The Presidency AP Government Mr. Zach
Myth v. Reality: How powerful is the President? What powers does he have? How does his power compare to other world leaders? Are there limits on his powers? What is the public s perception of Presidential powers?
How They Got There Constitutional Qualifications: Natural Born Citizen At least 35 years old Lived in USA for at least 14 years. What do voters really want? 22 nd Amendment (1951) 2 terms or 10 years. Reaction to FDR s 4 terms in office. 25 th Amendment (1967) POTUS disability/death & VPOTUS vacancies
Vacancy in the VP. If VPOTUS slot is vacant, POTUS will nominate a new VPOTUS and both Houses of Congress will approve. Presidential disability. If POTUS is unable to complete his duties, VPOTUS will. Impeachment Roughly equivalent to indictment under criminal law. House can impeach for treason, bribery, & other high crimes & misdemeanors. Goes to Senate-Tries POTUS with Chief Justice of SCOTUS presiding. 2/3 vote can convict. What is impeachable: breaking law, covering up lawbreaking, not following articles of Constitution. Who has been impeached: A. Johnson, Clinton.
Presidential Powers The Constitution says.not much. Executive Power shall be vested in a President. POTUS power has grown greatly since the Founders. National Security Powers: Commander in Chief of armed forces Make treaties (2/3 of Senate must ratify) Nominate ambassadors (with Senate approval) Receive ambassadors from other nations, conferring recognition.
Legislative Powers: State of the Union Address Recommend legislation Convene both Houses of Congress in extraordinary situations Adjourn Congress if they can t agree on adjournment Veto legislation (2/3 of both Houses can override) Administrative Powers: Faithfully execute laws Nominate officials (with Senate approval) Request written opinions of admin officials Fill administrative vacancies during Congressional recesses
Judicial Powers Grant reprieves & pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment) Nominate federal judges (approved by Senate) Perspectives on Federal Power Imperial Presidency Makes use of all powers, creates new ones, dictates to Congress, goes around Congress. In recent years Powers of President grown dramatically through Executive Orders used by George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
The Vice President Qualifications Same as POTUS Constitutional Duties: Preside over Senate, vote in Senate in case of tie, help determine POTUS disability. Early Days: VPOTUS was unimportant, did almost nothing. Today: Policy initiatives, campaigns, pushes pet projects. Recent VPs: Walter Mondale: Carter s VP, adviser to Carter George H.W. Bush: Loyal to Reagan, backed up his policies Dan Quayle: Considered too young and inexperienced for the job Al Gore: very involved, from political family - environmentalist Dick Cheney: very experienced & involved - military Joe Biden: instrumental in foreign policy initiatives Mike Pence: works the members of Congress to support Pres. plans
The Cabinet Not in Constitution, but every POTUS has one. Origins: Washington had 3 Secretaries & Attorney General. Today: 14 Secretaries & Attorney General. Appointed by POTUS & approved by Senate. Role: Run their departments & advise POTUS. The Executive Office. Some created by Congress, some by POTUS National Security Council (NSC) Foreign & military policy advisors POTUS, VPOTUS, SecState, SecDefense, other informal members Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) 3 members appointed by POTUS Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Run by appointees, 600 employees; prepare POTUS budget, review legislation
The White House Over 600 staff working in White House Main Players: Chief of Staff: Gatekeeper to POTUS. Schedules meetings, gives political advice, manages staff, decided who gets in to see POTUS Press Secretary: Deals w/ press, press conferences Two styles of management that POTUS uses: Hierarchical Chief of Staff is boss, manages everyone Wheel & Spokes Aides have equal status and are balanced against each other.
The First Lady No official govt position or salary. Has office & staff Tends to focus on 1 issue and promote it. Betty Ford: Alcoholism Rosalyn Carter: Mental Health Nancy Reagan: Drugs, Just Say NO Barbara Bush: Literacy Hillary Clinton: No single issue, served as Advisor to POTUS; healthcare Laura Bush: Literacy Michelle Obama: Childhood obesity & exercise
Duties of POTUS Chief Legislator: Not in Constitution, but important to legislative process Honeymoon 1 st 100 days of Presidency; used to promote legislation Lame Duck Last 2-4 years POTUS can serve; if Congress opposes, can t do much Finalizing a bill: Veto Refuses to sign bill, does not become law; can be overridden by 2/3 of Congress Pocket Veto If Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill, he can let bill die by not signing or vetoing.
Chief of Party: Head of his party. Elections POTUS campaigns for party members in battleground states/districts Coattail Effect When voters vote for Congressional candidates of POTUS party because they support POTUS Mandates Strong electoral support for POTUS Gives perception voters strongly favor his policies & promises In off-year elections, POTUS party tends to lose Congressional seats.
Chief Diplomat: Only he can give diplomatic recognition to foreign ambassadors & states Commander-in-Chief: Head of military Crisis Manager: Tends to be foreign policy issues Working with Congress: Must work with Congress, but many times relationship is adversarial, even with own party.
How the press views him: Until LBJ, press worked with POTUS; now often against each other (love/hate relationship; they need each other) Much of relationship occurs thru press secretary and sets tone. 2 of Obama s press Secretaries, Robert Gibbs & Jay Carney argued with press, mocked & belittled them. Both have since resigned. Approval Ratings: Based on polls of job POTUS is doing. Most start high (honeymoon) & drop over the course of the term(s).
President Highest Approval Rating Lowest Approval Rating Bill Clinton 73% 36% George W. Bush 92% (9/11/2001) 19% Barack Obama 76% 39% and falling Average for Presidents 53% Average for 2 nd term 48% Last time Obama had 50% approval April 29-May 5 2013.