President
Recent US Presidents: A Survey
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Who succeeded JFK in 1963?
 Lyndon Johnson
 Andrew Johnson
A movie-star turned President
 JFK
 Ronald Reagan
President who had served as ambassador to
Mainland China
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Harry Truman
George H. W. Bush
Richard Nixon
Recent US Presidents: A Survey
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President who had been a law professor
 Jimmy Carter
 Bill Clinton
 George W. Bush
His counterpart in the United Kingdom today
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Prime Minister Tony Blair
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen and Prime Minister
President of the United Kingdom
The maximum time President can serve
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4 years
8 years
10 years
What does the President look like?
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He does not look like majority of the nation
President has been someone who is
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male
Caucasian
Protestant
Much older than 35 (average 54)
US citizen at the time of election
Well-educated
Well-to-do
Trained in legal professional
Who can become President?
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Article II, Section 1, Constitution
 A natural born citizen
 35 years of age
 14 years residence in the U.S.
Which one of the following is not eligible for being
President?
 Someone born of American parents, but in a
foreign country
 Someone born of Canadian parents, but in the US
Who can become President?
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Article II, Section 1, Constitution
 A natural born citizen
 35 years of age
 14 years residence in the U.S.
Can he run for President?
Presidential Election
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Presidential primaries
 Election to choose the party’s candidates
Party national conventions
 Time to formally nominate the party’s president
and vice-president candidates
General Election
 Voters vote for president indirectly
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Voters cast ballots for presidential electors
Electors then vote for P and VP in the electoral
college
Majority vote in the college determine the winner
House of Representatives decide if no winner
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief of State (head of state)
as chief of state, President symbolizes the
“dignity & majesty” of the American
people
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Foreign counterpart
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief of State (head of state)
as chief of state, President symbolizes the
“dignity & majesty” of the American people
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Foreign counterpart
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Queen of UK
Emperor of Japan
Presidents of France, China, Russia
Ceremonial functions of President
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Decorating war heroes
Officiating the opening of baseball season
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief of State (head of state)
 Ceremonial functions of President
 Dedicating
parks and post offices
 Receiving foreign heads of state
 Visiting foreign countries
 Making personal calls to astronauts
 Representing the nation at times of
national mourning
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief Executive (Head of government)
 Foreign
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counterpart
Prime ministers of UK, France, China, ….
 Executive
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powers
Seek advise from department heads
Nominate and appoint officers/officials
Sign & issue Executive Orders
 “Don’t ask and don’t tell” order (1993)
Enforce laws, rulings and int’l obligations
Supervise and lead a federal executive
bureaucracy of 2.7 million employees
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief Executive (Head of government)
 Foreign
counterpart
 Executive powers
 Powers of Appointment and Removal
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Most government positions are filled by civil
service employees
President nominates some 5,332 positions
President can remove appointed officials
confirmed by Senate (1926, Supreme Court
ruling)
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief Executive (Head of government)
 Foreign
counterpart
 Executive powers
 The Powers of Appointment and Removal
 The Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons
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Grant reprieves and pardons except in cases of
impeachment
 Controversial Presidential pardons
Gerald Ford: Richard Nixon
Bill Clinton: Marc Rich
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief Executive
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As a legislator
Call Congress into special sessions
 Report to Congress on the state of the
union
 Submit legislative proposals
 Approve or veto legislations
 Sign legislative bills into law
 Veto & pocket veto bills
 Ignore a controversial bill
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Exercise line-item veto (1996-1998)
Constitutional Roles of President
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As a legislator: Total Use of Veto
President
Truman
Eisenhower
# Used
250
181
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
21
30
43
Ford
Carter
Reagan
Bush
66
31
78
44
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief Executive
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As a chief diplomat
Constitutional Roles of President
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Chief Executive
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As a head diplomat
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Represent the U.S. abroad
Make & execute a foreign policy that safeguards US
national interests
Supervise the execution of U.S. international obligations
Conduct diplomacy and maintain international relations
Coordinate with foreign states and organizations in int’l
crises
Receive foreign ambassadors
Extend diplomatic recognition to foreign states
Negotiate and sign international treaties
Negotiate and sign executive agreements
Constitutional Roles of President
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President Nixon as a Head Diplomat
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The Start of Nixon’s Administration 1969
US & the World in 1969
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Soviet global expansion
Over-extension of US overseas commitment
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US forces in W Europe
US forces in Korea
US forces in Japan
US forces in Vietnam
Vietnam War & war protest at home
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“withdraw from Vietnam with honor”
Vietnamization to end US involvement
Constitutional Roles of President
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President Nixon as a Head Diplomat
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The Start of Nixon’s Administration 1969
US & the World in 1969
Nixon’s New Foreign Policy
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Explore relations with Communist China
 Rise of Communist China as a major power
center
 Communist China in bitter conflict with
USSR
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Communist China, a major supporter of North
Vietnam
Constitutional Roles of President
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President Nixon as a Head Diplomat
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Nixon’s China Initiative: a dangerous gamble
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Communist China, target of US containment in E Asia
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A Communist state
 Extremely anti-American and anti-West
 A party to the Korean War
 Aggressively supporting leftist regimes &
armed rebels world-wide
 Sought the demise of capitalist West
American public
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Knew little about China
 Except fortune cookies
Constitutional Roles of President
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President Nixon as a Head Diplomat
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Nixon’s China Initiative: a dangerous gamble
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American public
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Knew little about China
 Except fortune cookies
Anti-Communist sentiments
 Red Scare in the 1950s
 McCarthyism
 “China Lobby” & friends of “Free China”
American existing commitment
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US support of the Chinese government in Taipei
US support of anti-Communist regimes in Asia
US long-time position against Communist China
Constitutional Roles of President
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President Nixon as a Head Diplomat
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Nixon’s China Initiative: a dangerous gamble
Execution of Nixon’s China’s Initiative
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Nixon made China’s initiative a top secret task
Nixon sent signals to Beijing
Nixon backed secret communications with
Beijing
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Through Pakistan
Through Romania
Nixon personally in charge
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Congress not aware of it
Vice President was told to be quiet
American allies & friends not aware of it
Constitutional Roles of President
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President Nixon as a Head Diplomat
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Nixon’s China Initiative: a dangerous gamble
Execution of Nixon’s China’s Initiative
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Kissinger & Marco Polo Plan
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First US officials’ visit to Communist China
Laying the ground work for Nixon’s trip to
Beijing
Nixon’s TV announcement
Significance
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Détente with USSR
US-China ‘alliance’ against Moscow
US withdrawal from Vietnam (1973)
Constitutional Roles of President
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President as Commander in Chief
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President is the civilian leader of the armed
forces
President has long been assertive in military
decision-making
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President William McKinley & US troops into
Beijing (1900)
President Truman & Hiroshima/Nagasaki
President Truman & Korean War
President Kennedy & Cuban Missile Crisis
President Johnson & bombing of N Vietnam
Constitutional Roles of President
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President as Commander in Chief
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President has long been assertive in military
decision-making
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President Nixon & Invasion of Cambodia
(1970)
Presidential Power Questioned
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The War Powers Resolution (1973)
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President must notify Congress within 48 hours
when sending troops overseas
President must pull back troops within 60 days
unless Congress agrees to extension
Constitutional Roles of President
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President as Commander in Chief
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President has long been assertive in military
decision-making
Presidential Power Questioned
After the War Powers Resolution
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US troops to Lebanon & Grenada (1983)
Air-raid on Tripoli (1985)
Invasion of Panama (1989)
US troops to Somalia (1992)
US troops to Haiti (1994)
Missile attack on a Sudanese chemical plant (1998)
Aid raid on Serbia (1999)
Presidential Powers in Summary
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Constitutional Power
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A power vested in the president by Art. II of
the Constitution
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Chief executive
Commander in chief
Statutory Power
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A power created for the president thru laws
made by Congress
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Line-item veto power to President (Line-item Veto
Act, 1996)
Presidential Powers in Summary
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Constitutional Power
Statutory Power
Expressed Power
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A constitutional or statutory power of the
president that is expressly written into the
Constitution and into statutory laws.
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Constitutional power + statutory power
Inherent Power
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Power derived from presidential power in laws
and constitution
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President’s power to send troops overseas
President’s power to recognize foreign states
Presidential Powers in Summary
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Inherent Power
Emergency Power
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Inherent power or derived power
Power exercised by the president in times of
extraordinary situations
 US v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp (1936)
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FDR ordered arms embargo against 2 warring
states in S America without Congressional
authorization
Lincoln’s suspension of civil liberties (1861)
Truman seizure of steel plants (1952) to
safeguard steel supply in times of strike
Presidential Powers in Summary
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Inherent Power
Emergency Power
Executive Privilege
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An inherent executive power concerning the
need of the president or his executive officials
to refuse to appear before, or to withhold info
from, Congress or the courts.
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President Bush refused to allow Homeland Security
Sec Tom Ridge to testify before Congress
President Bush refused to share info about Dick
Cheney’s chairing an energy policy task force
Nixon’s use of the power to withhold tapes foiled
Clinton refused testimony by presidential guards
The Executive Organization
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The Growth of the President’s Office
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George Washington answered most of his
mails
First private secretary authorized by Congress
(1857) & paid by federal government
Woodrow Wilson typed most of his
correspondence
FDR in 1933 had total staff of 37 people
FDR appealed to Congress to increase White
House staff (1937)
Today’s White House=600 staff
The Executive Organization
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The Cabinet
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No constitutional status
Members of the Cabinet
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Cabinet: a formal source of information
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Secretaries of various departments
National security advisor
Ambassador to the UN
Yet, it often rubberstamps president’s decisions
“Kitchen cabinet”
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A group of close friends and advisors who serve as
an informal source of information to the President
The Executive Organization
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The Executive Office of the President
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Created in 1939 by FDR thru an executive
order authorized by Reorganization Act
Consisting of 11 staff agencies that assist the
president in carrying out major duties
11 Offices
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The White House Office
Council of Economic Advisers
National Security Council
Council on Environmental Quality
Office of Management and Budget
The Executive Organization
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The Vice President Office
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Purposes of the Office
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Succeed in case of resignation, death, or
incapacitation
Preside over Senate & cast a tie-breaking vote
When Vice Presidency Becomes Vacant
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25th Amendment (1967)
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President nominates & majority vote of both houses
Succession Act of 1947
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If both President & Vice President die, Speaker of
House shall succeed
 President pro tem of Senate
 Secretary of State
The Executive Organization
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The First Lady
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Ceremonial portion of the Presidency
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Greeting foreign dignitaries, visiting foreign countries,
and attending important ceremonies
Not subject to media scrutiny and partisan attack
A symbol of the nation
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Hillary Clinton: a symbol or a politician?
Political Resources of the
Presidential Power
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Election
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Party
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Landslide victory
Narrow electoral results
President of a majority party
President of a minority party
Media
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Use of media to support a program
Use of media to aspply pressures
Use of media for election purposes
Political Resources of the
Presidential Power
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Election
Party
Media
Public Opinion
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Shape public opinion
Follow public opinion when necessary
Mass popularity
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Use of high approval rating
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To pressure Congress
To make policy initiatives