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Hail to the Chief The Power of the American Presidency.

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1 Hail to the Chief The Power of the American Presidency

2 Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Presidents
69% politicians 62% lawyers >50% from the top 3% wealth and social class 0.5% born into poverty 69% elected from large states 100% male 98% Caucasian 97% Protestant 82% of British ancestry 77% college educated

3 Constitutional Qualifications
Must be at least 35 years old Must have lived in the United States for 14 years Must be a natural born citizen

4 Presidential Benefits
$400,000 tax-free salary $50,000/year expense account $100,000/year travel expenses The White House Secret Service protection Camp David country estate Air Force One personal airplane Staff of Christmas at the White House, 2004

5 Presidential Roles

6 Chief of State Queen Elizabeth and President Reagan, 1983
President Kennedy speaks at Berlin Wall, 1963

7 Chief Administrator President Clinton with Janet Reno, the first female Attorney General, February, 1993 President Bush holds cabinet meeting in October, 2005

8 Commander-in-Chief President Johnson decorates a soldier
in Vietnam, October, 1966 President Bush aboard U.S.S. Lincoln, May, 2003

9 Chief Legislator President Clinton delivers the State of the Union Address, 1997 President Roosevelt signs into law the Social Security Act, 1935

10 Chief of Party President Reagan & Vice-President Bush accepting their party’s nomination in 1980

11 President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
Chief Citizen President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11 President Obama comforting victims of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey (with Governor Christie)

12 Chief Diplomat President Carter brokering a Middle East peace agreement President Nixon greeting Chinese leader Mao Zedong

13 Chief Executive President Trump explaining how border security will be enforced through Homeland Security President Obama signing a bill into law – including how it will be enforced

14 Formal Powers of the President
Constitutional or enumerated powers of the presidency Found primarily in Article II of the Constitution

15 Formal Powers: Commander-in-Chief
Commander in Chief of the Army & Navy Commander in Chief of the state militias (now the National Guard) Commission all officers

16 Formal Powers: Chief Executive
“Faithfully execute” the laws Require the opinion of heads of executive departments Grant pardons for federal offenses except for cases of impeachment Nominate judges of the Supreme Court and all other officers of the U.S. with consent of the Senate Fill vacancies that may happen during recess of the Senate

17 Formal Powers: Foreign Affairs
Appoint ambassadors, ministers and consuls Make treaties subject to Senate confirmation Receive ambassadors

18 Formal Powers: Chief Legislator
Give State of the Union address to Congress Recommend “measures” to the Congress Upon “extraordinary occasions” convene both houses of Congress

19 Formal Powers: Chief Legislator (cont.)
Presidential Veto Veto Message within 10 days of passing the House of origin Pocket Veto - President does not sign within 10 days Congress can override with 2/3 majority from both Houses Veto Politics Congressional override is difficult (only 4%) Threat of veto can cause Congress to make changes in legislation

20 Informal Powers Those powers not explicitly written in the Constitution Similar to “necessary and proper” powers of Congress In the modern era (since 1933), the President’s informal powers may be significantly more powerful than his formal powers

21 Executive Orders Orders issued by the President that carry the force of law Clinton’s “Don’t ask don’t tell” gays in the military policy FDR’s internment of Japanese Americans GWB trying suspected terrorists in military tribunals Notice for Japanese “relocation,” 1942

22 Executive Agreements International agreements, usually related to trade, made by a president that has the force of a treaty; does NOT need Senate approval Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana in 1803 GWB announced cuts in the nuclear arsenal, but not in a treaty; usually trade agreements between US and other nations

23 Executive Privilege Claim by a president that he has the right to decide that the national interest will be better served if certain information is withheld from the public, including the Courts and Congress United States v. Nixon (1973) – presidents do NOT have unqualified executive privilege (Nixon Watergate tapes)

24 Questions for Discussion
Why are informal powers more important than formal powers, particularly to modern presidents? Identify several advantages and disadvantages of the use of the president’s informal powers. Has the use and perhaps abuse of the informal powers created an “Imperial Presidency?” Defend your answer.


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