The Presidency
Limited Government
• The Presidency is often called “the most
powerful office in the world.” However, the
Constitution puts a number of restrictions
on his ability to act, and he is not all
powerful.
Separation of Powers
• The president shares the power to govern
with both the legislative branch and the
judicial branch of the National
Government.
Checks and Balances
• Congress has several powers in which it
can limit the President’s ability to act. And
the power of judicial review used by the
courts can also restrain the exercise of
presidential power.
Influence
• The President’s actions largely set the
nation’s agenda, and it is to the President
that people usually turn when something
significant occurs.
• State of the Union Address
Flexibility Of the Presidency
• Each president defines the office to meet the needs of
the times and his view and exercise of power.
• Consequently, the power of the Presidency has greatly
expanded over time to meet the changing needs of the
nation.
Need for a Strong Executive
• Without a strong executive, the
government had no one to carry out the
acts of Congress (this had been one of the
major weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation).
• Allows government to respond quickly to
problems and enforce laws.
• To hold the legislative branch in check
Presidential Powers
• Include the power to command the armed
forces, to make treaties, to approve or
veto acts of Congress, to send and receive
diplomatic representatives (ambassadors),
to grant pardons and reprieves, to appoint
federal judges, and to take care that the
laws passed by Congress be “faithfully
executed.”
An Often Overlooked Power
• Head of the Bureaucracy
• The president oversees the departments
and agencies that make up the executive
branch
• As the bureaucracy has grown, it has
become nearly impossible for the
president to execute and enforce all laws,
so he now appoints numerous
administrative officials to help him do so
The President’s Roles
(first six come directly from the Constitution)
1. Chief of State – ceremonial head / symbol of all
people
2. Chief executive – enforce laws
3. Chief administrator – director of executive
branch; more than 2.7 million employees
4. Chief diplomat – foreign policy; spokesperson to
rest of the world
5. Commander in chief – controls military
6. Chief legislator – proposes public policy / sets
overall shape of Congressional agenda
The President’s Roles
(Other Vital Roles)
7. Chief of party – acknowledged leader of
the political party that controls the
executive branch
8. Chief citizen – representative of all the
people
Presidential Leadership of Congress
1. Acting as chief
legislator, presidents
usually have the last
word (veto power)
2. Relying on party
support: must work
closely with members of
Congress and rely on
members of his party to
push for the legislation
he wants passed
(presidential coattails)
3. Public support – factors
heavily in his
congressional support
4. Legislative skills –
exerting influence
through different
strategies (bargaining,
presenting proposals
during “honeymoon
period”
The President and National Security Policy
Commander-in-Chief
Chief Diplomat
• Decision to use weapons
of mass destruction
• Authorize military actions
during war
• Send troops into specific
areas of conflict
• Has greater access to
and control over info
• Can act with little fear that
his actions will be
countermanded
• Establish formal
recognition of other
governments or terminate
it
• Negotiating treaties
• Executive agreements
• Using U.S. influence to
arbitrate conflict b/w other
nations
Making Undeclared War
• Presidents have often • On 8 occasions since,
used armed forces
it has enacted joint
abroad, in combat,
resolutions to
without a declaration
authorize the
of war from Congress.
President to use
force.
• Congress has not
declared war since
• War Powers
WWII.
Resolution of 1973 –
constitutionality remains in dispute and
awaits a situation in which Congress
demands that its provisions be obeyed but
the President refuses to do so
Formal Qualifications
•
•
•
Natural born citizen
At least 35 years of age
14 years residency
Informal Qualifications
•
•
•
•
•
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Experience
“Clean” record
Appearance
Communication ability
Access to large amounts of money
“Electability”
Testing Your Knowledge
• Who was the youngest person ever to be
elected President of the United States?
How old was he?
• Who was the oldest person ever to be
elected President of the United States?
How old was he?
Presidential Terms
1. Length of term
• 4
2. Max # of terms
• 2
3. Max # of years possible
in office
• 10
Setting the Limit
• FDR elected to 4 terms - This lead to the
passage of the 22nd Amendment
Salary and Benefits
• The current presidential salary is $400,000
per year.
• Benefits include:
– $50,000 expense account
– The White House
– Fleet of automobiles
– Air Force One
– The finest health care
– Secret Service
25th Amendment
• Provides for situations in which the
President becomes disabled.
Presidential Succession
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President Pro Tempore
of the Senate
4. Secretary of State
*Then the heads of the 14 other cabinet
departments follow.
Impeachment Process
• The Constitution sets forth this
process for presidents who
have abused their power or
committed “high crimes and
misdemeanors” worthy of
removal from office
• The House may vote for
impeachment with a simple
majority vote
• The Senate tries the president,
and the chief justice presides
over the trial
• A 2/3’s vote in the Senate
removes the president from
office
• Only 2 presidents have been
impeached, though neither
was removed from office
• Andrew Johnson (1868)
• Bill Clinton (1999)
• Many mistakenly believe
Richard Nixon was impeached,
but he resigned before the
House had the chance to
impeach him (Watergate)
Constitutional Duties
of the Vice President
• Preside over the Senate
• Help determine Presidential Disability
(acting president)
• President in waiting (25th Amendment)
The Vice Presidency
• “I am Vice President. In this I am nothing,
but I may be everything.”
John Adams – The nations first VP
Selection of Vice Presidents
• The Presidential Candidate typically
chooses someone who will balance the
ticket.
Selection of Vice Presidents
• Does the method of selecting the VP go
against the true ideals of democracy?
VP Succession
• How can a vacancy in the Vice Presidency
be filled?
– The President shall nominate a VP who shall
take office upon confirmation by a majority
vote of both houses (25th).
Interesting Facts
• Eight Presidents have died in office; nine
total Vice Presidents have succeeded to
the Presidency for any reason.
• FOURTEEN PRESIDENTS served as vice
presidents: J. Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren,
Tyler, Fillmore, A. Johnson, Arthur, T. Roosevelt,
Coolidge, Truman, Nixon, L. Johnson, Ford, and
George Bush.
Chart – p.362
The Most Powerful Office
in the World
1. The Constitution is very broad when
addressing the powers of the president.
2. The power of the presidency has grown
dramatically over the years.
Is this a good thing or bad thing?
Presidential Power
• The presidency as a gov’t institution has
changed dramatically since the writing of
the Constitution.
• At that time, the president had few powers,
and b/c he was chosen directly by the
Electoral College without a popular vote,
he was far removed from the populace.
• Today the president is elected by the
people (via electors) and with things like
TV has become a more public figure
Reasons for the
Expansion of Power
1. The unity of the office
2. The presidents themselves (strong
personalities)
3. Complex social and economic
circumstances
4. The need for immediate and decisive action
in times of crisis (Crisis manager)
5. New laws passed by Congress
Informal Sources of Power
• Presidents have added to their powers by their actions;
for example, Teddy Roosevelt declared his intent to do
anything the needs of the nation required if such action
was not expressly forbidden by the Constitution.
• During national crises, presidents such as Abe Lincoln
and FDR greatly expanded the powers of the presidency
as the federal government dealt with dangers facing the
U.S.
• Modern presidents claim their ideas and policies
represent a mandate from the people, and they use T.V.
and other media to build support for their ideas.
The Executive Office (EOP)
• A collection of administrative and advisory
bodies which assists the president in
overseeing policy.
• It includes the National Security Council,
the Council of Economic Advisors, the
Office of Management and Budget, and
the White House Office.
National Security Council
• The committee that links the president’s
key foreign and military policy advisors.
• Formal members: President, VP, Sec of
State, Sec of Defense  but other
informal members
• Provide the President with information and
policy recommendations on national
security
Council of Economic Advisors
• Has 3 members (each appointed by the
president) that advise him on economic
policy
• Prepare the annual Economic Report of
the President, which includes data and
analysis on the current state and future
trends of the economy
• Help the President make economic
policies
Office of Management and
Budget (OMB)
• Major responsibility is to prepare the
president’s budget
• Reviews legislative proposals from the
cabinet and other executive agencies to
determine whether they want an agency to
propose initiatives to Congress
• Assesses budgetary implications and
advises the president on the proposal’s
consistency with the president’s agenda