~Chapter 8~ Section 1: The President and the Vice President

~Chapter 8~ Georgia Performance Standard:  SSCG12 The student will analyze the various roles played by the President of the United States; include Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, chief executive, chief agenda setter, representative of the nation, chief of state, foreign policy leader, and party leader.  SSCG13 The student will describe the qualifications for becoming President of the United States. a. Explain the written qualifications for President of the United States. b. Describe unwritten qualifications common to past presidents.

Did you know????  Getting elected is expensive. For example, after the presidential election of 1996, it was revealed that both parties had raised many millions of dollars in campaign funds from sources in other countries. Many members of Congress argued that the laws governing campaign financing needed to be reformed. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2000 was an effort to reform campaign fundraising.

Presidential Qualifications  The Constitution sets several requirements for the president:  A candidate must be a natural – born citizen  A candidate must be at least 35 years old  A candidate must be a resident of the United States for 14 years

Presidential Qualifications  Informal (or unwritten) requirements for the presidency include: Experience ~ a background in politics is important. Money ~ Elections campaigns cost millions of dollars. Candidates for office must have access to sources for raising large amounts of money in the presidential election campaign. Moderate Political Beliefs ~ Candidates with extreme views are not as successful as those with moderate beliefs. Personal Characteristics ~ Most presidents have been middle – class, married, Protestant, male, and white.

Duties of the President:  Presidents have enormous power and responsibility in government.  Presidents make sure the national laws are fully executed; serve as commander in chief of the armed forces; appoint top officials, federal judges, and ambassadors; and meet with heads of foreign governments.

The President’s Term and Salary  The 22nd amendment limited presidents to two terms.  Congress determines the president’s salary:  Salary ~ $400,000 per year (set by congress in 2001)  Official Expense Account of $50,000 per year  Travel Allowance of 100,000 per year  $19,000 for entertainment

Presidential pay history Date established Salary in 2009 dollars Presidential pay history Date establishedSalary Salary in 2009 dollars September 24, 1789$25,000$566,000 March 3, 1873$50,000$865,000 March 4, 1909$75,000$1,714,000 January 19, 1949$100,000$906,000 January 20, 1969$200,000$1,175,000 January 20, 2001$400,000$487,000

The President’s Term and Salary  Benefits of the president: (at no cost)  Medical and dental coverage  Secret Service protection  Official residence (The White House) with household staff  Air Force One, Marine One (helicopter)

The President’s Term and Salary  Retirement Benefits of the president: (at no cost)  A pension of $148,000 per year  Office Help Allowance up to $96,000 per year  Free office space and mailing services

Some video files…  Secret Service:  executive-branch/ executive-branch/  _us_secret_service _us_secret_service  Air Force One:  air-force-one/ air-force-one/  White House:  tour tour

Roles of the President  Include:  Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces: In charge of the military: sending orders, purpose, and size – cannot declare war  Chief executive: empowered to administer the laws and affairs of the nation  Representative of the nation a living symbol of the nation

Roles of the President  Chief agenda setter/legislator: He does this through speeches promoting his agenda and by meeting with Congress to discuss policies. He can voice his own ideas and opinions to Congress while they draft legislation.  Chief of state: The president's role as chief of state is to represent the United States at public events. This is mainly a ceremonial role that allows the president to promote/convey/represent American values and acknowledge others who do the same.

Roles of the President  Foreign policy leader: The president takes the lead in foreign relations by associating with foreign leaders and, along with the help of Congress, develops a foreign policy with other nations. Being a diplomat involves interacting with leaders from other nations.  Political party leader: helps members of his political party get elected or appointed to office

President before and after photo  tal+before+and+after+photo's+&oq=preside ntal+before+and+after+photo's+&aqs=chro me..69i57j0l5.9220j0j8&sourceid=chrome &espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF- 8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=presidents+bef ore+and+after+photos&spell=1 tal+before+and+after+photo's+&oq=preside ntal+before+and+after+photo's+&aqs=chro me..69i57j0l5.9220j0j8&sourceid=chrome &espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF- 8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=presidents+bef ore+and+after+photos&spell=1

Roles of the President  Inauguration:  State of the union address

Vice President  Qualifications:  Same as president  A candidate must be a natural – born citizen  A candidate must be at least 35 years old  A candidate must be a resident of the United States for 14 years

The Vice President’s Role  The Vice President has the following duties, which are specified in the 25th amendment.  He/ She presides over the Senate; votes to break ties;  He/ She helps decides whether the president is disabled and acts as president it that happens.  The President shall fill a Vice – Presidential vacancy by appointment with approval by Congress.

The Vice President’s Role  The Vice President’s work depends on what jobs, if any the President assigns  Recent Presidents have tried to give the Vice presidents greater responsibilities, including representing the president overseas and serving on advisory councils.

Presidential Succession  The 25th Amendment established the order of succession to the presidency and spelled out what happens when the vice presidency is vacant ~ the succession if something happens to the president:  Vice President  Speaker of the House,  President pro tempore of the Senate  Secretary of State  Other cabinet members

Presidential Succession  The 25th Amendment also set forth rules to be followed if a president becomes disabled.

Discussion Questions:  What do you consider to be the most important qualification for the office of President? Why?