The President I

2/9/2012

Clearly Stated Learning Objectives

• Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:– understand and interpret the United States

Constitution and apply it to the present (the sections on the presidency and Electoral College).

– assess the 2008 & 2012 Presidential Elections without resorting to partisan bickering.

– identify and explain the role of formal and informal institutions and their effect on policy.

Office Hours and Readings

• Readings- Chapter 9 on the President

• Office Hours– Today 12-2– Wednesday 10-2

WHO ARE OUR PRESIDENTS?

Simple Requirements (Article II)

• Natural Born Citizen

• 35 Years Old

• 14 years a resident

Our Presidents Historically

• Most are in their 50’s at time of election

• Most are Lawyers

• Most are of English Ancestry

• All but one has been Protestant

THE DEBATE ON THE EXECUTIVEHow many and how much power?

On an executive

• The Articles Lacked one

• We feared monarchy

• We Feared Tyranny

The Country Needed one

What the Debate centered on

• How Many– A Singular executive vs. a plural executive

• How Much Power– Tyranny vs impotence– What is the safe and effective combination?

Option I: A Monarch

• Advantages

• Disadvantages

Option II: A Plural executive

• Advantages

• Disadvantages

Option III: A Weak Executive

• Advantages

• Disadvantages

Option IV: A Strong Executive

• Advantages

• Disadvantages

Balancing it out

CHOOSING A PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

The history of nominations

Congressional Caucus Method (1800-1828)

• Parties in Congress picked the Nominees

• Problems

• What ends it

The Party Convention System

• Lasts until the 1970’s

• Party leaders picked nominees at national conventions

The End of the Party System

• Problems with it

• A Focusing Event

• Who Loses

The Current system

• Voter-centered, rather than party centered

• Binding Primaries and Caucuses

• A Race for Delegates

In 2008 (The Democrats)

The Republicans in 2008

The Impact of The Current System

• Advantages

• Disadvantages

GETTING THE NOMINATIONSo You want to be president?

Step 1 Don’t Sit back at wait

• You have to participate in the invisible primary

• If you wait, your window might close

When You can Run?

• Never Take a candidate on their word

• You can run whenever, but things can make it difficult

• You have to Wait for your Window– GOP (as early as 2016, as late as 2024)– Democrats (as early as 2016, as late as 2028)

Step 2: Have a “Presidential Job”

The Current GOP Field

Presidential Jobs• Governors

– Perry– Romney– Huntsman

• Senators– Santorum

Non-Presidential Jobs• House Members

– Gingrich– Bachmann– Paul

• Other– Herman Cain

Step 3: Be Prepared to Spend Money

• Money Buys Organization

• Money Buys Name Recognition

• Money Converts itself

Federal Money vs. Self-financing

The Effect of Money on Campaigns

• How it has changed the primary campaign

• How important is it?

• Where We stand

Step 4:Getting Delegates

• Primaries

• Caucuses

• Which helped Obama?

Delegate Apportionment

The Democrats• More Delegates

• Proportional Representation

• Super Delegates

The Republicans• Fewer Delegates

• More winner-take-all states

Front-loading of Delegates

Frontloading and 2012

• The GOP is making more states use proportional representation

• They do not want an early nominee.

• Pro’s and Cons of a longer primary?

Delegates Matter

Step 5: Momentum

• Looking like a winner and Actually winning

• Media coverage goes to those who can win.

• Be the last person standing (winnowing)

The First Four

• Iowa

• New Hampshire

• South Carolina

• Florida

The Clinton Strategy: 2008

• Deliver the Knock-out blow on super-tuesday

• Reload

• Watch the GOP fight it out all spring

How Mc Cain Wins Early: 2008

• Winner-take-all states

• Romney and Huckabee go after each other

• The Early win is A blessing and a curse for McCain