annual Salary: $400,000
•Annual Expense Allowance: $50,000
•Travel Allowance: $100,000
•Air Force I
•Retirement Pension
•Health Insurance
•Camp David access
Presidential Powers
EVOLUTION OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER
The Presidency was a relatively weak institution prior to the 20th
century as Congress was the dominant branch.
Presidential power has expanded due to:
Internal social and economic crises
Foreign policy crises
Expansion of federal power by Congress that necessitated an
expanded federal bureaucracy administered by the Chief Executive.
POTUS LIMITED BY:
•The Constitution
•Popular Opinion
Public support for a President may
impact how much support he receives
from Congress for his programs.
***LAME DUCK***
A President who has either been voted
out of office after his first term or is
unpopular during the latter part of his
second term.
POTUS and Congress frequently struggle for power
and often have different agendas, even under a unified
government.
Veto override
Impeachment
Treaties require Senate confirmation
Cabinet and judicial appointments, ambassadorships
require Senate confirmation
Congressional oversight of actions taken by the
executive branch
The Courts
Presidential initiatives or actions may be ruled
unconstitutional
EX: U.S. v. Nixon (1973) limited executive privilege
Politics
***DIVIDED GOVERNMENT***
When the White House and one or both houses of
congress are controlled by different parties.
-Compromises benefit both sides but the process is
much slower
-Unless POTUS has an ideological majority in both
houses, he is more likely to lose legislative battles
***GRIDLOCK***
-The inability of the federal government to act quickly
and decisively due to divided government
***IMPERIAL PRESIDENTS***
•Imperial presidents will act without
consultation with the other branches in
order to move their agenda forward.
•Often done via ***executive
orders/actions***-orders have the full
force of law when that authority is
granted by the Constitution or an act of
Congress.
POTUS’ PROGRAM
Major initiatives that POTUS seeks to enact
Presidential Programs are shaped by…
Interest groups
-They generate new ideas
Aids & Advisors
-They test new ideas for political soundness (“Will we have
the backing of Congress and/or the public?”)
Federal Bureaus and Agencies
-Will know whether or not a program can even work and how
to implement it.
Outside Experts
-Provide criticisms
Roles
• Symbol of the U.S.:
Represents America at
special occasions, key
foreign events and
ceremonies.
• EX: Awarding medals and
speechmaking.
HEAD OF STATE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE• Sees to it that laws are faithfully
executed
• ***IMPOUNDMENT***
-Not spending money allocated by
Congress (Congress must approve in
45 days)
• Appoints key officials like ambassadors
and judges (S) and lesser officials
CHIEF EXECUTIVE• Issues executive orders that affect how
laws are enforced
• Can fire employees of the Executive
Branch
• Grants pardons & amnesty
CHIEF LEGISLATOR• Proposes and drives legislation
• Approves legislation (C).
• Lobbies members of Congress to
support his agenda or uses the
***Bully Pulpit*** to appeal
directly to the American people.
• Presents his agenda to Congress
in the annual State of the Union
address.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEFDecides where and how to deploy the armed forces, and the rules of engagement.
Power is shared by the Secretary of Defense and the Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
WAR POWERS ACT•POTUS can deploy the military to a hostile area/order military operations against another country without a declaration of war for 60 days.
•POTUS must inform congress in writing within 48 hours.
MONITORS:
• Unemployment
• Inflation, taxation, business
Also:
• Does not control the economy, but pushes policies can impact it.EX: Tax cuts/increases
• Prepares the federal budget
CHIEF ECONOMIST
Chief Diplomat
Shapes the foreign policy of the United States.
Appoints and manages the ambassadors, embassies, and foreign activities of the country.
Signs treaties (S).
Executive Agreements.
Daily duties handled by the Secretary of State.
CHIEF POLITICIAN/PARTY LEADER
• Presidents help members of
their party get elected or
appointed to office (Coattails
Effect).
• They make campaign
speeches needed for re-
election.
• Head of fund-raising for the
party.
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION
22nd Am. limits POTUS to two terms + two
years of the previous POTUS’ term if
necessary. (10 years total)
•25th Am.: VP takes over if POTUS dies.
•Presidential Succession Act of 1947
-Speaker of the House and President Pro
Tempore followed by Cabinet Secretaries
take over if POTUS & VP die/resign.
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION
PRESIDENTIAL INCAPACITY
•25th Am also says VP & majority of the
Cabinet can decide if POTUS is mentally or
physically unable to be POTUS and remove
him.
FIN
The Cabinet
President Calvin Coolidge & his Cabinet
The CabinetCABINET = VP + heads (Secretaries) of 15 major
executive departments
CABINET SECRETARIES
•Often have conflicting loyalties due to their personal
backgrounds, relationship to special interests and rivalries
EX: Hamilton & Jefferson
•POTUS doesn’t have much control over them due to the size
of their departments.
Often receive their appointments due to:
•Their level of expertise in their respective area
•Political loyalty
OTHEROTHER ELEMENTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
WHITE HOUSE OFFICE
-Special advisors and assistants to POTUS
-Don’t require confirmation
EXECUTIVE AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
-EX (EXECUTIVE AGENCIES): NASA, Small Business
Administration
-EX (INDEPENDENT AGENCIES): Federal Reserve
GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS
USPS, Amtrak
OTHEREXECUTIVE OFFICE
-Agencies of the ExBr that report directly to POTUS
-Confirmed by the Senate
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
• National Security Council
• Council of Economic Advisors
***RULE OF PROPINQUITY***
Whomever is in the room when the decision is made
has the most power.
The closer your office it the Oval Office, the more
influence you have over POTUS