The Executive Branch

Ch. 8, 9 & 13

Roots of the Office

Constitutional Convention The need for a leader

Qualifications for office Natural born citizen of the United States Resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years 35 years old

The Presidency

Terms of Office

Precedence set by George Washington 22nd Amendment

Removal Impeachment

Succession 25th Amendment

The Presidency

The Vice President

Official “stand-in” for the president Presides over the Senate “Mondale” model

The Presidency

Constitutional Powers

Article II: expressed Appointment power Convene Congress Make treaties Veto power Commander in Chief Pardoning power

The Presidency

State of the Union Address January 2010

Article II Executive Office of the President

Includes several advisory and policy making agencies National Security Council, etc…

White House Staff Personal assistants to the president

The Executive Branch

Office of Management and Budget

Key responsibilities Prepare annual budget proposal Economic forecasts Reviews progress, budget and program proposals

by executive agencies

The Executive Branch

Public Opinion

Watergate (U.S. v. Nixon 1974)

The Public and the President

Approval Ratings

The Public and the President

Primary Elections

Closed v. open General Elections

Elections that decide which candidates will actually fill the elective public office

Presidential Elections

Caucus vs. Primary

Caucus Oldest, most party-oriented method of choosing a

candidate; a closed meeting Primary

Open to anyone Help nominate more moderate and appealing

candidates

Presidential Elections

Held in the summer of election years

July: out of power party August: White House party

Party Conventions

Electors for each state

# of representatives (+) # of senators Electors cast the final ballot which actually

elects the president Usually chosen by popular vote or state

legislatures May not be a senator, representative or other

person holding a federal office 538: need 270 votes to win

The Electoral College

12th Amendment

Election of 1800 Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr

The Electoral College

The “4th” branch of government

Thousands of federal government agencies and institutions IRS, Cabinet, FDIC, Social Security, etc…

Who are bureaucrats? Career government employees Selected by merit standards

Pendleton Act (1883) Government workers and politics

Hatch Act Federal Employees Political Act

The Federal Bureaucracy

A major function of bureaucrats Implementation of law or policy Iron triangles

Policy Making

AARP

Social Security Administration

House Subcommittee on

Aging

Issue Networks

Loose and informal relationships among those who work in broad policy areas

Constantly changing Interagency Councils

Alternatives to Iron Triangles