The Executive Branch

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Unit 4

• The Executive Branch

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The President

• 44 Total
• First George Washington
• Current President Barack Obama

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Qualifications

• Formal (in the Constitution)
• 35 years old
• Natural born citizen
• Resident of US for 14 years

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• Informal
• Experience in government
• Access to money for campaigning
• Moderate political beliefs
• Most have had shared backgrounds
• Caucasian, protestant and male
• Know and understand the people
• Communicate effectively
• Have good timing
• Flexible and open to new ideas
• Able to compromise
• Have political courage

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Compensation

• Salary 400,000 50,000 in expenses
• Paid medical and dental benefits
• Pension of 148,000/yr med and den benefits
• Secret Service protection for life
• Air Force 1
• Camp David

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Term Limits

• Limited by the Constitution to 4-year terms
• 22nd Amendment limited President to 2 full terms
  with no more than 10 years total

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Roles of the President

• Head of State
• Chief Executive
• Chief Legislator
• Economic Planner
• Party Leader
• Chief Diplomat
• Commander in Chief

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Head of State

• Ceremonial or symbolic leader to the world
• Lights the National Christmas Tree
• Pardons the Thanksgiving Turkey
• Hosts the SuperBowl winners!

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Chief Executive

• Runs both foreign and domestic affairs of the
  country
• Directs 3,000,000 employees and the spending of
  1.6 Trillion
• Runs the largest government in the world

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Chief Legislator

• Initiates, suggests and shapes legislation
• Outlines his legislative agenda in his State of
  the Union address every January
• May use political favors to gain congressional
  support
• Has the threat of veto

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Economic Planner

• Has gained important economic powers since the
  New Deal
• Promotes high employment, production, and
  purchasing power
• Required to prepare the federal budget each year

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Party Leader

• Helps raise funds and plan campaign strategies
• Uses political patronage
• Face of the party

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Chief Diplomat

• Directs foreign policy
• Appoints Secretary of State
• Appoints ambassadors
• Negotiates and signs treaties

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Commander-in-Chief

• Makes key military policy decisions
• 2,000,000 and the powerful US arsenal of weapons
  is under the direct and immediate control of the
  President
• Limited by the War Powers Act

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Sources and Limitations of Presidential Power

• Sources
• Constitution
• Immediate needs of the nation
• Personal feelings of Pres in regards to role of
  pres
• Mandate- expressed will of the people
• Limtations
• Congress (War Powers Act)
• Federal Courts (Marbury v Madison, New Deal)
• Bureaucracy
• Public Opinion

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Powers of the President

• Executive
• Diplomatic
• Military
• Legislative
• Judicial

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Executive Powers

• Running the gov
• 3,000,000 personel
• Executive Orders
• Ex Order on Lybia
• Appointment and Removal powers
• Dont Ask, Dont Tell
• No broccoli at the White House

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Diplomatic and Military Powers

• Treaty making
• Executive Agreements
• Recognition
• Most Favored Nation Status
• Threat of Force
• Use of Force

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Legislative

• Recommend Laws
• Threaten to Veto
• Veto
• Threaten Special Sessions
• Promise
• Pork Barrel
• Patronage
• Money
• Help

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Judicial

• Limited to Federal Crimes excluding impeachment
• Reprieve
• Pardon
• Commute
• Amnesty

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The Executive Branch and the Bureaucracy

• President/Vice President First Ladies
• Executive Office of the Presidents
• EOP
• 15 Cabinet Departments
• Cabinet
• Over 500 Independent Agencies/Regulatory
  Commissions
• Agencies
• Government Corporations
• Government Corps

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Want a Job?

• Spoils System
• Corrupt, gave jobs to unqualified supporters
• Patronage
• Giving jobs to supporters (corrupt if not
  qualified)
• Pendelton Act creates the Civil Service System
• Eliminated the spoils system
• Employment based upon open, competitive
  examinations and merit

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Jobs

• Most of the 3,000,000 jobs continue from year to
  yearemployed based upon expertise, civil service
  exams, etc
• Major heads of departments and agencies
  (appointed) change when new administration takes
  office

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Iron Triangle

• Agencies
• Client Groups (Interest Groups)
• Congress
• All work together to influence and set policy
• Iron because its very difficult for outsiders
  to have much influence

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