Demographic
Characteristics of U.S.
Presidents
•
•
•
•
100% male
97% Caucasian
97% Protestant
82% of British
ancestry
• 77% college educated
• 69% politicians
• 62% lawyers
• >50% from the top 3%
wealth and social class
• 0.5% born into
poverty
• 69% elected from
large states
Constitutional Qualifications
 Must be at least 35
years old
 Must have lived in
the United States for
14 years
 Must be a natural
born citizen
Presidential Benefits
 $400,000 tax-free salary
 $50,000/year expense
account
 $100,000/year travel
expenses
 The White House
 Secret Service
protection
 Camp David country
estate
 Air Force One personal
airplane
 Staff of 400-500
Christmas at the White House, 2004
Presidential Roles
Constitutional Roles
There are 5 expressed roles of
the president found in the
constitution
Head of State
Queen Elizabeth and President Reagan, 1983
President Kennedy speaks at Berlin Wall,
1963
Head of State
• Performs ceremonial roles
• Some examples include:
– Hosting foreign leaders
– Throwing the first baseball at a game
– Meeting public figures, kings, and queens.
Bush throws first pitch last Sunday at the
opening game between the washington
nationals and the atlanta braves
Chief Executive
President Clinton with Janet Reno,
the first female Attorney General,
February, 1993
President Bush holds cabinet meeting
in October, 2005
Chief Executive
• Makes sure the laws of congress are
carried out
Examples:
– Executive Orders- rules that have the force
of the law
– Presidential Appointments/Removalsappoint or remove people from cabinet,
government agencies, etc.
Chief Executive
• Reprieve- postponement of legal
punishment
• Pardon- release from legal punishment
• Amnesty- a group pardon to people for
offenses against the government
ex: Carter’s amnesty for draft
dodgers
Commander-in-Chief
President Johnson decorates a soldier
in Vietnam, October, 1966
President Bush aboard U.S.S.
Lincoln, May, 2003
Commander in Chief
• Power to make “war” or send troops to
fight in a certain area
• Power to support war effort by raising
gas, ration food, and use industries to
make war goods
Chief Diplomat
President Bush and
President Putin of Russia
Ronald Reagan 1987
“Mr. Gorbachev,
tear down this wall”
Chief Diplomat
• Makes foreign policy decisions
– Constant struggle between president and
congress over foreign policy
• Signs Treaties
– checks and balances- Congress must
approve
Chief Legislator
President Clinton delivers the State
of the Union Address, 1997
President Roosevelt signs into law the
Social Security Act, 1935
Chief Legislator
• President describes laws and policy he
would like to create
• See political cartoon on page 255.
Unwritten Roles
• Many roles of the President have
developed over the course of history.
Political Party Leader
President Reagan & Vice-President Bush accepting their party’s
nomination in 1980
Party Leader
• Supports his own party
• Patronage: Appoint loyal party
members to important positions
Party Leader
• President should represent all people so what about
his party?
• Presidents are sometimes criticized for crossing party
lines by the party, the media, and the public.
• When President Clinton compromised with the
Republican Congress to enact legislation in 1996,
more liberal members of his own party criticized him.
Crisis Manager
President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
Vice-President Johnson sworn in
aboard Air Force One
after President Kennedy’s
assassination, 1963
Moral Persuader
President Lincoln during the Civil
War, 1862
President Roosevelt and the “Bully
Pulpit,” 1910
Economic Planner
FDR New Deal
Economic Planner
• This role greatly increased after the
“New Deal” of FDR.
• Makes decisions about the budget,
government spending, tax policy, etc.
Chief Administrator
• Directs government agencies
• Employs 3 million people to conduct
government businesses
Chief Citizen
• Representative of all people
• Works for and represents the public
interest