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The Executive Branch. Terms to Know. Succession Cabinet Executive Order White House Press Corps Reprieve Pardon Treaty Ambassador Executive Privelege. Activity. On a sheet of paper, write down as many Presidential responsibilities that you can think of.
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Terms to Know • Succession • Cabinet • Executive Order • White House Press Corps • Reprieve • Pardon • Treaty • Ambassador • Executive Privelege
Activity • On a sheet of paper, write down as many Presidential responsibilities that you can think of.
What are the President’s Constitutional Responsibilities? • Commander in Chief: Commanding the armed forces
Reviewing legislation passed by Congress and returning bills to which the president objects
Creating the Presidency • The founders wanted to make sure their new leader was not as powerful as a monarch. • They realized, after the failure of the Articles of Confederation, that a president was necessary • Because the Constitution defined presidential powers in broad, general terms, the founders were uncertain how powerful the president would become
Critical Thinking • When creating the role of the president, founding father Gouverneur Morris stated, • Make him too weak: the legislature will usurp (take for itself) his power. Make him strong: he will usurp on the legislature • Do you think the founders were successful at creating an executive that had enough power….but not too much? In other words, do you think the President has more or less power than Congress?
Qualifications for President • Formal Qualifications • “natural born citizen” • 35 years old • Be a resident of the U.S for 14 years prior to taking office • Informal Qualifications • Political experience • Moderate viewpoints
Common characteristics of the President • White • Male • College Educated • Lawyers, Congressmen or Governors • Married • Protestant
Terms • Terms for presidents are 4 years • The Constitution originally placed no limit on the amount of terms a president could serve • 22nd Amendment (1951) • No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of the President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of president more than once.
What if president dies, resigns, or gets sick? 25th Amendment • VP becomes president and appoints a new VP (with Senate approval) • Can determine if President is “disabled:” • VP may become “Acting President”
Presidential Succession • Order of succession: a legal procedure by which government leaders will succeed to the presidency should the president die, become disabled or be removed from office
Line of Succession to the Presidency • 1. Vice President • 2. Speaker of the House • 3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate • Temporary leader of Senate if VP is unavailiable • 4. Secretary of State • 5. Secretary of the Treasury • 6. Secretary of Defense • 7. Attorney General • Etc…..
Qualifications for Vice President • Must be eligible to be president • No term limits • Originally determined by person coming in 2nd place in the Presidential Election.
Duties of the Vice President • Preside over the Senate • Cast tie breaking votes • Replace the President if necessary • Sometimes not taken seriously • “Once there were two brothers. One ran away to the sea, the other was elected Vice President, and nothing was ever heard from either again” • -Thomas Marshall (VP to Woodrow Wilson) • Involvement in political decisions varies by Presidential administration
Critical Thinking • Do you think there should be an amendment to the Constitution that gives the Vice President more constitutional powers? Why or why not?
Cabinet • Cabinet: an advisory group chosen by the president to help accomplish the work of the executive branch • Split into departments • State -Treasury -Defense -Commerce • Labor -Health & Human Services -Justice • Housing & Urban Development -Interior • Agriculture -Education -Energy • Transportation -Veterans Affairs • Homeland Security
Choosing Cabinet members • Appointed by President with approval of Senate • Rarely rejected • Characteristics of those chosen • Same political party as president • From background states relevant to position • Ex: Secretary of Agriculture is usually from a farming state • Diverse (gender, ethnic or racial diversity)
The Executive Office of the President (EOP) • EOP: 9 staff agencies that assist the president in carrying out major duties • 1. Council of Economic Advisors • 2. National Security Council • 3. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative • 4. Council on Environmental Quality • 5. Office of Management and Budget • 6. Office of Science and Technology • 7. Office of Administration • 8. Office of Policy Development • 9. Office of National Drug Control Policy
What are the Presidential Powers? • Constitutional Powers • See beginning of slide show • Inherent Powers • Submitting proposed legislation to Congress • Involvement in foreign policy • Other Powers • Military Powers-often begin wars without congressional approval • Executive Order: a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law
The Media and the Presidency • All presidents use the media to gain public support for their policies • Television • Radio • Newspapers • White House Press Corps: a group of reporters from different news organizations that are assigned to cover the president full time.
Critical Thinking • When voting for a president, would you take into consideration his or her looks? How about his or her voice? Would you vote in a presidential election if you had never seen nor heard a candidate but had only read about them?
