Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 1

Chapter 11: The Presidency

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry

Learning Outcomes

«  Understand the Requirements to Being President

«  Evaluate the US Electoral College System

«  Analyze the various roles of the Executive Office

«  Evaluate the influences of public opinion on the presidency

«  Apply the Impeachment and Removal Process

«  Understand the Line of Succession

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/

US CHECKS & BALANCES

PREVENTS TYRANNY

(The National Archives)

Brown Brothers

Brown Brothers

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 2

Brown Brothers © AP/ Wide World Photos

© John Atherton /UPI /Bettmann /Corbis Brown Brothers

© AP/ Wide World Photos (AP Photo/Bob Daughtery)

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 3

AP/Wide World Photos AP Photo/Doug Mills

© AP/ Wide World Photos © Kevin Lamarque/Reuters/Corbis

© 2002 AP/ Wide World Photos

The Paradox of the Presidency

Great Power and Great Limits

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 4

Who Can Become President?

« Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution sets forth the qualifications to be president.

« Must be 35 and a natural-born citizen.

The Process of Becoming President

« Nomination by one of the two major parties

« Majority of the votes cast in the Electoral College

« If no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the House will elect the president by voting state by state for a candidate.

US ELECTORAL COLLEGE How does the Electoral College work?

« Each state has a number of electors in the Electoral College equal to the total of its US senators (always two) and its representatives, which are determined by the size of the state's population. Technically, Americans vote for the electors not the candidate.

US ELECTORAL COLLEGE How does the Electoral College work?

« California, the most populous state, has 55 electoral votes. A few small states and the District of Columbia have only three.

US ELECTORAL COLLEGE How does the Electoral College work?

« There are 538 electors in the College. In all but two states, Maine and Nebraska, the College works on a winner-takes-all basis. The winner of the popular vote in a state gets all the Electoral College votes in that state.

US ELECTORAL COLLEGE How does the Electoral College work?

« To become president, a candidate needs 270 Electoral College votes. The winning candidate does not need to win the national popular vote.

« If there no candidates receive the majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives decides.

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 5

Electoral College vs. Popular Vote

« BBC NEWS ELECTORAL COLLEGE MAPS 1948 to 2004

«  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7456953.stm

«  http://www.electionsthisyear.com/

2012 Presidential Election Result

http://www.270towin.com/

The Many Roles of the President

« Head of State

« Chief Executive •  The Powers of Appointment and Removal •  The Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons

The Many Roles of the President (cont.)

« Commander-in-Chief •  Wartime Powers •  War Powers Resolution

« Chief Diplomat •  Diplomatic Recognition •  Proposal and Ratification of Treaties •  Executive Agreements

The Many Roles of the President (cont.)

« Chief Legislator •  Getting Legislation Passed •  Saying No to Legislation •  The Line-Item Veto •  Congress’ Power to Override Presidential Vetoes

The Many Roles of the President (cont.)

« Other Presidential Powers •  Powers that Congress has bestowed on the

president by statute (statutory powers) and those that are considered inherent powers.

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 6

The President as Party Chief and Superpolitician

« The President as Chief of Party

« Constituencies and Public Approval •  Presidential constituencies •  Public approval •  “Going Public” for support

© 2004 AP/ Wide World Photos

Presidential Popularity

Source: Gallup polls, reported in Public Opinion and updated at www.gallup.com. The question asked is, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way [name of president] is handling his job as president?” The 2006 approval rating for G.W. Bush is from CBS News/New York Times poll data.

Presidential Greatness

The Executive Organization

« The Cabinet •  The Members of the Cabinet •  The Kitchen Cabinet •  Presidential Use of Cabinets

The President’s Cabinet

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 7

The Executive Organization Abuses of Executive Power and Impeachment

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

In the end, the Senate voted to acquit President Andrew Johnson by a margin of 35 guilty to 19 not guilty - one vote short of the two-thirds needed to convict.

President Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 24, 1868 and the Senate tried the case in a trial that lasted from March to May 1868. http://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=192

© 2004 AP/Wide World Photos

http://watergate.info/nixon/resignation-speech.shtml

On Friday, August 9, Nixon resigned the presidency and avoided the likely prospect of losing the impeachment vote in the full House and a subsequent trial in the Senate. www.historyplace.com

© AP/Wide World Photos

No President Is Above the Law The Vice President

«  The Vice President’s Job •  Strengthening the Ticket •  Supporting the President

«  Presidential Succession

«  The Twenty-fifth Amendment

«  When the Vice Presidency Becomes Vacant

(DoD photo by R. D. Ward)

Adapted by Prof. Som Chounlamountry 8

© UPI /Bettmann /Corbis

The Vice President Called to Duty

Line of Succession to the Presidency

of the United States

Web Links

« Miller Center of Public Affairs

« The American Presidency Project

« American Presidents Life Portraits

« GPO Access

Web Links

« Center for the Study of the Presidency

« Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States

« Dave Leip’s Atlas of Presidential Elections