Chapter 13: The Presidency
Heads of State and Government
Head of State:
Ceremonial
Duties
 Head of
Government:
Policy Making
Authority

Queen Elizabeth
David Cameron
The
Presidents
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Article 2: “Executive
Powers to be Vested in
a president…”
Formal Requirements:
• Must be 35 years old
• Must have resided in U.S.
for 14 years
• Natural born citizen
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Informal
“Requirements”:
• White (except current
President)
• Male
• Protestant (except one)

Youngest
Youngest elected
Only Catholic
All manner of
professions, but mostly
political ones (former
state governors,
senators, for example)
History of the Presidency: Deliberations at
the Constitutional Convention

Alternatives
Plural executive, executive
council to have veto power
over presidential actions,
Alexander Hamilton
wanted a President with a
life term.
 Eventually, compromises
brought about a single,
elected President with a
fixed term of office.

History of the Presidency: Concerns of the
Founders.
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Fear of an excessively strong
President.
 Fear that the presidency would be
the “fetus of monarchy” (Edmund
Randolph).
 Concern over no term limits (no
22nd Amendment until 1950).
Fear of an excessively weak
President who would become a “tool
of the Senate” because of its
ratification and confirmation powers.
Gouverneur Morris: “Make him too
weak: the legislature will usurp his
powers. Make him too strong: he will
usurp the legislature.”
History of the Presidency: Election of
the President.
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Some wanted Congress to elect
the President
Some wanted direct election.
The compromise: the Electoral
College.
 The people had some input,
Large states had a good
amount of influence, Small
states would also have a
great deal of clout if the
election were thrown into the
House (and it was assumed
that this would happen often).
History of the Presidency: Term
of Office

Fear of an unlimited number of terms of
office were quieted when Washington
chose not to run for a third term. This
precedent was followed until 1940.
History of the Presidency
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The First Presidents: Washington-Monroe (17891825)
Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
Reemergence of Congress (1837-1932)
Emergence of the modern Presidency (1932present)
The Presidents

Elections: The Normal
Road to the White House
Once elected, the
president serves a
term of four years.
In 1951, the 22nd
Amendment limited
the number of terms to
two or ten years.
Most Presidents have
been elected to office.
The Presidents

Secession and
Impeachment
The Vice-President secedes if
the president leaves office due
to death or resignation or
convicted of impeachment
 New non-elected VP needs
approval from both houses
resigned
 Impeachment is
investigated by the House,
tried by the Senate with
the Chief Justice
presiding.
 Only two presidents have
been impeached: A.
Johnson & Clinton- neither
was convicted.

Presidential Line of Succession
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Office
Vice President of the United States
Speaker of the House
President pro tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security
Current Officer
Joe Biden (D)
John Boehner (R)
Orrin Hatch (R)
John Kerry (D)
Jack Lew (D)
Chuck Hagel (R)
Eric Holder (D)
Sally Jewell (D)
Thomas Vilsack (D)
Penny Pritzker (D)
Thomas Perez (D)
Sylvia Mathews-Burwell
(D)
Julian Castro (D)
Anthony Foxx (D)
Ernest Moniz (D)
Arne Duncan (D)
Robert McDonald (D)
Jeh Johnson (D)
Incomplete Terms
The Presidents

25th Amendment (1967)
Applies when the President is disabled or
otherwise unable to perform duties
 When possible- informs Congress and the
VP becomes the acting President
 If the President cannot inform Congress- the
VP and majority of the Cabinet can go to
Congress and get approval for VP to be
acting President
 President regains powers by informing
Congress of intent to return. In the case of
dispute- Congress determines who will be
President

Compensation
Set by Congress.
 Up until 2001, it was $200,000. Now it is
400,000
 Other “perks”
 Opportunity to make serious money after
leaving office (Speaking fees, books,
corporate boards)

Constitutional (Formal) Powers

Domestic
 Chief Legislator
 Veto bills
 State of the Union
Address
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Chief Executive
Chief Jurist
Chief Economist
Administrative
Nominations
Judicial Nominations
Inherent Powers
 Louisiana Purchase

Foreign/National
Security Commander-in-Chief of the
armed forces
 Chief Diplomat Make
treaties with other nations
(Chief Diplomat)
 Chief of State Receive
ambassadors (Head of
State)
Informal powers established over time:
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Presidential precedent
 Washington turning to a cabinet for advice
Actions of Congress - giving president power
 1965 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution v. War Powers Act.
Media’s use of the Bully Pulpit. Prez goes directly to the
people.
 Clinton in ‘97 budget freeze. . .Congress lost that battle.
Managing a Divided Gov’t- 16 of the 23 Congressional +
Prez elections since 1952 have produced divided gov’ts.
 George Bush’s administration of 2000 was only the 3rd
time since 1969 that ONE party controlled both the
WHite House and Congress, and the first time since
1953 that the Republicans ruled. . .and that lasted only
one year. WHY?
Informal Powers Cont.
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Chief of Party
 Selects party
chairman of national
committee
 Political patronage
Executive agreement
 a presidential
agreement with
another country that
does not require
Senate approval
Informal Powers Cont.

Executive order
 a presidential order that
has the force of law and
does not require
congressional approval
 Must be tied to
President’s
Constitutional powers
• Executive agencies,
commander-in-chief,
enforcement of laws, etc.

Can be overturned by
next administration and
subject to judicial review
The Executive Branch
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The Vice President
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Few official constitutional dutiesBecome President if needed and
President of the Senate
Often chosen based on state they
are from or filling in a weakness
gap
Recent presidents have given their
VPs important jobs- stepping
stone to Presidency?
The Cabinet

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Presidential advisors, not in
Constitution (can’t be in Congress)
Is made up of the cabinet
secretaries (14) of the federal
departments, confirmed by the
Senate
The Executive Branch
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5 others who hold Cabinet rank (OMB Director, CIA
Director, White House Counselor, UN Ambassador, US
Trade Rep.)
Cabinet officials are more interested in their own
departments than meeting with others to deal with
public policy
President’s can fire the Cabinet secretaries but have
almost no control of the >90% of civil service
employees in the departments (Sub-Cabinet positions)
Factors affecting selection of Cabinet Secretaries: Party
affiliation, interest groups, race, sex, geography
Running the Government:
The Chief Executive/Chief of
State
The Executive Office
Made up of several policymaking and advisory bodies
Three principle groups: NSC (coordinates foreign/military
policy), CEA (3-person advisory group on economic policy),
OMB (prepares annual budget and reviews federal programs)
Running the Government:
The Chief Executive/Chief of
The White House Office
State
The White House Staff
are the chief aides and
staff for the president.
 They are chosen on
the basis of their
loyalty to the
president- if not loyal
then find a new job!
 Need not be confirmed
 The national security
advisor is an example.
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First Lady and 3 Theories of
Presidential Access
First Lady
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No official government
position, but many get
involved politically
Recent ones focus on a
single issue
3 Theories
 Pyramid: President, VP,
Chief of Staff, etc.
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Circular: all have equal
access and power status
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Most President’s eventually
end up here
Reagan, Ike, Nixon
Carter, FDR
Ad hoc: If you are willing
and able, come on down!
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Alienates Cabinet but
allows for free flow of ideas
Presidential Leadership

How get others to follow 
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Act of Persuasion Constitution is vague on
what the President can do. .
.so great leaders get
creative --
Powers enhanced by:
national constituency  ceremonial head of state and party, at least in first
term. This can erode quickly
if one’s party deserts you
and others compete in the
primaries against you!
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Three target audiences
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DC political pundits - can one do the job?
Can one possess power- (charismatic
leadership)
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One gets 100 days to show your stuff! Make it
count because the “honeymoon is over.”
Partisan grassroots- Chief of Party- Be a
good Republican or Democrat
 Joe Public- Use the polls to your
advantage. TV spots are what you make
them. When you are hot, your legislation
flows, your fellow party people get reelected. (coat-tail effect)
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Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of Shared
 Chief Legislator
Powers
Veto: Sending a bill back to
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Congress with the reasons for
rejecting it. Can be overridden.
Pocket Veto: Letting a bill die by
not signing it in 10 days when
Congress is adjourned.
Line Item Veto: The ability to
veto parts of a bill. Some state
governors have it, but not the
president. The president must
sign or veto all of a bill.
Proposes Legislation
Calls special sessions of
Congress
Signing Statements
A signing statement is a
written message issued by
the president upon signing a
bill into law that states
objectives to some of the
provisions in the bill.
 They are not provided for in
the Constitution.
 Ronald Reagan increased
their use, and presidents after
have continued this trend.

Before Reagan,
only 75 had been
issued in our
history
Signing Statements Cont.
Power from the People:
The Public Presidency

Going Public
Public support is perhaps
the greatest source of
influence a president has.
 Presidential appearances
are staged to get the public’s
attention.
 As head of state, presidents
often perform many
ceremonial functions- which
usually result in favorable
press coverage.

Approval Ratings
Power from the People:
The Public Presidency

Presidential Approval
 Receives much effort
by the White House
 Product of many
factors: war, the
economy, the
“honeymoon” period
 Changes can highlight
good / bad decisions
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of
Shared Powers
Mandates
• Perception that the voters
strongly support the
president’s leadership and
policies
• Mandates are infrequent, but
presidents may claim a
mandate anyway
Approval Ratings
Presidential Leadership of
Congress: The Politics of
Shared Powers
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Legislative Skills
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Variety of forms: bargaining,
making personal appeals,
consulting with Congress,
setting priorities in the State of
the Union address.
Most important is bargaining
with Congress.
Presidents should use their
“honeymoon” period
Nation’s key agenda builder
The President and National
Security Policy
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Chief Diplomat
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Negotiates treaties with other
countries
Treaties must be ratified by the
Senate
Signs executive agreements to
take care of routine matters with
other countries
May negotiate for peace
between other countries
Leads U.S. allies in defense &
economic issues
The President and National
Security Policy
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Commander in Chief
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Writers of the
Constitution wanted
civilian control of the
military
Presidents often make
important military
decisions
Presidents command a
standing military and
nuclear arsenal
Presidents can deploy
troops without
congressional consent.
The President and National
Security Policy
 War Powers Resolution
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Constitution gives Congress
the power to declare war, but
presidents can commit troops
and equipment in conflicts
War Powers Resolution
requires the president to
consult with Congress before
sending troops, when possible
It requires that Congress
approve of any troop
commitment beyond 60 days.
Most presidents have ignored
it.
Supreme Court avoided it using
the political questions doctrine.
The President and National
Security Policy  Crisis Manager
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The role the president
plays can help or hurt the
presidential image.
With current technology,
the president can act
much faster than
Congress to resolve a
crisis.
Working with Congress
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President has lead role in
foreign affairs.
Presidents still have to
work with Congress for
support and funding of
foreign policies.
The President and the Press
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Presidents and media are often
adversaries.
Many people in the White House
deal with the media, but the press
secretary is the main contact
person
Media is often more interested in
the person, not the policies
News coverage has become more
negative