warm-up: 31L List 10+ things that you already know about the President of the United States? (Requirements, Characteristics, Historic Examples, etc.)
36L: warm-up What roles do you play each week? I am a,,,...
The Executive Branch EQ: What are the qualifications and characteristics of the POTUS?
Check out Article II of the Constitution! Glue to 36L. (d-h or d-br) -Underline qualifications -Circle powers (Or you can use 2 different colors--make a key.) -Then answer the questions at the bottom -
United States tree of government review and introduction Glue ¼ sheet to 35L.
The President Generally considered the most important job in the world Constitutional Qualifications At least 35 years old A native born American citizen A resident of the United States for at least 14 years However, if you really want to become President you must meet many other qualifications
Characteristics cont. Every American President had been a white male until Obama's election in 2008 All but one have been Protestant Christians Most have won elections before Most have been lawyers Most are from states with large populations (why?)
Term of Office No term limit at first- then there was F.D.R. and the 22nd amendment (1951) Salary: $400,000/yr plus money for expenses and travel White House: private movie theater, small gym, heated pool, bowling alley, staff of 80 Camp David, Air Force One, etc.
The Vice President Elected with the President Must meet same qualifications as Pres. I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may become everything. John Adams
Presidential Succession: 25th amendment (1967) Vice President Speaker of the House President Pro Tempore of the Senate Secretary of State Secretary of Treasury Secretary of Defense Attorney General Secretary of Interior
Presidential Elections Every 4 years- national election process (in years evenly divisible by the number 4) Constitution does not provide for the direct election of the President. Instead we have an indirect method called the ELECTORAL COLLEGE Each state appoints electors who then vote for one of the candidates Each state gets as many electoral votes as the total of its US Senators and Representatives Electoral College have 538 electors. Winner take all system Most have at least 270 votes to win
Roles of the President Chief Executive Chief Diplomat Commander in Chief Legislative Leader Head of State Economic Leader Party Leader Day as President
Constitutional Powers: Article II Carry out laws passed by Congress Veto bills Call Special sessions Commander in Chief of the armed forces Make treaties (with Senate approval) Appoint heads of executive agencies Pardon/reprieve people convicted of federal crimes Receive leaders from foreign countries State of the Union
The President s Job Frankly, being President is rather an unattractive business unless one relishes the exercise of power. That is a thing which has never greatly appealed to me. Warren Harding, 1921
You know, the President of the United States is not a magician who can wave a wand or sign a paper that will instantly end a war, cure a recession, or make a bureaucracy disappear. Gerald Ford, 1976
Role #1: Chief Executive -most important job: to carry out (execute) nation s laws + head of Cabinet (15) and 3 million civilians + Executive Order (rule that has force of law) + appointment power (federal courts, Cabinet, etc.), power to pardon/reprieve/amnesty
Role #2: Chief Diplomat -directs foreign policy (strategy), makes key decisions about how the U.S. acts towards other nations
Role #3: Commander-in-Chief -head of armed forces + army, navy, air force, marines, coast guard + Congress declares war, POTUS orders troops into battle + POTUS can send troops w/o declaration of war for 60 days (after that, action must be okayed by CongressWar Powers Act)
Role #4: Legislative Leader -has legislative program (suggests Congress) -POTUS makes speeches to build support/works with party leadership for legislative agenda
Role #5: Head of State -living symbol of the nation -greets/entertains foreign leaders -ceremonial duties: lighting national Christmas tree, awards medals, etc.
Role #6: Economic Leader -must present a plan for the Federal Budget (to be passed by Congress) -citizens expect POTUS to act on economic problems
Roles of the President skits Each group will be given a scenario that a President might face during his time in office Your group's job is to take the scenario and create a skit centered around the scenario-30 seconds to 1 minute You will then present your skit to the room As a class, we will guess which role of the president your skit represents.
Which role does this represent?