easier to think about one than many people (congress)… also, for foreigners, the pres manages foreign affairs
Qualifications
35 years old min
Native born citizen
Lived in US for 14 years
Annotations:
at founder's time, many were educated in europe
role
term limit 4 yrs
Annotations:
set by 22nd amendment
7 Roles of the president
electoral college
Each state has minimum 3 electors bc minimum 1 rep and always 2 senators
538 electors; Need 270 to win
safe states v. swing states
Electors are chosen by the state political party that won
why the electoral college?
founders afraid of the mob
at founders time,
collecting/transporting all
individual votes would have
been nearly impossible
The Vice President
ignored by constitution
Must meet the same
qualifications as the
president
Chosen to “balance the ticket”
Annotations:
Sometimes, pres vice pres don’t even like each other, just use each other for political goals: Marriage of convenience
Idea: president should choose someone a little more to the
right/left than they are, shouldn’t just have a yes man
Also, helps pres appeal to voters who might not necessarily like the pres themself
the president's executive office
executive departments: the
president's cabinet (15 depts)
Independent Agencies
presidential succession
list (see notes)
Annotations:
Vice president
Speaker of the House
More rep. of broader will of the people
Elected by the people
President Pro Tempore
Secretary of State
Sec Treasury
Sec defense
Attorney General
Heads Department of Justice
(Cabinet/executive Sec. Interior
Sec Agriculture
Sec commerce
Sec labor
Sec health & human services
Sec housing & development
Sec transportation
Sec energy
Sec education
Sec veterans’ affairs
sec homeland security
presidential disability
Annotations:
if the president gets really sick? Goes crazy? Is otherwise “unfit”?
President OR VP/majority of cabinet informs congress in writing of incapacity