THE PRESIDENCY
REQUIREMENTS
• 35 years old, Natural Born Citizen, Resident of
the U.S. for 14 years
All Presidents have been WASPs,
but for JFK (Roman Catholic) and
Barack Obama (African-American)
PRESIDENTIAL AMENDMENTS
• 22ND (1951): 2 Term limit
• 25th (1967): Presidential Succession/Disability
• The Constitution and Federal law have ranked
the order of succession:
– Vice-President
– Speaker of the House
– President Pro Tempore of the Senate
– Cabinet Secretaries in order of dep’t. creation
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS
PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS
VS.
PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEMS
PRESIDENT
PRIME MINISTER
• elected by Electoral
College/popular vote
• Regular election cycle,
limited terms
• Can face divided gov’t.
(majority party in legislature
from opposite party)
• Increased separation of
powers
• Selected by legislature
• Irregular/spontaneous
election cycle, indefinite
terms
• Never face divided gov’t.
(PMs are selected from the
majority party in the
legislature)
• Decreased separation of
powers (PM selected from
Parliament)
WHY A PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM?
As evidenced in many ways in the
Constitution, the Founders were
“more concerned with the
abuse of power than its
effective use.”
EVOLUTION of the EXECUTIVE
From Chief Bureaucrat to the Imperial
Presidency
• T. Jefferson: 1st leader of mass political party
• Andrew Jackson: ‘the people’s president’;
neglect of Supreme Court order in Worcester
v. Georgia
• A. Lincoln: mobilized for Civil War; expansion
of wartime powers
• T. Roosevelt: used the ‘Bully Pulpit’ to
implement Progressivism and foreign policy
• T.R. & W. Wilson: managers of the economy
• Eisenhower: imposition of Federal rule in
desegregation/Little Rock, Arkansas
• R. Nixon: cited ‘inherent powers’ of the
Presidency (“it’s not illegal when the President
does it”) and Executive Privilege to obstruct
Watergate investigation (IRS audits, phone
taps, break-ins of those on enemies list)
• G.W. Bush & B. Obama: expansion of executive
powers as necessary to fight terrorism
ROLES OF THE PRESIDENT
1. CHIEF EXECUTIVE
– Presides over the administration of government
– “take care that the laws are faithfully executed”
– “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
faithfully execute the Office of President of the
United States, and will to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of
the United States.”
To Assist the President …
• Vice-President
– President of the Senate (breaks ties)
– Succeeds Pres. In times of disability/death
– Pres.’s representative
– Fund Raiser
– “Hatchet Man”
The Cabinet
• Advisors to the President
• Appointed by Pres. with consent of Senate
• Originally: State, War, Treasury, & Attorney
General
• 15 cabinet departments today
The Executive Office
• Est. 1939
• National Security Council: foreign & military
policy
– Pres., V-P, Sec’y of State, Sec’y of Defense, NSA
• Council of Economic Advisors: economic policy
• Office of Management & Budget: prepare
Pres.’s budget