US Government - Unit 3: Executive Branch

requirements to become president

at least 35, natural born citizen, resident of the US for at least 14 years, can serve 2 terms

white house staff

support the president by communicating with congress, executive agencies, and press/public; chosen by president based on loyalty; don’t require a senate confirmation and can be fired

the cabinet

advise the president on any subject that they may require, relating to the duties of each member's respective office; cabinet secretary, attorney general, etc.; confirmed by senate

formal powers of the president

explicitly granted in article II of the constitution, separation of powers

informal powers of the president

not stated in the constitution that the president uses to execute law, expand on the president’s power, limited permanence as the next president can remove them

formal power examples

creating foreign policy and enforcing all laws that are passed (supreme court checks), commander in chief of the military, treaties, pardons, reprieves

treaty

(formal) agreements between US and other countries, need 2/3 of senate’s approval

pardon

(formal) removes someone’s punishment, cannot be done in impeachment cases

reprieve

(formal) delays someone's punishment, cannot be done in impeachment cases

informal power examples

signing statements, executive agreements, executive orders

signing statement

(informal) describe how a new law should be enforced or point out problems that the president sees with the law, reuse to enforce parts of the law

executive agreements

(informal) a pact or agreement made by the president and another country, have the same impact as a treaty, but do not require the approval of congress

executive orders

(informal) a presidential order to the executive branch that carries the force of law, supreme court can rule laws unconstitutional

12th amendment

the position for president and vice president are different, they run together as a team

22nd amendment

limited the number of terms a president can serve to two

23rd amendment

allowed washington dc to vote for electors for president

25th amendment

established a line of succession for the president as well as responding to presidential disabilities

primary elections

party nominates their candidate for general elections, “open” meaning you can vote for either party’s primary (only once), “closed” meaning you can only vote from the party with which you are affiliated

general elections

voting for federal (president, congress, state legislature), state (governor, attorney, general), and local officials (county and city official)

electoral college

president is elected by the nation’s elite (chosen by political parties based on contribution and loyalty to party), 538 total based off of state representatives + senators; 48 states have a winner-take-all system, nebraska and maine have split electoral votes

fears that shaped the electoral college

formation of a “democratic mob” which could potentially steer the country astray, congress’ involvement could lead to corruption

pros of the electoral college

small states’ interest, discourages candidates from focusing on certain regions only, maintains federalism

cons of the electoral college

popular vote mismatch, swing state power, voter disenfranchisement, faithless elections

bully pulpit

the president can use their platform to promote their agenda and communicate with the people

rally around the flag

increased popular support of the president during periods of international crisis or war

coattails

the phenomenon of a popular presidential candidate or political party leader being able to attract votes for other candidates in their party

honeymoon phase

period at the beginning of a new president’s term during which the president enjoys generally positive relations with press and congress, usually lasting 6 months

constitutional duties of vice president

preside over senate and take over as president if they die, resign, or are removed from office

increasing approval rating

time of crisis/war, laws protecting citizens, policies benefiting both parties, policies bettering the economy

decreasing approval rating

enacting policies against the people’s wishes, negatively affecting citizens’ quality of life, scandals