Chapter 7: The Executive Branch

Section 1: The President and Vice President

  1. The Office of the President
  2. Requirements
  3. At least 35 years old
  4. A native born American citizen
  5. A resident of the United States for at least 14 years
  6. Characteristics of Presidents
  7. All but one have been white males
  8. All but one have been Protestant Christians
  9. Most won elections before
  10. Most have had a college education
  11. Many have been lawyers
  12. Most came from states with large populations
  13. Changes in the recent past
  14. John Kennedy became the first Catholic president in 1960
  15. Geraldine Ferraro first female vice presidential candidate in 1984 for the Democratic Party
  16. Sarah Palin became the first vice presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2008
  17. Joseph Lieberman became the first Jewish candidate for vice presidency in 2000 for the Democrat
  18. Barack Obama becomes the first bi-racial president in 2008
  19. Presidential Elections
  20. Take place every 4 years (all election years are easily divisible by 4)
  21. The Constitution didn’t provide for direct election for president
  22. The electoral college system was set up instead
  23. Each state appoints electors that cast votes for one of the major candidates
  24. Electoral College System
  25. Each state has as many electoral votes as it has senators and representatives
  26. 538 Electors in total
  27. In almost every state, it’s winner take all (regardless of the popular vote, the candidate will get all that state’s electoral votes)
  28. Small states with this type of system can decide the outcome of the election
  29. Other states split up their electoral votes by the percentage that the candidate wins in that state (easy example: a state with 100 electoral votes splits up their electoral votes 60 for one candidate and 40 for the other because the first candidate won 60% of the popular vote in that state)
  30. Terms of Office
  31. Presidents serve 4 year terms
  32. Originally there were no limits on how many terms a president could serve
  33. George Washington served 2 terms, then refused a third term (no other president would serve more than 2 terms until Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940)
  34. FDR ran and won a third term in 1940 and then in 1944, ran again and won a fourth term)
  35. The Twenty-Second Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits each president to 2 elected terms in office, or a maximum of 10 years if the presidency began during another president’s term
  36. Salary and Benefits
  37. $400,000 annually
  38. Expenses and travel money is thrown in as well
  39. President lives and works in the White House
  40. Over 80 domestic staff members (some Secret Service Agents) takes care of the President and his family
  41. President has use of Camp David, a mountain retreat, about 60 miles north of Washington
  42. To go, it commands a fleet of special cars, helicopters and airplanes
  43. For long trips, the president use Air Force One, a specially equipped jet
  44. The Vice President
  45. Elected with the president through the electoral college
  46. Qualifications the same as the presidents
  47. Constitution gives little authority to the Vice President
  48. Presides over the Senate and can vote in the case of a tie
  49. If the president dies or is removed from office, falls seriously ill or resigns from office, the vice president becomes president
  50. Secret Service
  51. The Secret Service was established as a law enforcement agency in 1865. While most people associate the Secret Service with presidential protection, its original mandate was to investigate the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, a mission the Secret Service is still mandated to carry out.
    Today the agency's primary investigative mission is to safeguard the payment and financial systems of the United States. This has been historically accomplished through the enforcement of counterfeiting statutes to preserve the integrity of United States currency, coin and financial obligations.
    Since 1984, the Secret Service's investigative responsibilities have expanded to include crimes that involve financial institution fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification documents, access device fraud, advance fee fraud, electronic funds transfers and money laundering as it relates to the agency's core violations.
  52. Only world leader protection service that’s first duty is to give their life for the protection of the leader
  53. Also protects(the Secretary of Homeland Security can extend the protection time):
  54. First Lady– unless she divorces or remarries
  55. Ex-presidents and spouses; lifetime
  56. Ex-Vice presidents and spouses; up to 6 months after leaving office
  57. Visiting world leaders (and the special cases like the Pope)
  58. Children of the president and ex-presidents – until the age of 16 or 10 years after the president leaves office
  59. Candidates for office of the president – within 120 days of the general presidential election; instituted after Robert Kennedy was assassinated running for president
  60. All those in the line of succession to the president
  61. Special Events – Summits, Olympic Games, Super Bowl
  62. They can voluntarily give up protection after leaving office
  63. Presidential Succession
  64. 1841 Benjamin Harrison becomes the first president to die in office
  65. No one was really sure what role the vice president’s was
  66. Vice President John Tyler declared himself president, took the oath of office and fulfilled Harrison’s term
  67. 8 other presidents have taken over the presidency following the death or resignation of a president
  68. Presidential Succession Act
  69. (See Chart page 211)
  70. 1947, Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act
  71. Know the first 7 for a test
  72. Twenty-fifth Amendment
  73. Ratified in 1967, says if the president dies or leaves office, the vice president becomes president
  74. New president chooses another vice president
  75. Has to be approved by both the House and Senate
  76. Also, gives the vice president a role in determining whether a president is disabled and unable to do the job
  77. Vice president would become acting president until the president is able to go back to work
  78. Used only 3 times (Know for the test)
  79. 1973 – Spiro Agnew, vice president resigns (to go to jail), Nixon appoints Gerald Ford
  80. 1974 – Richard Nixon resigns, Ford becomes president, appoints Nelson Rockefeller to vice president
  81. 1985 – Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery thus unable to carry out duties (for 8 hours or so), George Bush becomes acting president

Section 2: The President’s Job

  1. Constitutional Powers
  2. President is a symbol of both the federal government and the United States
  3. Most powerful public official in the United States
  4. Duties of the President
  5. Veto bills passed in Congress
  6. Call Congress into special session
  7. Serve as Commander in Chief of the armed forces
  8. Military is divided into 5 major units
  9. Decides how to deploy troops stationed around the world
  10. Receive leaders and other officials of foreign countries
  11. Make treaties with other countries (with Senate approval)
  12. Appoint heads of executive agencies, federal court judges, ambassadors and other top government officials (with Senate approval)
  13. Pardon people convicted of federal crimes
  14. Other Duties
  15. Give a state of the Union to Congress each year
  16. President discusses the most important issues facing the nation
  17. Roles of the President
  18. Chief Executive
  19. Carry out the nations laws
  20. In charge of 15 cabinet departments and 15,000,00 workers
  21. With Senate approval, the president appoints the heads of cabinet departments and other large government agencies
  22. Use of Executive Orders
  23. Executive order – is a rule or command that has the force of law
  24. Many deal with simple administrative problems
  25. Some have great influence, ie. Truman’s 1948 executive order to integrate the armed forces
  26. Power of Appointment
  27. Power to appoint Supreme Court justices and federal court judges
  28. Most presidents appoint those with judges with similar views
  29. Can pardon or free people from punishment
  30. Can issue reprieves to delay punishment until a higher court can hear a case
  31. Can grant amnesty, or a pardon toward a group of people
  32. Chief Diplomat
  33. Directs foreign policy, or strategy, of the US, how we’ll act towards other countries in the world
  34. Commander in Chief
  35. The ability to back up foreign policy decisions with force if necessary
  36. In charge of the army, navy, air force, marines and coast guard
  37. President shares with Congress the power to make war
  38. Congress is the only entity that can declare war
  39. President can send troops into action (150 times since 1789)
  40. After Vietnam in 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution
  41. President must notify Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into battle
  42. If Congress doesn’t give approval (declaration of war or another resolution), they must be brought home after 60 days
  43. Nuclear responsibilities
  44. Nuclear “football” information
  45. Concepts of nuclear deterrence
  46. War Games movie clip -
  47. iPad apps: Just Nuke It 2 and Nuke effects
  48. Legislative Leader
  49. Works with Senators and Reps to build support for legislative programs
  50. Appoints staff members to work closely with members of Congress
  51. Appeals directly to the American public
  52. Some problems arise because the President represents the American public as a whole while Congressman/woman represent only the people of their states or districts; Also can arise due to the term limits of presidents and the unlimited time that Congressmen/women have, especially when Congress doesn’t see the urgency of a program
  53. Head of State
  54. A living symbol of the nation (not a flag or an eagle)
  55. Meets and greets important foreign leaders
  56. functions (lighting the national Christmas tree, pinning medals on soldiers, laying the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)
  57. Economic Leader
  58. Plans the federal government’s budget
  59. What programs need to be supported and which need cut
  60. Party Leader
  61. Is the leader of their political party
  62. Gives speeches for those in their party who are running for election/re-election
  63. Helps the party raise money

Section 3: Making Foreign Policy

  1. The President and Foreign Policy
  2. A nation’s plan for dealing with other nations is called its foreign policy
  3. The president directs that, making key decisions about the relations that the US has with other countries
  4. The primary goal is national security, the ability to keep our country safe from attack or harm
  5. Another goal is international trade
  6. Trade with other countries is vital to our economic prosperity
  7. Creates more markets for our products and jobs for our workers
  8. Third goal is promoting world peace
  9. It disrupts trade and puts our national security at risk
  10. Fourth goal is promote democracy around the world
  11. Promoting democracy and civil rights encourages peace
  12. Foreign Policy Bureau
  13. State Department
  14. Defense Department
  15. Central Intelligence Agency
  16. National Security Council
  17. President and assistants
  18. All assist the president with foreign policy by carrying out decisions of the president and giving valuable information
  19. President though must make the final decision
  20. Congress v. the President
  21. Congress had much control until after World War 2
  22. Congress got some back in the late 1960’s and after the Vietnam War
  23. President Bush started to take much back with the War on Terror in 2001
  24. Tools of Foreign Policy
  25. Methods of carrying out foreign policy
  26. Creating treaties
  27. Appointing ambassadors
  28. Directing foreign aid, international trade and military forces
  29. Treaties and Executive Orders
  30. Formal agreements between 2 countries are called treaties
  31. Some are based on defense
  32. NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
  33. US, Canada, and European nations
  34. Senate must approve treaties by a 2/3 vote
  35. President can bypass Senate with an executive agreement – agreement between the president and another nation’s leader (usually routine matters)
  36. Appointing Ambassadors
  37. An ambassador is an official representative of a country’s government
  38. President appoints about 150 ambassadors
  39. Only sent to countries that are officially recognized as legally existing
  40. Foreign Aid
  41. Money, food or military assistance to help other countries
  42. Example is the Marshall Plan – created to help Western Europe after World War 2
  43. International Trade
  44. President can make agreements with other nations about what products can be traded and the rules for trading them
  45. Sometimes trade sanctions are installed, these punish other nations by imposing trade barriers
  46. Another tool to punish is an embargo, where an agreement of a group of nations prohibits them from trading with a specific country
  47. Congress plays a role in trade by instituted things like tariffs, or taxes, on imported goods
  48. They also get membership for our country in international trade group organizations like NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and WTO (World Trade Agreement)
  49. Military Force
  50. Sometimes used to carry our foreign-policy decisions
  51. 1794 – George Washington ordered troops to put down the Whiskey Rebellion
  52. 1998 – Bill Clinton launches cruise missiles at terrorist facilities in Afghanistan and Sudan
  53. 2003 – George Bush invades Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power

Section 4: Presidential Advisors and Executive Agencies

  1. Organization of the Federal Branch
  2. Organized like a pyramid
  3. Currently 2,000 employees
  4. Budget is more than $100,000,000
  5. The Executive Office
  6. 500 people, 10 or 12 very close advisors
  7. Most powerful is the Chief of Staff
  8. Also, deputy chief of staff and press secretary
  9. Management and Budget
  10. Prepares the federal budget and monitors the spending of hundreds of government agencies
  11. National Security Council
  12. Helps the president direct military and foreign policy
  13. Includes: president, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff (includes the top commander from each of the armed services)
  14. Supervises the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  15. Other Offices
  16. The Cabinet
  17. Group of presidential advisors that include the heads of the 14 top-level executive departments
  18. Head of Department of Justice is the Attorney General
  19. All other Department heads are called Secretaries
  20. Department of Homeland Security
  21. Created on November 25, 2002
  22. Developed to improve the nation’s defense against terrorism and coordinate counterterrorism intelligence
  23. Cabinet Responsibilities
  24. Advise the president on issues related to their departments
  25. Started with George Washington; began meeting with the Attorney General, Secretaries of War, State and Treasury
  26. Must be approved by the Senate
  27. President determines when and if they meet and can take or ignore their advice
  28. Vice President and First Lady
  29. Very few have had any power
  30. Al Gore was a close advisor to Bill Clinton on environmental issues
  31. Dick Cheney advised George Bush on foreign policy issues
  32. First Ladies have no power and no mention in the Constitution
  33. Eleanor Roosevelt worked for the young and disadvantaged
  34. Nancy Reagan spoke out on drug abuse prevention
  35. Hillary Clinton worked to improve health care for all Americans
  36. Laura Bush promoted education and reading
  37. The Federal Bureaucracy
  38. Hundreds of agencies that deal with thousands of issues (standards for hot dogs to running the space agency)
  39. 3 million employees
  40. The agencies and the employees are collectively known as the federal bureaucracy
  41. The Federal Bureaucracy in Action
  42. Regulatory Functions
  43. Agencies regulate various activities by the authority given by Congress
  44. Regulate: TV, radio, labor unions, banks, airlines, nuclear power plants, etc.
  45. Help shape government policies
  46. Independent Agencies
  47. Executive Agencies
  48. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
  49. Government Corporations
  50. Like a private business but the government owns and runs them
  51. Charge fees for their goods and services but aren’t supposed to make a profit
  52. United States Postal Service (USPS)
  53. Regulatory Boards and Commissions
  54. President appoints their members but cannot fire them, only Congress can impeach them
  55. Supposed to protect the public
  56. They make and enforce rules for certain industries and groups
  57. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  58. Government Workers
  59. Top leadership jobs usually go to political appointees (people who helped their campaign or have executive ability), job tenure usually ends when a president leaves office
  60. 90% are civil service workers
  61. Usually have permanent jobs
  62. Employed by the federal government through civil service system – the practice of hiring government workers on the basis of open, competitive examinations and merit
  63. Development of the Civil Service System
  64. The Spoils System
  65. Jobs that went to people as a reward for their political support
  66. Led to the passage of the Pendleton Act
  67. The Merit System
  68. Pendleton Act (aka Civil Service Reform Act of 1883) – created the civil service system and placed limits on the number of jobs a new president could hand out to friends and backers
  69. Civil service system is a merit system, workers are hired from lists of people who have passed the tests or met other civil service standards