1. What are the prime duties of the presidency, the single most powerful office in the nation, and how is the president selected?
Essential Question

2. Presidential Duties: Commander in chief of the armed forces
Appoint Heads of Executive Departments, Federal Court Judges and other top officials
Consent of Senate
Ensure all the laws of the U.S. are executed
Lawmaking Power
Section 1

3. The President’s Term and Salary
FDR Corollary: 22nd Amendment (1951) – Two Terms
Presidential Compensation: Set by Congress
Presidential Perks: List 5 Perks
Presidential Qualifications
Natural-born citizen of the U.S.
35 Years of Age
Resident of the U.S. for 14 years
Same requirements for Vice President
Section 1

4. Presidential Qualifications (cont.)
Experience in government
16 Senators; 17 Governors; 10 others
Financing the Campaign
Barack Obama ($985.7 million)
Mitt Romney ($992 million)
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: Limited the amount of money candidates can receive from individual donors.
Moderate Political Views: Extremes will not reach the masses.
Section 1

5. Presidential Succession
John F. Kennedy assassinated in 1963 changed succession rules:
25th Amendment clarifies succession:
Vice President becomes President and nominates a Vice President with Congressional confirmation
Gerald Ford replaced Spiro Agnew and then Nixon
Establishes Vice President as President if he becomes disabled
Section 1

7. The Vice President’s Role
Vice President duties:
Presides over the Senate (breaks tie).
Vice President helps decide whether the president is disabled (25th Amendment)
Role has expanded in recent years
Participate in policy meetings
Given Special Assignments
Member of National Security Council
Section 1

8. Section 1-End

9. Section 2-Content Vocabulary
elector
electoral vote
Section 2-Content Vocabulary

10. Section 2-Academic Vocabulary
majority
margin
alternative
Section 2-Academic Vocabulary

11. Section 2-Reading Strategy
Complete a graphic organizer similar to the one below to list the weaknesses of the Electoral College system.
Section 2-Reading Strategy

12. Section 2-Polling Question
Is the electoral college system a fair and efficient process for selecting the president?
A. Yes
B. No A B
Section 2-Polling Question

13. The Original System
Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the Electoral college.
Each state legislature would set up a method for choosing people who would be the electors.
The electors would meet in their state at election time to cast their electoral vote for the president.
Section 2

14. The Original System (cont.)
In the original system, electoral votes from all the states would be counted in a joint session of Congress.
The candidate receiving a majority would become president and the candidate with the second-highest number—also a majority—would become vice president.
Section 2

15. Electors of the Electoral College are chosen by
A. party leaders.
B. the president.
C. state legislature.
D. citizens. A B C D
Section 2 – DQ1

16. The Impact of Political Parties
The Twelfth Amendment requires that the electors cast separate ballots for president and vice president.
It also provides that if no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the House chooses from the three candidates with the largest number of elector votes.
In the 1820s states began to place presidential candidates on the ballot as the Electoral College system adapted to the growth of democracy.
Section 2

17. A. the Twelfth Amendment B. the Thirteenth Amendment
Which amendment requires that the electors cast separate ballots for president and vice president?
A. the Twelfth Amendment
B. the Thirteenth Amendment
C. the Second Amendment
D. the Sixth Amendment A B C D
Section 2 – DQ2

18. The Electoral College System Today
Today parties choose their nominees for president in conventions held in late summer.
Voters cast their ballots for president every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Voters are not voting directly for president or vice president but instead voting for all of their party’s electors—the slate of electors—in their state.
The Electoral College System
Section 2

19. The president is the candidate that
A. receives the largest popular vote.
B. receives the most electoral votes.
C. wins the most states. A B C
Section 2 – DQ3

20. Electoral College Issues
In all but two states, Maine and Nebraska, if a candidate wins the largest number of popular votes, that person receives all the state’s electoral votes.
The winner-take-all system makes it possible for a candidate who loses the overall popular vote to win the electoral vote.
Popular and Electoral Votes in Select Elections
Section 2

21. Electoral College Issues (cont.)
When a third-party candidate is a strong presidential contender, that candidate could win enough electoral votes to prevent either major-party candidate from receiving a majority of votes.
When the House of Representatives must decide a presidential election, each state casts one vote and the candidate who receives 26 or more of the votes is elected.
Popular and Electoral Votes in Select Elections
Section 2

22. Electoral College Issues (cont.)
People usually criticize the Electoral College system when problems arise. Many changes to the system have been proposed.
Popular and Electoral Votes in Select Elections
Section 2

23. A. become president without the electoral vote.
The “winner-take-all” system makes it possible for a candidate who loses the popular vote to
A. become president without the electoral vote.
B. win the electoral vote.
C. be disqualified from the election. A B C
Section 2 – DQ4

24. The Inauguration
Until the inauguration in late January, the new president is referred to as the president-elect.
The new president takes office at noon on January 20 in the year following the presidential election.
Section 2

25. B. the president-in-waiting. C. the vice president.
Until the inauguration in late January, the new president is referred to as
A. Mr. President.
B. the president-in-waiting.
C. the vice president.
D. the president-elect. A B C D
Section 2 – DQ5

26. Section 2-End

27. Section 3-Content Vocabulary
cabinet
leak
Section 3-Content Vocabulary

28. Section 3-Academic Vocabulary
gender
media
relevant
Section 3-Academic Vocabulary

29. Section 3-Reading Strategy
Create a graphic organizer like the one below to list the major factors that a president must address when appointing cabinet members.
Section 3-Reading Strategy

30. Section 3-Polling Question
Which member of the inner cabinet do you think is most influential in modern government?
A. secretary of state
B. secretary of defense
C. secretary of treasury
D. attorney general A B C D
Section 3-Polling Question

31. Selection of the Cabinet
The president appoints the secretaries that head the 15 major executive departments.
The 15 secretaries, the vice president, and several other top officials make up the cabinet.
Cabinet secretaries advise the president, but they also serve as the administrators of large bureaucracies.
Section 3

32. Selection of the Cabinet (cont.)
It is important that a cabinet appointee:
have a background that is compatible with the department he or she will head,
satisfy powerful interest groups that have a stake in the department’s policies, and
have high-level administrative skills and experience.
Section 3

33. Selection of the Cabinet (cont.)
Before making final cabinet decisions, members of the president-elect’s team may leak, or deliberately disclose, some candidates’ names to the news media to test the reaction of Congress, interest groups, and the public.

34. B. an unofficial announcement. C. a leak. D. a veto. A B C D
Deliberate disclosure of cabinet candidates to the news media is called
A. a press release.
B. an unofficial announcement.
C. a leak.
D. a veto. A B C D
Section 3 – DQ1

35. The Role of the Cabinet
Each cabinet member is responsible for the executive department that he or she heads.
As a group, the cabinet is intended to serve as an advisory body to the president.
Throughout history, the cabinet’s role in decision making depended on the president’s wishes.
Historical and Political Reasons for Cabinet Status
Section 3

36. The Role of the Cabinet (cont.)
Though several recent presidents have attempted to increase the cabinet’s role, most have ended up going elsewhere for advice.
Historical and Political Reasons for Cabinet Status
Section 3

37. The Role of the Cabinet (cont.)
Some cabinet members—known as the “inner cabinet”—have greater influence because their departments are concerned with the most sensitive national issues. They include:
secretary of state,
secretary of defense,
secretary of treasury, and
the attorney general.
Historical and Political Reasons for Cabinet Status
Section 3

38. A. Department of Homeland Security. B. Department of Defense.
The department of the cabinet that deals with terrorist attacks is called the
A. Department of Homeland Security.
B. Department of Defense.
C. Department of the State.
D. Department of the Interior. A B C D
Section 3 – DQ2

39. Factors Limiting the Cabinet’s Role
There are several factors that limit the president’s use of the cabinet for key decisions, including:
conflicting loyalties: no president commands the complete loyalty of cabinet members, and
the difficulty of maintaining secrecy when 15 cabinet secretaries are involved in discussion of sensitive topics.
Section 3

40. A B C What factors limit the president’s use of the cabinet?
A. inexperience of cabinet members
B. unavailability of cabinet members
C. difficulty of maintaining secrecy on sensitive topics A B C
Section 3 – DQ3

41. Section 3-End

42. Executive Office Agencies
Executive Office of the President (EOP):
Created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Staff includes attorneys, scientists, social scientists and other technical or professional personnel
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB):
Prepares the national budget for the president
Reviews all legislative proposals that executive agencies prepare (central clearance)
Section 4

43. Executive Office Agencies (cont.)
National Security Council (NSC):
Advise the president and coordinate U.S. military and foreign policy.
National Security Advisor – Directs the NSC staff
Office of Homeland Security (within EOP):
Coordinate the activities of a majority of the federal agencies fighting terrorism (created by Bush)
Section 4

44. Executive Office Agencies (cont.)
Council of Economic Advisers :
Assess the nation’s economic health, predict future economic conditions, and support other executive agencies that are involved in economic planning.
Section 4

46. The White House Office
White House staff - chosen by the president without Senate confirmation.
Press Secretary: Heads a staff that handles the press, sets up press conferences and issues public statements
Recent presidents have given top White House staff more authority over policymaking.
Section 4

47. Chapter Summary start

48. Figure 3

49. Figure 5

50. DFS Trans 2 ANSWERS 1. California, New York, and Texas
2. No; Washington, D.C has three electoral votes.  
3. Two; New York (31) and Florida (27)
DFS Trans 2

51. DFS Trans 4 ANSWERS 1. peace, or the desire for peace
2. There are 13 arrows, 13 leaves and 13 berries on the olive branch, 13 stripes on the shield, 13 stars and 13 circles above the eagle’s head. They represent the original 13 states.  
3. The encircling stars represent the 50 states; Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959.
DFS Trans 4