1. LECTURE 2 NATIONAL GOVERNMENT: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

2. The Executive Branch Article II of the US Constitution established and describes the Executive Branch. – The Executive Branch is headed by the President of the United States. – The main job of the President is to ENFORCE (or “execute”) the laws. – He does not do this alone. There are hundreds of departments, bureaus, agencies, and commissions that help the president.

3. The Executive Branch – The President must be 35 years old, a native- born US citizen, and US resident at least 14 years.

4. The Executive Branch – Until 2008, all US Presidents were white men and all but one have been Protestant.

5. The Executive Branch – Presidents are elected every 4 years by the Electoral College. – The 22 nd Amendment – ratified in 1951 – limits the president to 2 terms or 10 years in office. The White House is the President’s residence

6. The Executive Branch The Vice President is elected with the President. – He has few formal powers. – The VP lives on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory.

7. The Executive Branch What is the Electoral College? Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

8. The Executive Branch When a candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote, he wins the presidency. There are 538 electoral votes. 535 (the total # of members of Congress) + 3 (electoral votes awarded to DC) 538 To win, a candidate needs 270 votes.

9. The Executive Branch So why do the people vote? – In most states, it is all or nothing: the winner gets all the electoral votes, the runner-up receives zero. – So, the popular vote determines which candidate receives each state’s electoral votes. – To win election, the candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes.

11. The Executive Branch What happened in 2000? For the first time in many years, the Electoral vote gave the presidency to the minority candidate. Al Gore won the popular vote 50,999,879 (48.38%) 50,456,002 (47.87%) GW Bush won the electoral vote 271 266

12. The Executive Branch Could the US switch to a straight popular vote for presidential elections? – Yes, but it would take a constitutional amendment. Has anyone ever suggested such a change? – Yes, but thus far, there has been no serious attempt at a constitutional amendment.

13. The Executive Branch What if something happens to the President? – In 1947, the Presidential Succession Act set out a line of succession. VP, Speaker of the House, President pro tempore Then, the heads of the Cabinet departments in the order the departments were created: State, Treasury, Defense, Attorney General, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Heath and Human Services, Housing the Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veteran’s Affairs, Homeland Security The 25 th Amendment (1967) tells what to do in case of a vacancy in the Vice Presidency.

14. The Executive Branch The President is the most visible leader of the United States. The President has many roles.

15. The Executive Branch Chief Executive The President’s main job is to execute (enforce) the laws of the US. – The President does this through all the agencies of the executive branch. – Presidents can issue executive orders. (An executive order has the force of law, but the next president can repeal it.)

16. The Executive Branch Chief Executive The President nominates many important officials (including federal judges) and can grant a pardon, a reprieve, or amnesty as a check on the judiciary. – Pardon: Forgiveness for a crime (all penalties are revoked) – Amnesty: A pardon granted to a group of people – Reprieve: An order to delay a person’s punishment until his/her case can be reviewed.

17. The Executive Branch Commander in Chief Only Congress can declare war, but the President commands the US Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard.

18. The Executive Branch Legislative Leader The President can suggest legislation, but he cannot sponsor a bill or pass a law. The President signs or vetoes legislation President must give a “State of the Union” report to Congress every year.

19. The Executive Branch Head of State The President is the symbol of the nation in the eyes of the world He carries out ceremonial duties such as hosting foreign leaders, giving medals to military heroes, etc.

20. The Executive Branch Economic Leader The Executive branch plans the federal budget and submits it to Congress. The President cannot pass the budget, but he helps set spending priorities.

21. The Executive Branch Party Leader The President is the face of his party. He helps the party raise money and supports party candidates.

22. The Executive Branch Chief Diplomat The President directs US foreign policy (plan for dealing with other nations). The primary goals of US foreign policy are national security, fostering trade, promoting peace, promoting democracy around the world. The State Department and the Defense Department carry out foreign policy.

23. The Executive Branch Presidents can make treaties and appoint ambassadors (with Senate approval) and make executive agreements (without approval). Presidents can deploy the military. – Treaty: a formal agreement made between two or more countries. – Ambassador: an official representative of a nation’s government in another country.

24. The Executive Branch The President does not enforce the laws alone. Federal laws are enforced by a huge bureaucracy made up of hundreds of departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions.

25. The Executive Branch Roughly 3 million people work for the federal government today. Most of these are employed by agencies of the executive branch. When the United States was new and the government was small, most government jobs were awarded by appointment. But, over time, this system became abused. – First, in encouraged corruption. – Second, it was simply inefficient. Many government jobs required expertise that an appointee might not have.

26. The Executive Branch The Pendleton Act of 1883 created the Civil Service System. Today, most government jobs fall under this law and are awarded on the basis of qualifications and merit. Government jobs are separated from politics – they are no longer awarded as the “spoils” of a successful election, but have become a person’s career.

27. The Executive Branch The President’s cabinet consists of 15 large departments. These departments and the agencies, bureaus, and divisions within them, make up a large part of the “bureaucracy” of the executive branch. The heads of these departments are presidential appointees ( who usually have the title “Secretary”) but the workers are mostly civil service employees.

28. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Cabinet