TheExecutive

Branch

The POTUS (Pres. of the US)

• 7 roles: Cmdr. In chief, Chief Executive, Chief Agenda setter, Rep. of the Nation, Chief of State, Foreign Policy Leader, Party Leader

• Written qualifications: 35 yrs. old, natural born citizen, resident for 14 yrs.

• Unwritten qualifications: usually white, male, Christian (Protestant), European descent, married, government and/or military experience, charismatic, well-educated (usually lawyers), able to raise $, moderate political views, no serious personal problems (“skeletons” in the closet)

Chief of State Party Chief

Chief Diplomat

Chief Executive

Chief Legislator

Succession

• Washington set precedent of two 4 yr terms

• FDR broke the precedent—Congress passed 22nd amendment (limit: 2 terms, max. 10 yrs)

• 25th amendment: if VP becomes Pres., he can nominate replacement VP. 1973: Nixon resigned, VP Ford became Pres. Rockefeller became VP. Only time in history.)

• Order: VP, Speaker, Pres pro tem, Sec. of State, Treas., Defense, Atty. Gen., etc.

Salary & Benefits

• $400,000/yr. +$50,000 expenses +$100,000 for travel +$19,000 for entertainment

• White House, Camp David, Blair House• Cadillac One, Air Force One, Marine One• Secret Service protection• Retirement: $191,000/yr, Secret Service

protection for ten yrs (after Bill Clinton—he & those before him get lifetime protection), travel funds/stamps/shipping

Marine One

The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC

Back of the White House

Camp David, Maryland (Presidential Retreat)

Powers of the POTUS

• Constitutional powers: commander of armed forces, appoints justices & ambassadors, makes treaties, pardon/reduce sentences/fines, State of the Union address, propose legislation, propose a budget, enforces laws, signs legislation, can call Congress into special sessions

• Inherent powers: powers that benefit the nation as long as they aren’t prohibited by the Constitution (Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln, FDR, Bush, Johnson: all expanded POTUS’ powers)

Limits on the POTUS

• Override of veto• Amending the Constitution• War Powers Act (1973) during Vietnam War• Supreme Court (Marbury v. Madison, 1803)• Bureaucratic limits: lack of information, lack of

cooperation, etc.• Public opinion: limits President (opinion polls:

Gallup Poll: current weekly approval rating for Obama, as of Dec. 1, 2013: 42%)

*Vetoes & Override Records*• Most presidential vetoes: Franklin D. Roosevelt (635)• Fewest presidential vetoes: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson,

John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, James A. Garfield (0)

• Most vetoes in a single complete term: Grover Cleveland, (414)

• Most vetoes in two complete terms: Grover Cleveland (584)• Fewest vetoes in a single complete term: John Adams,

Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe , John Quincy Adams, George W. Bush (1st Term) (0)

• Fewest vetoes in two complete terms: Thomas Jefferson (0)• Most vetoes in a single congressional session:

Grover Cleveland, 50th United States Congress (212)• Most veto overrides by congress: Andrew Johnson (15)

Political Parties

• Republicans/Democrats (originally Federalists, Democratic-Republicans, Whigs)

• 3rd parties: single-issue (Tea Party), ideological (Libertarians), splinter (Bull Moose). Hard to get on ballot: need more names, single member districts (almost always won by D/R)

• Organization: local, state & national levels. Precinct, precinct captain, county chair, state committee & chair, national convention/ committee/chair.

• Functions: recruit, educate, operate govt., reward loyal members, “watchdog” role, peaceful transfer of power

Nomination/Election Process

• Caucuses: starts locally to choose candidates• Primaries: vote for candidates (2 types: closed

[only party members] & open [all can vote, but only for one party])

• Nominating conventions: choose representatives to go to the conventions—choose Pres. & VP to run on the ticket

• Platform: party positions (made up of planks)

Campaign Funding/Spending

• Needs lots of $$$: to pay staff, buy advertising (radio, print, TV, etc.), pay for travel expenses

• Federal Election Campaign Act (1974): requires disclosure of campaign spending, limits individual & corporate contributions

• Presidential Campaign Fund• Private funding: PACs (political action

committees)—advertise for the candidate• Soft-money: give $ to party instead of candidate

Media/Advertising/Polling

• Interest groups sponsor polls• Media plays a huge role in shaping opinion: what

they show you (and what they don’t): letters to editor, talk shows, etc.

• Emails, faxes, websites, phone calls, letters• Straw polls (ask questions): can be biased—sample

size? Random sample? Sampling error? Cluster sampling?

• Family, school, peers, ethnicity, income level, age, region, gender, leaders influence your opinions (socialization)

The right to vote

• Suffrage: the right to vote—originally only for wealthy, white males

• 15th amendment: race can’t be used to keep you from voting

• 19th amendment: female suffrage• 1965 & 1970: Voting Rights Act outlawed literacy tests• 24th amendment: outlawed poll taxes• 26th amendment: 18 yr olds vote• Must register to vote. Assigned a precinct, vote at a

polling place. Use secret ballots.

Electoral College

• Original system: states chose electors & they voted. Majority winner was Pres., 2nd was VP

• 1800: 12th amendment passed—separate ballots for Pres. & VP. House chooses if no majority winner (1800 & 1824)

• Political parties choose nominees at conventions summer before election.

• Votes are actually tallied for 538 electors (100 Senators + 435 reps. +3 reps from DC)—need 270 to win

Electoral College map (2012)

Electoral College, con’t.• Electors vote in Dec./Winner

declared in Jan.• US Reps.+ US Senators= # of

electors. [Ga: 15]• 3 major weaknesses: – Winner-take-all (except for Maine &

Nebraska): win majority of votes in a state, get all the electoral votes (give appearance of a big win when it could be closer). Can win popular vote & still lose! (4 times: JQ Adams, Hayes, Harrison, GW Bush)

Two other weaknesses:

– 3rd party candidate: can win votes & then bargain to give them to another candidate

– If the House chooses, small states get less influence, must agree to keep vote & third party candidates can stop the process.

• 3 Suggested reforms: vote by congressional district, win % of electoral votes won in pop. vote, straight pop. vote (but candidates would only campaign in high pop. states)

Impeachment • Process: majority of House of Reps.

bring charges. Senate holds trial; 2/3rds must vote to convict.

• Andrew Johnson: 1868: acquitted by 1 vote

• Richard Nixon: 1974: resigned before he was impeached—pardoned by Ford.

• Bill Clinton: 1998: impeached for perjury & obstruction of justice. Acquitted.

• “Treason, bribery other high crimes & misdemeanors:” deliberately left vague

The Cabinet

• Secretaries of the 15 executive departments + Vice-President

• Function: advise the President, but don’t always get asked (or get along)

• Inner cabinet: State, Defense & Treasury• Leaks a problem—conflicting loyalties• Executive Office: Office of Management & Budget,

National Security Council, Council of Economic Advisers, Homeland Security

• White House Staff: press secretary, press staff, aides, etc.

Federal Bureaucracy

• Independent regulatory agencies: NASA, CIA, Archives, Amtrak, EPA, NEA, NLRB, OSHA, Peace Corps, Selective Service

• Government corporations: TVA, FDIC, USPS—run like businesses

• Regulatory commissions: make rules for businesses: CPSC, EEOC, FCC, FedReserve, Nuclear Regulatory Comm., SEC, SSA, SBA

• Executive departments: Agr., Commerce, Defense, Educ., Energy, Health/Human Services, Homeland Security, HUD, Justice, Labor, State, Interior, Treasury, Transportation, Veterans’ Affairs

Interest Groups

• Support candidates & try to influence govt—bridge gap between citizens & govt.

• Can be very powerful: business or labor related (AFL-CIO, UAW, Teamsters, Farmers)

• Professional organizations: ABA, AMA, NEA• Environmental: Sierra Club, WWF• Public Interest: Common Cause, Consumers’ Union• In government: Governors’ Assoc., League of Cities• Others: NRA, NOW, Right to Life, Planned

Parenthood

Lobbying

• Function: hired to make direct contact with legislators—to influence legislation. Usually former legislators. Provide information & help draft bills (their way, of course).

• Advertise, get members to write, give $$$• Laws/rules: PACs can give $5000 directly to a

candidate—no limit on total amt. spent on a candidate (advertising, for example)

• Examples: oil companies, realtors, cattlemen, abortion rights, right to life, etc.

Foreign Policy

• Goals: security, free trade, peace, democracy, humanitarian aid• Diplomacy: Pres. appoints ambassadors & Sec. of State to

negotiate with other countries (NSC & CIA)• Economic, military, humanitarian aid: most-favored nation

status, mutual defense alliances, regional security pacts (NATO)• Treaties: Pres. negotiates, Senate approves• Executive agreements: pacts with other governments• Sanctions: withholding loans, weapons, or money—restricting

trade (embargo on Cuba)• Military intervention: Iraq Gulf War, Vietnam, Haiti, Korea,

Grenada, Panama, Bosnia, Somalia, Afghanistan