The Executive Branch

The Executive Branch

Section 1: The Office of the

President

Section 1: The Office of the

President

Just who is the President of the United States?

What do we know about this position?

Article II in the United States Constitution

Executive Power shall be vested in the President

It is an outline, loosely drawn, more so than the other two Articles that deal with branches

There was a struggle as to what this Article intended/meant

Formal Qualifications

35 years old

Natural Born Citizen

Lived in the US for at least 14 years

Salary and Benefits

Congress determines Salary, it cannot be touched during a presidential term

$400,000 a year

$50,000 a year expense allowance taxed as part of income

Benefits are Numerous

White House

Suite of Offices

Large Staff

Air Force One

Fleet of Cars

Benefits Continued

Camp David

Best health care money can buy

Travel money

Entertainment money

Lots More!

The Presidential Difference 2004 for Fred Greenstein

Qualities that Bear on Presidential Performance

Effectiveness as a public communicator - many presidents rehersed and were able to reach the average American

Best - FDR, JFK Reagan, and Clinton (on a good day)

Organizational Capacity - Ability to forge a team that gets the most done and the ability to minimize the tendency to tell the boss (PRES) what he wants to hear

Best Organizers - FDR( encouraged diversity), IKE (listened), JFK, Ford, Bush Sr

Worst - Nixon, Reagan, LBJ : they didn’t like to see disagreements

Political Skill - ability to stamp on policy in the relatively stalemated American political system. They maintained public support and established reputations as skilled policy-makers.

Best - LBJ (within hours of JFK’s assassination he began to muster support)

Worst - Carter

Vision - capacity to inspire and the ability to assess policy feasibility

Best - FDR, JFK, Reagan, Nixon, Ike

Cognitive Style - how they think about issues and how they create a purpose

Best - Nixon had a purpose and he succeeded

Worst - Truman and Reagan (Reagan had no critical reading and had an imperfect understanding of policies)

Emotional Intelligence - are they free of distracting emotional issues? Greenstein argues that this is the most important.

“In its absence all else may turn to ash”

Best - Ike, Ford, Bush Sr, GW Bush

Worst - LBJ (Mood Swings), Carter (Rigid), Clinton (no impulse control), Nixon (anger and suspiciousness...he was defeated by the qualities that brought his success).

Informal Qualifications

What are some characteristics you deem desirable in a president?

Presidential Roles

Chief of State - ceremonial head

Chief Executive - Execute Laws

Chief Administrator - Director of Government

Chief Diplomat - Architect of Foreign Policy

Roles, Continued

Commander-in-Chief

Chief Legislator - Architect of public policies

Chief of the Party - Acknowledged leader of their party

Chief Citizen - Moral Leader, representative of all the people

Roles, Continued

Coalition Builders, build coalitions among different parties and with the legislative branch

Presidential Term in Office

Washington limited himself to two terms

No one dared more until FDR

Presidents were concerned about the orderly transfer of power from one president to another, this is unique to the American presidency, an office transfer with little to no problems

approval ratings make a difference...how??

1951 - 22nd Amendment

A president can be elected no more than 2 terms or 10 years in office

Some say that a single, 6 year term would be better (LBJ, Carter)

1/3 of all presidents have been elected to a second term

Usually done in wartime or especially tranquil times

President usually has some prior experience in a federal agency

A future president needs to be able to recognize various politically important groups, regions and organizations in order to gain support and a wide appeal

Section 2: Who Gets Elected?

Section 2: Who Gets Elected?

Conventions: Purpose of the Conventions

Name the party’s candidate

Bring factions together for a common purpose

Adopt the party’s platform

Characteristics of those who usually get elected

Experience

Electability

Records in public office

Protestant, most have been (JFK)

Usually from larger states

Characteristics cont.

How they look

Family

Speaking Ability

Outsider in Washington?????

What happens if something happens to the president?

Section 3: Presidential Succession

Section 3: Presidential Succession

Office of the Vice President

What was to be his or her role?

Under the original language of the Constitution the VP took over the duties but not the office

VP

A VP has become the president 8 times

Rarely acquires presidency when they run for that office

Many people gave up real leadership positions for the VP..why?

VP Cont

Only official duty is to preside over Senate and vote in the case of a tie

Can be as important or weak as a president wants

What about Dick Cheney?

Succession: What is the president is ill but not dead? If the VP steps up then who becomes the new VP?

Succession Act of 1886 -

Secretary of State next in line should the VP die

followed by Cabinet in order of seniority

Change to the Succession Act of 1886

1947

Included the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore in succession

25th Amendment

1967

Allows VP to serve as acting president when pres declares he is unable to do his job or the VP and a majority of the Cabinet say he cannot in writing.

If the president and the VP and Cabinet disagree then Congress decides, a 2/3 vote

VP must nominate a new VP, both houses must confirm

Line to Presidency

VP

Speaker of the House

Pres Pro Tempore

Secretary of State

Secretary of Treasury

Succession cont.

Secretary of Defense

Attorney General

Secretary of the Interior

Etc, all the Cabinet Dept heads in order of when they were incorporated into the Cabinet

What would be last?

Presidential Disability

VP becomes the President if the President informs Congress in writing that he/she cannot preform duties.

OR

The VP and the majority of members of the Cabinet inform Congress in writing