The President
and the Vice President
The Executive is composed of the President and Vice-President of the United
States
The most important job
in the world!
The Presidency was originally intended to be
of secondary importance to the U.S. Congress
and simply enforce their laws.
Constitutional Requirements
Must be at least 35 years old to become
president.
Must be a native-born American citizen
Must have been a resident of the United
States for at least 14 years.
Historical Trends
Race – Until the election of President
Obama, all presidents had been white.
Gender – All presidents have been males
Education – Most have had a college
education
Religion – Only John F. Kennedy was
Catholic
President – Barack Obama
Vice-President – Joe Biden
Presidential Elections
Presidential elections take place in years divisible by four years. For example, an
election was held in 2000, 2004, 2008, and another will be held in 2012.
THERE ARE NO POPULAR ELECTIONS – THE VOTING IS DONE THROUGH THE
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
The Real Ballot
When you vote for a president on the ballot
you have really chosen a list of electors who
have pledged to elect that candidate.
Electoral Votes
Each state receives electoral votes based
upon the number of seats they hold in the
Senate and House. DC also receives 3 for a
total of 538 electoral votes.
Winner Take All
Most states give all electoral votes to
whichever candidate wins a majority of the
popular election.
The Real Election
In December, the electors meet in the state
capitol and cast their ballots with the winner
needing 270 votes to win.
Term in Office
Originally, the Founding Fathers did not place a limit on the number of terms that a
person could serve as President but George Washington set a two-term precedent by
refusing to run for a third time and declaring it important to get “new blood” in the
office.
AFTER FDR WAS ELECTED TO FOUR TERMS IN OFFFICE THE 22ND AMENDMENT
WAS PASSED IN 1951 WHICH LIMITED THE NUMBER OF TERMS TO 2 AND 10
TOTAL YEARS IF THEY TAKE OVER THE PRESIDENTIAL TERM OF ANOTHER.
Salary and Benefits
The President currently receives a salary of $400,000 along with a travel expense
budget. He also lives in the White House with a staff of 80 people who care for their
family. They also have use of a presidential retreat in MD called Camp David, and
command of a fleet of special cars, helicopters, and Air Force One
The Vice President
“I am Vice President. In this I am
nothing, but I may become everything.”
John Adams
The Constitution only provides the Vice
President with the authority to break a tie in
the Senate but nine Vice Presidents have
replaced the President.
This makes the choice of a Vice President very
important.
CURRENT ORDER OF SUCCESSION
The Vice President Joseph Biden
Speaker of the House John Boehner
President pro tempore of the Senate1 Daniel
Inouye
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Attorney General Eric Holder
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen
Sebelius
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Shaun Donovan
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
8 PRESIDENTS HAVE DIED WHILE IN OFFICE
Article II of the U.S. Constitution
“Executive Power shall be vested in a President…”
The main responsibility of the United States President is to carry out, or
execute, the laws written by Congress.
Constitutional Powers
•Veto bills
•Call Congress into session
•Serve as Commander and
Chief of the armed forces
•Receive leaders of foreign
countries
•Make treaties with other
countries
•Appoint heads of executive
agencies, Supreme Court
justices, ambassadors, etc.
•Pardon or reduce the
penalties of people
convicted of federal crimes.
The State of the Union Address
Every year, the Constitution requires the President to give a State of the Union Address
which discusses the most important issues facing the nation, and describes new
legislation or programs he would like Congress to take up.
The Chief Executive
One of the most important roles of the president is to execute the laws
passed by the United States Congress.
Executive Orders
A rule or command made issued by the President of the United States that has the force
of law.
Presidential Appointments
The President also has the power to
appoint judges to the Supreme
Court and other federal courts.
Pardons, Reprieves, and Amnesty
Pardons - A declaration of which
declares forgiveness for a federal
crime
Reprieve - An order to delay a
person’s punishment until a higher
court can hear the case.
Amnesty - A pardon toward a group
of people.
The Chief Diplomat
The president is in charge of establishing the foreign policy positions of
the United States and makes key decisions in how the United States will
treat other countries of the world.
The Commander and Chief
The President is the top commander of the army, navy, air force, marines,
and coast guard with only the president able to order American soldiers
into war even though Congress has the power to declare war.
The Legislative Leader
The President is also in charge of submitting legislation to legislatures
and meeting with key senators and representatives in order to try and
convince them that they should support the legislation.
The Head of State
The President represents a living symbol of the nation and as a result
meets with visiting leaders and honors the traditions and ceremonies of
the nation.
The Economic Leader
Along with planning the federal budget, the President is expected to
insure that the unemployment rates, prices, and taxes remain low.
The Party Leader
The President is usually considered to be the party leader with party
members campaigning to help get him elected and the expectation that he
will do the same for them.