CHAPTER 10 THE PRESIDENCY In this chapter we will cover The Roots of the Office of President of the United States The Constitutional Powers of the President The Development of Presidential Power The Presidential Establishment The Role of the President in the Legislative Process The President as Policy Maker The President and Public Opinion THE PRESIDENCY Evolution of the presidency How did this happen Can any one person perform the duties of president to the general Is the job too large and too complex for any one person to succeed In this section we will examine And one more question just who is the President of the United States satisfaction of Americans The Roots of the Office of President of the United States Attitudes of American colonists fighting British king With the failure of the Articles of Confederation The majority of the Framers agreed that the executive power should be But other branches would have powers to check the executive vested in a single person to be called the president Two divergent views of the presidency John Hanson first President of the United States in Congress Assembled George Washington as Zeus The Constitutional Convention Qualifications for Office The Constitution requires that the president must be 1 Natural born citizen 2 35 years of age 3 Be a resident of this country for 14 years Terms of Office The length of the president s term was quite controversial The 22nd Amendment now limits presidents to 2 four year terms or a total of 8 years in office Removal of a President Impeachment Removal by impeachment is the ultimate check on the president The Congress conducts the investigation and drafts Articles of Impeachment for treason bribery or high crimes and misdemeanors In this sense impeachment is an indictment The senate tries the case with the chief justice presiding If 2 3 of the Senate votes for the Articles the president is removed from Only 2 presidents have been impeached Who Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were removed from office office convicted Succession of a President To date seven presidents have died in office One resigned Clinton This was because of the scandal of Watergate If the president is unable to perform his duties the Vice President then Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 that stated the Scandal becomes responsible for the office order of succession after the Vice President 1 Speaker of the House 2 President pro tem 3 Secretary of state Treasurer Defense Assassination There have been 4 assassinations of presidents of the United States Lincoln It is a dangerous job Many attempted assassinations and about a 10 rate Garfield McKinley and John F Kennedy of success What about an incapacitated president Edith and Woodrow Wilson The only woman president in US history The VP s primary job is to replace the president if the president is The Vice President incapacitated His her only formal duty is to preside over the senate where s he can vote Historically the office has had little power and often VPs have low profiles only to end a tie in votes The most powerful VP Richard Chaney They know who Amy is but they don t know me VP Walter Mondale Who is the Vice President Joe Biden The Constitutional Powers of the President The powers of the president are set out in Article 2 of the Constitution The The president received certain enunerated powers in the Constitution article is quite short and details few powers for the president however the first line of Article II may be the most important grant of power to the president It states the executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America The executive power clause has been the basis for allowing the president to exceed the list of enumerated powers in Article II The first strong chief executive Andrew Jackson Challenged Congress Presidential Mandate Vetoed 12 bills The Growth of the Modern Presidency After Jackson tug of war with Congress In the twentieth century the presidency has become ever more powerful The modern presidency began with FDR who was elected to four terms The modern presidency during two huge national crises WWII and Great Depression uses technology to get close to Americans leads a huge government plays an active and leading role in foreign and domestic policy plays a strong legislative role The Role of the President in the Legislative Process The President FDR claimed the leadership and agenda setting power for the president and FDR shifted the president s powers from that of simply executing policy to got it How does Congress feel about that as Policy Maker However presidents have a hard time getting Congress to pass their making it programs especially during periods of divided government when the president and the majority in Congress are of different parties Divided Government and treaty making power Congress has used its power infrequently to reject treaties However one very important one rejection of the Versailles treaty It is one example of the power of Congress How long has President Obama served as national leader Six years January 2008 November 2014 No Checks and Balances The Presidency consent Executive power is checked by Congress with budget oversight advise and It is checked by the Judiciary through judicial review The president can check the power of Congress through executive actions And the Judiciary through nomination power ignoring rulings veto Checks and Balances Treaty Making Power Congress has an important check on the president in foreign policy in terms The president can negotiate a treaty but it is Congress specifically the 2 3 of the Senate must approve a treaty for it to go into effect It doesn t Perhaps the most famous treaty rejected by the Senate the Versailles Treaty of treaty making Senate which must debate and vote on it always approve The President and Public Opinion Rate the Presidents Most popular at any one time in modern history George W Bush Least popular George W Bush Best historians Abraham Lincoln Best what do you think Worst The worst presidents The view of one political cartoonist Mike Lukovich of The best presidents the Atlanta Constitution Journal The State that is the Mother of Presidents is President James A Garfield the president you don t know James A Garfield scenes from his life Birthplace Moreland Hills OH Garfield National Historic Site Mentor OH and death The pendelton civil service act The end of reconstruction unfortunately The Garfield Legacy Barack Obama 44th