The Executive Branch 8/16/2009

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1 The Executive Branch Explain how political parties, interest groups, the media, and individuals can influence and determine the public agenda Describe the origin and the evolution of political parties and their influence. (See Grade 5 SS; USHG 9.1.2) Identify and explain the roles of various associations and groups in American politics (e.g., political organizations, political action committees, interest groups, voluntary and civic associations, professional organizations, unions, and religious groups) Explain the concept of public opinion, factors that shape it, and contrasting views on the role it should play in public policy Evaluate the actual influence of public opinion on public policy Explain the significance of campaigns and elections in American politics, current criticisms of campaigns, and proposals for their reform Explain the role of television, radio, the press, and the internet in political communication Evaluate, take, and defend positions about the formation and implementation of a current public policy issue, and examine ways to participate in the decision making process about the issue In making a decision on a public issue, analyze various forms of political communication (e.g., political cartoons, campaign advertisements, political speeches, and blogs) using criteria like logical validity, Identify and evaluate major foreign policy positions that have characterized the United States relations with the world (e.g., isolated nation, imperial power, world leader) in light of foundational values and principles, provide examples of how they were implemented and their consequences (e.g., Spanish- American War, Cold War containment) (See USHG 6.2; 7.2; 8.1.2; 9.2.1) Describe the process by which United States foreign policy is made, including the powers the Constitution gives to the president; Congress and the judiciary; and the roles federal agencies, domestic interest groups, the public, and the media play in foreign policy Evaluate the means used to implement U.S. foreign policy with respect to current or past international issues (e.g., diplomacy, economic, military and humanitarian aid, treaties, sanctions, military intervention, and covert action) Using at least two historical examples, explain reasons for, and consequences of, conflicts that arise when international disputes cannot be resolved peacefully. (See USHG 6.2.2; 7.2; 8.1.2; 9.2.2; WHG 7.2.1; 7.2.3; 8.1.2) 1

2 Objectives Describe how different political systems interact in world affairs with respect to international issues. (See USHG 6.2.4) Analyze the impact of American political, economic, technological, and cultural developments on other parts of the world (e.g., immigration policies, economic, military and humanitarian aid, computer technology research, popular fashion, and film). (See USHG 6.1.4; 8.2.1) Analyze the impact of political, economic, technological, and cultural developments around the world on the United States (e.g., terrorism, emergence of regional organizations like the European Union, multinational corporations, and interdependent world economy) Identify the purposes and functions of governmental and non-governmental international organizations, and the role of the United States in each (e.g., the United Nations, NATO, World Court, Organization of American States, International Red Cross, Amnesty International) Evaluate the role of the United States in important bilateral and multilateral agreements (e.g., NAFTA,Helsinki Accords, Antarctic Treaty, Most Favored Nation Agreements, and the Kyoto Protocol) Evaluate the impact of American political ideas and values on other parts of the world (e.g., American Revolution, fundamental values and principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) Using examples, explain the idea and meaning of citizenship in the United States of America, and the rights and responsibilities of American citizens (e.g., people participate in public life, know about the laws that govern society, respect and obey those laws, participate in political life, stay informed and attentive about public issues, and voting) Compare the rights of citizenship Americans have as a member of a state and the nation Objective Analyze the purposes, organization, functions, and processes of the executive branch as enumerated in Article II of the Constitution. 2

3 The President s Job Description Chief of State Chief Citizen Chief Executive Chief of Party Chief Administrator Chief Legislator Chief Diplomat Commander in Chief President s Job Description I. Formal Qualifications A. There are only three 1. Be a natural born Citizen 2. Be at least 35 years of age (JFK 43 and RWR was 69) 3. Have resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years 3

4 President s Job Description II. The President s Term A. Much debate 1. Four years 2. Two terms (since 1951) before it was tradition set by George Washington until FDR 3. No longer than Many people want 22 nd Amendment repealed President s Job Description III. Pay and Benefits A. Congress Determines Salary 1. Cannot be changed during a presidential term 2. Currently $400,000 (since 01) 4

5 Objectives 1. Explain how the Constitution provides for presidential succession. 2. Understand the constitutional provisions relating to the presidential disability. 3. Describe the role of the Vice President. 4. Define: presidential succession, balance the ticket President s Job Description I. Presidential Succession -vacancy is filled if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office by impeachment. 1. The Vice-President succeeds 2. No Constitutional provision for VP succession 5

6 Presidential Succession and the V.P. B. 25 th Amendment 1. VP becomes President 2. Congress fixes the order of succession following the VP 3. Presidential Succession Act of 1947 Presidential Succession 1. Vice President 2.Speaker of the House 3. President pro tempore of the Senate 4. Secretary of State 5. Secretary of the Treasury 6. Secretary of Defense 7. Attorney General 8. Secretary of the Interior 9. Secretary of Agriculture 10. Secretary of Commerce 11. Secretary of Labor 12. Secretary of Health and Human Services 13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 14. Secretary of Transportation 15. Secretary of Energy 16. Secretary of Education 17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs 19. Secretary of Homeland Security 6

7 Presidential Succession and the V.P. III. The Vice-Presidency A. Importance of the Office 1. Two formal duties: a. preside over the Senate b. to help decide the questions of presidential disability 2. 8 presidents have died in office, 1 resigned Presidential Succession and the V.P. B. Status of VP 1. Reasons not important a. the way the parties choose their candidates for office to balance the ticket -ideological, geographic, racial, ethnic, gender, or other characteristics the Presidential candidate lacks 7

8 Presidential Nomination II. Primaries A. party s voters (1) choose some or all of the State party organization s delegates to their party s national convention B. Hard to describe except on a state by state basis Presidential Nominations Background (Developed by political parties. Party committees makes arrangements for the convention. Generally the party out of power goes in July and the President's party goes in August. ) Democrats July, Denver Republicans Sept. 1-4 Minneapolis/St. Paul 8

9 Presidential Nomination IV. National Convention A. Accomplishes three things 1. Naming the Party s Presidential and VP candidates 2. Brining various factions and leading personalities in the party together for one common purpose 3. Adopting the party s platform it s formal statement of basic principles, stands on major policy matters and objective for the campaign and beyond. The Framers Plan for the Electoral College 1. Each state would have as many presidential electors as it has senators and representatives in Congress. 2. These electors would be chosen in eachstate in a manner the State legislature directed. 3. The electors, meeting in their own States, would each cast two votes-each for a different person for President. 4. These electoral votes from the States would be opened and counted before a joint session of Congress 5. The person receiving the largest number of electoral votes, (as long asit was a majority) would be President. 6. The person with the second highest number of electoral votes would become Vice President. 7.If a tie occurred, or if no one received the votes of a majority of the electors, the President would be chosen by the House of Representatives, voting by the States. 8. Ifa tie occurred for the second spot, the VP would be chosen by the Senate 9

10 II. Flaws The Election A. Winner of popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency B. Electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote C. Any election might have to be decided by the House of Representatives Question What is a 'bureaucracy'? In what contexts have you heard this term used?" 1a: a body of non-elective government officials; b: an administrative policymaking group; 2: government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority; 3: a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation)." 10

11 Reading The New Magic Bullet: Bureaucratic Imagination Answer questions while reading. Simulation The Cabinet YOUR TASKWashington, D.C. is and extremely competitive, political town and you must work hard to keep your agency an important part of government. It's the beginning of the legislative calendar and you must compete with other agencies and departments for a part of the budget and a high profile emphasis from the president. It is through his "bully pulpit" that you will garner support for the needs and programs of your department with Congress during the next year. It's up to you, as agency chief, to identify a pressing current issue before your department/and then post and prepare an option paper or presentation for the president. Explore possible courses of action to remedy this problem and the potential cost to accomplish the goals set forth in each course of action you are proposing to solve this pressing social problem. You may prepare charts, tables and graphs to explain your plans to the President. The following list of players and roles in this simulation are: the President (your teacher) who will listen to each report and consult with you in making his final decision based on the soundness of the proposals and the presenter's ability to defend the positions it is arguing. the Cabinet members who will advise the President on their number one problem/concern. 11

12 Process PROCESS You are a member to the President's Cabinet made up of the heads of the fourteen executive departments and the Ambassador to the United Nations. Your task is to advise the President on one "current" pressing problem or concern facing your department or post. You may meet informally with the other members of the Cabinet to brainstorm possible important issues for each one of the Cabinet posts. After you have reached some degree of consensus on the issue each of you will bring before the President, you can proceed to develop a presentation. Your advice to the President will take the form of an Action Plan with possible alternative courses of action to meet the budget constraints. The political situation in this simulation has the President of one party, a Congress of another party and the public opinion polls showing an overwhelming majority of the people favoring a government that maintains a balanced budget with no new taxes. Advice You must come prepared to advance your department/post's most pressing problem or concern in light of the budget constraints in today's political climate. The more information that you can gather on the problem or concern the more impact you will have in advancing your cause with the President and his executive team. (See the president's message accompanying this lesson.) To do a good job of achieving a favorable response from the President and his executive team, it will be important to investigate the current problems and concerns facing your department/post and select one that may have the President's interests at heart. Research the department/post using newspapers, news magazines and the Internet related to the stories that you uncover concerning problems and concerns. As a part of the government bureaucracy, you are always lobbying for more funds to accomplish the mission of your post. However, today's political climate is calling for smaller government that accomplishes more with less. It may be necessary to cut back your proposed action plans if the President and his team think that they are too expensive and/or too bureaucratic for today's political climate. 12

13 Evaluation Your grade will be dependent upon your careful preparation of your proposal and action plans in the cabinet meeting. Be prepared to demonstrate that you have the answers to the President's questions on your department/post problem or concern. Your data should validate your presentation's suggestions. Conclusion After all the cabinet members have made their reports and the President with the advice of his/her executive team has made the final decision, the class will critique the presentations as to which ones were most persuasive. The class will also judge the realistic aspects of the meeting and the proposals, which were made in this mock cabinet meeting. 13

14 Objectives 1. Explain why Article II of the Constitution can be describe as an outline. 2. List several reasons for the growth of presidential power. 3. Explain how Presidents own views have affected the power of the office. 4. Define: executive article, mass media, imperial presidency The Growth of Presidential Power I. Article II Executive Article The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United stats of America A. Sketchy Description 1. Article II is almost like an outline. 2. Really comes down to how executive power is defined. 3 14

15 Objectives 1. Identify the source of the President s power to execute federal law. 2. Define the ordinance power, and explain where it comes from. 3. Explain how the appointing power works. 4. Summarize the historical debate over the removal power. 5. Define: oath of office, executive order, ordinance power The Executive Powers I. Executing the Law A. As Chief Executive it is the President's job to enforce, administer and carry out federal law. B. Congress will write a law but who carries it out? Often it is the cabinet positions that fulfill details of the law. i.e. Immigration US Citizenship and Immigration Service 15

16 The Executive Powers II. The Ordinance Power A. President must administer all the departments, bureaus, office, boards, commissions, etc. 2.7 million people staff these agencies B. Executive Orders 1. is a directive, rule or regulation that has the effect of law 2. comes from ordinance power: not written in so many words but is implied by the Constitution and acts of Congress The Executive Powers III. Appointment Power A. Appointees 1. The President names most of the top-ranking officers of the federal government including: a. ambassadors and other diplomats b. cabinet members and their top aides c. the heads of such independent agencies like the EPA d. all federal judges, US marshals, and attorneys e. all officers in the armed forces 16

17 IV. Removal Power The Executive Powers A. Historical Debate 1. President can remove anyone he appoints to office from office except for Federal Judges. 2. Some argue this is wrong 17

18 Objectives 1. Explain how treaties are made and approved. 2. Explain why and how executive agreements are made. 3. Summarize for what purposes the power of recognition is use, and give historic examples. 4. Describe the powers that the President has in the role of commander and chief 5. Define: treaty, executive agreement, recognition, persona non grata Diplomatic and Military Powers I. Power to Make Treaties A. Treaty 1. Defined: a formal agreement between two or more sovereign states. 2. President negotiates through Secretary of State 3. Requires 2/3 vote of Senate (does not ratify) 18

19 Diplomatic and Military Powers II. Executive Agreement A. Defined 1. It is a pact between the President and the head of a foreign stat, or between their subordinates. B. Approval 1. Does not require Senate consent Diplomatic and Military Powers III. Power of Recognition A. What is it? 1. When the President receives the diplomatic representatives of another sovereign state 2. Can be used as a weapon or a tool B. What it isn t 1. Doesn t mean we agree with the country C. What we can do 1. persona non grata recall an ambassador or diplomatic representatives in this country they are unwelcome, used to show displeasure with the person or the nation 19

20 Diplomatic and Military Powers IV. Commander in Chief A. Making Undeclared War 1. Using armed forced abroad in combat w/o declaration of war B. Congressional Resolutions 1. Congress has not declare war since WWII 2. Since then 8 times enacted joint resolutions to authorize the President to met with international crises with military force Objectives 1. Describe the President's two major legislative powers, and explain how these powers are important part of the system of checks and balances 2. Describe the President's major judicial powers. 3. Define: line-item veto, reprieve, pardon, clemency, commutation, amnesty 20

21 Legislative and Judicial Powers I. Legislative Powers A. Recommending Legislative 1. Called the message power 3xs a year the President sends a message to Capital hill a. State of the Union message b. Budge message c. Annual Economic Report Legislative and Judicial Powers II. Judicial Powers 1. reprieve the postponement of the execution of a sentence 2. pardon legal forgiveness of a crime (these powers are absolute except for impeachment) 3. commutation reduce the length 4. amnesty blanket pardon to a group of violators (Mormons who violated antipolygamy laws) 5. clemency mercy or leniency 21

The Presidency in Action

The Presidency in Action SECTION 1 THE GROWTH OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER CHAPTER 14 The Constitution s Executive Article, Article II, gives the President some specific powers (see chart below), but it gives