Chapter 13 The President

1
Chapter 13 The President

• CP Government

2
Roles (all at the same time)

• Chief of State
• Chief Executive
• Chief Administrator
• Chief Diplomat

• Commander in Chief
• Chief Legislator
• Chief of Party
• Chief Citizen

3
Constitutional Qualifications

• Natural Born Citizen
• 35 years old
• 14 year resident of the United States
• 22nd Amendment2 terms or 10 years

4
Benefits

• AirForce 1 (2)
• Helicopters
• Limousines
• Security
• 24 hour medical
• Yacht
• Staff

• 400,000 salary
• 200,000 retirement
• 50,000 expense account
• House
• Vacation home

5
Succession

• 25th Amendment
• Succession or disability
• Page 359
• Used 2 xs in history of country

6
Vice-President

• Kind of powerless
• -has as much as the Pres. gives
• No guarantee will become Pres.
• 9 have taken over
• Cannot be fired by the Pres.

7
Elections

• Remember fundraising
• (100,000 in 20 states)
• Presidential candidates are selected by a
  Convention
• Actually elected by Electoral College

8
Elections

• Parties now control the primaries
• Each one selects delegates to then select the
  Pres. Candidate
• States choose date of primary
• Candidate is officially selected at the convention

9
Presidential Conventions

• Incumbent in Aug. challenger in July (suggested)
• Lasts 4 days (a big party)
• Day 1/2 speeches and writing the platform
• Day 3 voting for candidates
• Day 4 acceptance speech

10
Conventions

• Primaries pull a party apart
• The convention is to put it back
  together/re-unify
• A motivational 4 days to get psyched up for the
  last few months of campaigning

11
Electoral College

• 2 votes by electors
• Most votesPresident 2ndV.P.
• Usually from opposing parties
• Electors were respectable citizens chosen by
  people in states

12
Electoral College 2

• After 1796 were chosen by parties
• Election of 1800
• Electors were chosen with the understanding
  they would vote by party line
• Created a tie-Jefferson vs. Burr

13
The Duel

• Needed 36 votes in the House to break the tie
  (pg. 367)
• Hamilton (Federalist) helped Jefferson win
• A few years later Burr-Hamilton duel (Burr wins)
• The govt. decides voting for President should not
  cause duels/death

14
12th Amendment

• Made electors cast separate votes for President
  and Vice-President
• Parties would now provide a ticket to help with
  the vote

15
Electoral College 3

• 2 sets (D/R) of Electors chosen by state
  legislatures (party loyalists)
• Vote in state capital on 1st Friday after the 2nd
  Wednesday in December
• Counted in Senate on January 6th
• Need a majority-270 or House decides

16
Electoral College 4

• Flaws
• Electors do not have to vote as popular election
  in their state did
• Winner of the popular vote may not be President
  (2000)
• The House might decide the outcome

17
Possible Alternatives

• District plan (2)
• -same districts as the House
• Proportional plan
• -EC votes same as of popular (no winner take
  all)

• Direct popular election
• -count each vote
• Bonus plan
• -keep EC as is and add 102 bonus votes to popular
  vote winner