1. The President
The Executive Branch

2. Terms to Understand First
Bureaucracy – complex organization
Can be applied to the Federal Govt. and many other things
TVHS is also an example
Budget Deficit – when the Federal government spends more than it makes

3. Intro to the President History Article II of the Constitution
King Issues
No repeat of King George
Article II of the Constitution
Where the requirements, powers, and responsibilities of the Presidency are explained

4. Basics of the President
Requirements:
Natural born citizen
35 years old
Youngest elected JFK (43) Youngest served Teddy Roosevelt (42)
Resident of the US for at least 14 years
Salary & Benefits
$400,000 per year + $50,000 expense allowance
Air Force One, Secret Service, live in White House, & Pension (First Lady gets $40,000 per year)

5. Electing the President
Electoral College – group of people chosen from each state (and DC) to elect the president and the vice president
Each state has a specific number of electors
Colorado has 9
The popular vote in each state determines how many of the electors vote for each candidate (president and vice president)
The president and vice president become the people with the majority of the electoral votes

6. Presidential Terms Presidential term is 4 years
Originally no term limit was enforced
Washington only served 2 terms so most presidents followed his example
FDR served 4 terms
22nd Amendment
Passed in 1951
Limits the president to 2 terms or 10 years

7. Powers Commander-in-Chief Make Treaties
Appoint ambassadors, Supreme Court Judges, and other officials
Enforce Laws
Veto
Grant Pardons
Pardon – grant legal forgiveness for a crime, prevents or ends punishment

8. Unofficial Powers
Executive Privilege –the right of the President to keep information secret from Congress to protect national security
Executive Agreement – an agreement between the President and a foreign government with out approval from the Senate
Imperial Presidency – a presidency characterized by greater power than the Constitution allows

9. Checks on Presidential Power
Legislative
Approve/reject presidential recommendations
Override Veto
Sets guidelines for how the President can implement things
Creating or eliminating departments
Judicial
Interpreting the constitution
Overruling any “unconstitutional” action by the president

10. Presidential Power and Public Opinion
The power of the President will depend a lot on how the public feels about him and what he is doing.
President’s are going to have more power (and support) going into a war
Think WWII and FDR
If a war lasts too long the President will loose that power
Think of Vietnam
This same idea will transfer to any policy or action the President takes during his time in office

11. The Cabinet Cabinet – group of top advisors to the president. Members
Includes the VP, the heads of the executive departments, and any other advisors the President may choose
Members
Selected by the President approved by the Senate
Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General are the most important
Members can not hold any other elected office

12. The Cabinet cont. Organization Function
There are 15 executive departments, each department head is part of the cabinet
Ex. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Education
Function
To advise the President and help in one or more of his roles
Ex. Secretary of State helps president plan and execute foreign policy

13. Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy – plan for how the US will deal with other countries
Purpose is to protect US interests
Major Players
The President
Has the primary responsibility of deciding Foreign Policy
Uses the State Department, National Security Council, CIA, and Department of Defense
Congress
Declares war and approves treaties, funds, & appointments
Other Groups
Domestic Groups, Public Opinion, Mass Media, Other Countries, Foreign Companies

14. Foreign Policy cont. Tools of Foreign Policy
Diplomacy – the process of reaching a peaceful agreement with other nations through discussion
Diplomat – representative of a government who conducts relations with other governments
Alliances – potential enemies know that countries in an alliance will protect each other, can promote trade
Foreign Aid – can be used to acquire assets or as a promise to stop certain behavior
Intelligence – information about what other governments are doing and what they are capable of

15. Presidential Succession
Presidential Succession – plan for what happens if a President is unable to perform his duties
President
Vice President
Chooses a new VP
Speaker of the House
This is only temporary…a new election will be called to permanently replace the President and VP
President Pro Tempore

16. Order of Succession VP Speaker of the House President Pro Tem
Sec. of State
Sec of Treasury
Sec. of Defense
Attorney General
Sec. of the Interior
Sec. of Agriculture
Sec. of Commerce
Sec. of Labor
Sec. of Health and Human Services
Sec. of Housing and Urban Development
Sec. of transportation
Sec. of Energy
Sec of Education
Sec of Veterans Affairs
Sec. of Homeland Security