THE PRESIDENCY

1
THE PRESIDENCY

• Basics
• Careful balance
• Effective, not dangerous
• Four year term
• Powers shared with congress
• No change of salary during term

2
THE PRESIDENCY

• Qualifications
• 35 years old
• 14 years a U.S. resident
• Natural born citizen

3
THE PRESIDENCY

• Term
• 4 years
• Tradition of two terms
• 22nd Amendment (1951)
• Not elected more than twice
• Only once if served two or more years of anothers

4
THE PRESIDENCY

• Succession
• Vice President takes over on death, resignation,
  removal, inability
• Replacement of Vice President
• President nominates
• Senate ratifies
• Congress determines succession
• Speaker of House
• President pro tempore of Senate
• Cabinet officers--Secretary of State 1st
• If disagreement--congress decides

5
THE PRESIDENCY

• Who determines inability--25th Amendment (1967)
• President send letter to congress declaring his
  disability
• VP and Cabinet send letter to congress declaring
  his disability
• Congress decides

6
PresidencyConstitutional Powers

• Commander in Chief
• Commit troops
• Choose military leaders

7
PresidencyConstitutional Powers

• Pardons
• Treaties

8
PresidencyConstitutional Powers

• Nominate ambassadors, Supreme Court justices,
  other officers
• Recommend measures to congress
• Take care that all laws be faithfully executed

9
Powers of the Presidency (cont.)

• Veto (Article 1, Sec. 7)
• Bills become law if not signed in 10 days
• Veto can be overturned by 2/3 of both houses
• Pocket veto--if not signed and congress adjourns
  in lt 10 days

10
Powers of the Presidency (cont.)

• Numbers of vetoes
• 1450 regular vetoes and 1050 pocket vetoes
• 100 overturned--none until 1841
• No line item veto

11
The Presidency (cont.)

• Presidency has proved to be stronger than
  expected
• Why?
• Executive Orders
• Crisis--Roosevelt
• Personality
• Kennedy/Reagan
• a bully pulpit
• Johnson
• Arm twisting

12
BEST PRESIDENTS
George W. Bush and Barok Obama?
13
The Presidency (cont.)

• Removal from office
• Sec 4--For treason, bribery, high crimes and
  misdemeanors
• House--power to impeach
• Senate--trial and removal

14
The Presidency (cont.)

• Use of the process
• Andrew Johnson
• Reconstruction conflicts
• One vote short in Senate
• Precedent--not for political reasons

15
The Presidency (cont.)

• Richard Nixon
• Obstruction of justice
• Discourage FBI
• Shred evidence
• Hush money
• THE Question
• What did president know when?
• Nixon tapes
• Deep Throat
• Judiciary Com. voted to impeach
• Nixon resignation on Aug. 9, 1974

16
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON

• Paula Jones
• Monica Lewinski
• Denial
• Charges
• Perjury (What is is?)
• Obstruction of justice

17
CHRONOLOGY OF THE CLINTON SAGA

• Nov 1995 Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton
  begin a sexual relationship
• Fall 1997 Pentagon co-worker Linda Tripp begins
  taping conversations in which Lewinsky details
  her alleged affair with the president.
• Jan. 1998 Lewinsky files affidavit in the Paula
  Jones case (suit against the president for
  sexual harassment) denying ever having a sexual
  relationship with Clinton.
• Jan. 1998 Clinton gives deposition in Jones
  lawsuit and denies having a sexual relationship
  with Lewinsky.
• Jan. 1998 On TV, Clinton forcefully repeats his
  denial, saying, "I did not have sexual
  relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
• July 1998 Lewinsky granted full immunity in
  return for her testimony. Lewinsky gives
  prosecutors a dress that contains evidence of
  sexual relationship
• Aug. 1998 President Clinton becomes the first
  sitting president to testify before a grand
  jury investigating his conduct. Later he goes on
  national TV to admit he had an inappropriate
  relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
• Oct.1998 House Judiciary Committee begins
  impeachment hearings
• Dec. 1998 House approves two articles of
  impeachment
• J/F 1999 Senate holds trial and votes to acquit

18
Definition of Sexual Relations Used in Paula
Jones Case

• For the purposes of this deposition, a person
  engages in sexual relations when the person
  knowingly engages in or causes
• (1) contact with the genitalia, anus, groin,
  breast, inner thigh, or buttocks of any person
  with an intent to arouse or gratify the sexual
  desire of any person
• (2) contact between any part of the persons body
  or an object and the genitals or anus of another
  person or
• (3) contact between the genitals or anus of the
  person and any part of another persons body.
• Contact means intentional touching, either
  directly or through clothing.

19
CLINTONS GRAND JURY TESTIMONYAug 17, 1998

• Initial Statement
• These encounters did not consist of sexual
  intercourse. They did not constitute sexual
  relations as I understood that term to be defined
  in my January 17 1998 deposition.
• But they did involve inappropriate intimate
  contact.
• This is all I will say about the specifics of
  these particular matters.

20
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON

• Review Constitutional offenses
• Treason
• Bribery
• High crimes and misdemeanors

???
21
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON

• House Impeachment
• Senate Trial and acquittal