American Government Chapter 13: The Presidency

Until ______ there was ______ limit on the number of terms a President could serve.

1951, no

Presidential Role: Chief Legislator

The President is the chief legislator, the main architect of the nation's public policies.

Order of Succession:

1. Vice President 2. Speaker of the House 3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate 4. Secretary of State

Presidential Role: Chief Diplomat

As the nation's chief diplomat, the President is the main architect of American foreign policy and chief spokesperson to the rest of the world.

Who broke the tradition of serving no more than two terms?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Presidential Benefits

Salary: $400,000 Expense: $50,000 Travel: $100,000 Entertaining: $19,000 Franking: $10,000 Housing: The White House Transportation: Air Force One

What did the 12th Amendment do?

The 12th Amendment implemented the policy that each electoral voter would vote for a President, and Vice President on separate ballots. This ensures the President will be paired with his desired Vice President. It also prevented a tie between two presidential candidates.

What is the function of the Electoral College today?

1. All States, except two (Maine and Nebraska), select electors based on the winner of the popular vote in that State. 2. Electors then meet in the State capitals on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December and cast their votes for President and Vice President. 3. On January 6, the electoral votes cast are counted by the president of the Senate, and the President and Vice President are formally elected. 4.If no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes (270), the election is thrown into the House of Representatives.

Criteria for Presidency

1. Be a natural born citizen. 2. Be at least 35 years of age. 3. Have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

Who set the precedent for serving no more than two presidential terms?

George Washington

What did the 22nd Amendment do?

The 22nd Amendment (ratified in 1951) placed limits on presidential terms. A President now may not be elected more than twice or only once if they became President due to succession.

Presidential Role: Commander in Chief

The Constitution makes the President the commander in chief, giving him or her complete control of the nation's armed forces.

Presidential Role: Chief Executive

The Constitution vests the President with the executive power of the United States, making him or her the nation's chief executive.

What is the electoral college?

The electoral college is the group of people (electors) chosen from each State and the District of Columbia that formally selects the President and Vice President.

What exposed the flaws of the electoral college?

The rise of political parties and partisan politics.

How did the 25th Amendment, and Presidential Succession Act of 1947 provide for a Presidential Succession?

-The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, made it clear that the Vice President will become President if the President is removed from office. -The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 set the order of succession following the Vice President.

What are the two major strengths of the Electoral College?

1. It is a known process. Each of the proposed, but untried, reforms may very well have defects that could not be known until they appeared in practice. 2. In most election years, the electoral college defines the winner of the presidential election quickly and certainly.

What are the 3 major defects of the Electoral College?

1. It is possible to win the popular vote in the presidential election, but lose the electoral college vote 2. Nothing in the Constitution, nor in any federal statute, requires the electors to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote in their State. 3.If no candidate gains a majority in the electoral college, the election is thrown into the House, a situation that has happened twice (1800 and 1824). In this process, each State is given one vote, meaning that States with smaller populations wield the same power as those with larger populations.

Under what conditions does the V.P become President?

1. the President informs Congress, in writing, "that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office," 2. The Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is thus incapacitated.

What is the role of V.P?

1.To preside over the Senate, and 2. To help decide the question of presidential disability.

Presidential Role: Chief of Party

The President acts as the chief of party, the acknowledged leader of the political party that controls the executive branch.

What were the framers's original provisions for choosing the President?

The President and Vice President are to be chosen by a special body of"presidential electors". Each elector casts two electoral votes for two different candidates. The 1st place candidate becomes President, the 2nd place candidate becomes Vice President.

Presidential Role: Chief of State

The President is chief of state. This means he is the ceremonial head of the government of the United States, the symbol of all the people of the nation.

Presidential Role: Chief Citizen

The President is expected to be "the representative of all the people."

Presidential Role: Chief Administrator

The President is the chief administrator, or director, of the United States government.