The Presidency Chapter 8 Qualifications to be

The Presidency Chapter 8

Qualifications to be President • A natural born citizen of the United States • 35 years old • A resident of the United States for 14 years.

Requirement #1 has led to some complaints from supporters of the former CA governor

After FDR won 4 Presidential elections • The 22 nd Amendment of 1951 limits the President to 2 four year terms or, (in the event of a VP replacing a President) 10 years total in the office.

Under President Truman the Cold War became pressing. • There were fears that Nuclear warfare could disrupt the process of Presidential Succession

So, in case of the worst… • Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 that stated the order of succession after the Vice President: • Speaker of the House • President Pro Tempore of the Senate • Secretary of State, Treasury, Defense, and other Cabinet heads in order of the creation of their department

• The Twenty-Fifth Amendment (1967) lays out succession and allows the president to appoint a new vice president if the post is vacant.

We have had a President through the 25 th Amendment.

In Contrast to the Powers of Congress • The President’s powers as defined by the Constitution are very brief.

Article II assigns the President the following: • Appointment of Federal Judges, Supreme Court Justices and the heads of the major cabinet departments. • The power to make treaties (subject to Senate ratification) with foreign states. • The Veto power • The President is Commander-in-Chief of U. S. armed forces. • The President may Pardon individuals convicted or charged in U. S. courts.

One power less relevant in contemporary times…. • The President may Convene Congress. Today this usually exercised just once a year for the State of the Union Address.

Yet, in the twentieth century, the presidency has become ever more powerful. Why? 1. Size of the modern bureaucracy. 2. Need for quick decision making 3. Media focus- the symbolic power of the office.

This is true of modern executives around the world. • For example Prime Minister David Cameron in Great Britain is more powerful than past PM’s.

• The modern president • leads a large government • plays an active and leading role in foreign and domestic policy • plays a strong legislative role • uses technology to get “close to Americans”

The Presidential Establishment Today, the president has numerous advisors to help make policy and fulfill the duties of chief executive: • The Cabinet • The Executive Office of the President (EOP) • White House Staff

The most visible is the Cabinet • The Cabinet is not mentioned in the Constitution and is formulated by each president as he/she sees fit. • The Cabinet consists of the heads of the major bureaucratic departments (State, Defense, Treasury, etc. ).

The Executive Office of the President (EOP) • The EOP was established by FDR and is a very important inner circle of advisors to the president. • The EOP is staffed by persons responsible to the president alone. • The EOP includes such important offices as the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisors, and the Office of Management and Budget.

The most visible person in the EOP is usually the National Security Advisor J ames Jones with President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

White House Staff • The people most directly responsible to the president are the White House staff such as personal assistants, senior aides, administrative personnel, and more.

White House Staff • There is no Senate confirmation and their power comes solely from their personal relationship with the president. • The White House staff reached a height of 583 members in 1972, but has gotten smaller since and is generally around 400.

A somewhat famous former speech writer (Nixon)

Chief of Staff • A recent powerful chief of staff was Rahm Emanuel

These three sections of the Presidential Establishment often disagree. • The Cabinet tends to focus on shorter term policy and problems. • Secretaries in the Cabinet tend to become involved in the politics of managing their departments.

In contrast, the EOP • Tends to worry about long term policy, where will the U. S. be 10, 20, years from now. • This often leads to fights with the Cabinet.

For example, between the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor

The White House Staff • Is focused on maintaining the popularity and influence of the President. Like Karl Rove, President Bush’s top political advisor.

The Vice President • The VP’s primary job is to assume office if the president dies or is incapacitated. • His/her only formal duty is to preside over the Senate or to break tie votes in the Senate.

Many have hated the office • John Adams said it was the most insignificant office known to man.

Does anyone set out to be VP?

A vice president is chosen for a number of reasons:

If you want to be President, then being the VP can be good or bad • Because no matter what you are like, you are always linked to the former President.

Modern VP’s are increasingly taking on more significant duties • Richard Cheney is a good example and perhaps Joe Biden as well.

Patronage Party Presidential Leadership Persuasion Public Opinion Veto Power Appointment Power

So, much of the President’s influence is derived from his popularity. • Because of this fact, Presidents have to pay close attention to public opinion polls. • The lower your rating, the less influence you have with Congress and others.

Presidential Approval Ratings Since 1938

This issue of informal influence becomes more pressing in a President’s Second Term • If the President is not careful, then he/she risks becoming a, “Lame Duck”.

The difficulty for political scientists • We want to study institutions and hard data. • Yet, the U. S. Presidency remains an office that is deeply affected by the individual who holds the office.

Can anybody be President? • The most successful ones tend to be good at managing people. • Although a great staff helps, the individual still needs natural talent/charisma.

The only consensus in rating Presidents emerges over long periods of time.