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Who Can Be President
n Constitutional Requirements
n 35 years of age
n Native-born citizen
n U.S. resident for 14 years
n Intangibles
n Ability to win party nomination
n High office holder
n Prominent family
Presidency & the
Constitution
n Article II
n Limited to 2 four year terms
n Vagueness of the Constitution
Presidential Power
n Executive Power
n Make policy & command subordinates
n Running the Government
n Commander in Chief
n Diplomatic Powers
n Economic Management
Nineteenth Century
Presidency
n Dominated by Congress
n Washington
n Gave Presidency Legitimacy
n Jackson
n First President to expand the powers of
the Presidency
n Lincoln
n Set the foundations for the modern
Presidency
Modern Presidency, Origins
What Caused This?
n Depression
n New Deal legislation
n National Security
n Cold War
n Began with FDR
The Institutional Presidency
n Executive Office of the President
(EOP)
n White House Staff
n Chief of Staff
n Cabinet
White House Staff Organization
Council to the President Senior Policy Advisors
Special Projects
Presidential Personnel
Scheduling and Advance
Management and AdministrationWhite House Intern Program Travel Office
Staff Secretary
Public Liaison
Political Affairs
Intergovernmental Affairs
Cabinet Affairs
Senate Liaison Officer
House Liaison Officer
Legislative Affairs
Press Secretary
Speechwriting
Research
Communications
General Counsel
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff Functions
n Impose Order
n Arbitrate Disputes
n Control Access
Cabinet
n Secretaries of major administrative
departments (State, Defense)
n Not a formal governing body
n Rarely consulted in a collective fashion
n Why?
n Lack of access to the President
n No personal relationship with President
n Internal/External Pressures
Electoral College
n The assembly that formally elects
the President and Vice President
n Our votes simply elect the electors
that vote for the President
n Number of electoral votes
n 538 Total
n 270 Needed to get elected
Electoral College
(continued)
n Electoral votes broken down by
state
n Number of state electoral votes is
equal to the state’s number of
House Representatives and Senators
n Washington, DC
n 3 Votes
Contingency Election
(Vice-President)
n Goes to the Senate
n Top two electoral vote getters
n Members vote as individuals rather
than states.
Why Founders Created
Electoral College
n Feared popular vote
n Compromise between large and
small states
Electoral College Critics
n Faithless Elector
n Electors may change their votes
n Winner take all system
n Gives big states an advantage
n Encourages fraud
n Enhances power of third party
candidates
Electoral College Critics
(continued)
n The “Constant Two” Electoral Votes
n Gives small states more power relative
to their population
n Uncertainty of the Winner Winning
n Winner of the popular vote does not
equal winner of the electoral vote
n Contingency Election Procedures
n Deadlock in the House
n Increased power of third parties
Virtues of the Electoral
College
n Virtues of the Electoral College
n It is a Proven System
n Makes Campaigns More Manageable
n Discourages Election Fraud
n Preserves Moderate Two-Party System
Presidential Succession and
Disability
n 25 th^ Amendment
n Death, resignation
n Vice-President takes over
n Disability
n President signs away authority to VP
n If VP and majority of cabinet find
President unfit – can take power
Why individuals with low
self-esteem enter politics
n Seek Affection
n They have a need to be liked by
everyone. Compensates for alienation
as a child.
n Sense of Duty, Usefulness
n It is their obligation to help others
n Domination
n The need to dominate others to
compensate for self inadequacies
Barber’s Theory of
Presidential Character
Passive
Negative
Active
Negative
Negative
Passive
Positive
Active
Positive
Positive
Active Passive
Personality
Role Conception
Barber’s Types of
Presidential Character
n Active-Positive
n High self-esteem. Make the best
Presidents
n Passive-Positive
n Affection Seekers. Do not work hard
but enjoy the job
n Passive-Negative
n Sense of Duty. Do not work hard and
do not enjoy the job
Barber’s Types of
Presidential Character
n Active-Negative
n Domination (power seekers). Work
hard but do not enjoy the job
n These are the most dangerous
Presidents
George Washington Calvin Coolidge Dwight Eisenhower
James Madison William Taft Warren Harding Ronald Reagan
Passive
John Adams Woodrow Wilson Herbert Hoover Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon
Thomas Jefferson FDR Harry Truman JFK Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter George Bush Bill Clinton
Active
Positive Negative
