The Presidency -- Ch 13

The Job

Succession

Nominating

Electing

THE

PRESIDENCY

Natural born citizen

At least 35 years old

JFK (youngest elected);

TR (youngest to serve);

Reagan (oldest elected)

14 years a resident of US

Informal Qualifications

WHO CAN BE PRESIDENT?

Four years, with an option for four more

Not codified unti l 1951…Why? (22 nd Amendment)

George Washington’s precedent

Should the 22nd Amendment be repealed?

Would a single, 6 year term be better?

THE PRESIDENT’S TERM

$400,000/year with $50,000 a year expense

Perks:

HOW’S THE PAY?

WHAT DOES THE PRESIDENT DO?

“personal embodiment and representative of their dignity and

majesty” – W. H. Taft

CHIEF OF STATE

Leader of the executive branch

What does this include?

2.7 million employees

$2.5 trillion budget

CHIEF EXECUTIVE/

CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

Architect of foreign policy

CHIEF DIPLOMAT

Leads the armed forces

Why has the president’s power in this realm grown?

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

Sets the public policy agenda

CANNOT write laws

Suggests, initiates, insists and demands from Congress

CHIEF LEGISLATOR

Chief of Party

Chief Citizen

“place of moral leadership” - - FDR

NON-CONSTITUTIONAL ROLES

THE BULLY PULPIT

What happens if the president dies?

VP assumes the off ice

John Tyler the first

Constitution: “powers and

duties…devolve to the vice president.”

25 th Amendment (1967) lays out the

process of presidential succession

Presidential Succession Act of 1947 :

Congress fixes the order of succession

PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION

THE CURIOUS CASE OF EDITH GALT

What happens if the president is disabled?

Office goes to VP if:

1. President informs Congress, in writing,

that he or she cannot discharge the duties

of the office

2. VP and majority of the Cabinet informs

Congress, in writing, that the president

cannot fulfi l l the duties of the office

1985: Reagan

2002: George W. Bush

PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION

What are the Constitutional duties of the VP?

9 VPs have succeeded to the Presidency

The Modern Vice-Presidency

Balancing the Ticket

A Co-President?

THE VICE-PRESIDENT

"I do not propose to be buried until I am dead." — Daniel Webster, turning down the vice presidency in 1839 .

Being vice president is comparable to "a man in a cataleptic fi t ; he cannot speak; he cannot move; he suf fers no pain; he is per fectly conscious of al l that goes on, but has no par t in i t ." — Thomas R. Marshall , v ice president under Woodrow Wilson .

"I am vice president. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything." —John Adams

"The second of fice of this government is honorable and easy, the first is but a splendid misery." — Thomas Jef ferson

"I would a great deal rather be anything, say professor of history, than vice president." — Theodore Roosevelt

"I go to funerals. I go to ear thquakes." — Nelson Rockefeller

"The vice president has two duties. One is to inquire dai ly as to the health of the president, and the other is to attend the funerals of Third World dictators. And neither of those do I f ind an enjoyable exercise." Presidential candidate John McCain, in 2000

Original Plan

Electors from each state cast two ballots, each for a dif ferent

candidate.

Who were the electors?

Most votes: President

Second most votes: VP

CHOOSING THE PRESIDENT

By 1796

Adams wins; Jefferson his VP

Election of 1800

Both political parties nominate Pres & VP candidates

Jefferson & Burr tie; House elects Jefferson

12 th Amendment

Electors vote for a Pres & VP candidate

POLITICAL PARTIES:

A WRENCH IN THE WORKS

Party Conventions

Both parties by 1832

Created by the parties

Each state given a number of delegates

Who are these delegates & how are they chosen?

NOMINATING THE PRESIDENT

Most delegates chosen through primaries

Process varies from state to state

Most states award delegates proportionally

Front- loading

New Hampshire has, by state law, held first primary since 1940

States continue to move primaries up on the calendar. Why?

How does front - loading impact the process?

h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = X 5 O f R i o y K i w

( N H p r i m a r y )

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

What’s good about New Hampshire being first?

What’s bad about New Hampshire being first?

NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY

National Primary

Pros

Cons

Regional Primaries

Pros

Cons

REFORMING THE PRIMARIES

Used in states without a primary

Caucus-goers gather, debate, and select a candidate

Iowa always the first caucush t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t ube . c o m / w a t c h ? v = 0 R X i e 7 F J q O A

( I o w a )

CAUCUSES

President & VP candidates formally nominated

Party platforms decided…candidates not beholden to them

Why are conventions still important?

NATIONAL CONVENTION

Be a governor of a large state

Be a US Senator

Be a WASP

Be telegenic

HOW TO GET

NOMINATED FOR PRESIDENT

What happens if there’s a tie?

Decided by the House

Each state one vote

1800 & 1824

h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t ube . c o m / w a t c h ? v = O U S 9 m M 8 X b bw

( E l e c t o r a l C o l l e g e C G P G r e y )

h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t ube . c o m / w a t c h ? v = 7 w C 4 2 H g L A 4 k

( f l a w s i n E C )

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

THREE FLAWS IN THE SYSTEM

Popular vote winner does not always win

winner-take-all

Small states over-represented (CA v. WY)

1824; 1876; 1888; 2000

15 presidents without a majority (11

plurality)

h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t ube . c o m / w a t c h ? v = J EB 9 h W Y M pA 0

( E l e c t i o n 2 0 0 0 )

THE AL GORE CONUNDRUM

Electors are technically “free agents”

Has happened, but has never impacted results of an election

Faithless electors

THE ROGUE ELECTOR RECURRENCE

3 rd party can prevent one candidate from getting a majority

Close in 1912, 1924, 1948, 1968

Would throw election to House (Problems?)

1.

2.

3.

THE GEORGE WALLACE MALFUNCTION

FOUR REFORM PROPOSALS

Scrap the Electoral College all together

Popular vote winner always wins

All votes equal

Cons:

Small states opposed

Weaken federalism

TV Campaign

DIRECT POPULAR ELECTION

Electors chosen in the same way as member of Congress

No more winner-take-all

More accurate reflection of popular vote

Cons

No guarantee popular vote winner wins

Encourage gerrymandering

DISTRICT PLAN

Candidates get electoral votes proportional to votes received

Example: 40% of the vote in a 20 electoral vote state gets:

Eliminates winner-take-all

Cons:

Small states over-represented

Loser of popular vote could still win election

Increased clout of minor parties

PROPORTIONAL PLAN

Keeps electoral college largely in tact

Winner of popular vote also gets 102 electoral votes (321)

If no majority, run-off election is held

Electors themselves eliminated

Cons:

Little support

Difficult to understand

Wacky

NATIONAL BONUS PLAN

Known process

Has worked well, with few exceptions

Identifies winner quickly and certainly

Provides winner a mandate

SUPPORTING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE