EOC Prep Packet #6

EOC Prep Packet #6 The Executive Branch

Table of Contents:  Vocabulary  Qualifications and Powers  The Roles of the President  The Federal Bureaucracy  The Electoral College and Campaign Strategy  EOC Practice

Vocabulary: Advisory group made up of the heads of the 15 top-level executive departments. Appointed by Cabinet – the president and confirmed by the Senate, members of the Cabinet are often the president’s closest advisers

Group of people named by each state legislature to select the president & vice president

Foreign policy tool; agreement among a group of nations that prohibits them all from trading Electoral College – with a target nation

Rule or command issued by the president that has the force of law (Example: FDR ordering Japanese-Americans to be placed in camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor) Embargo – The gigantic collection of agencies, departments, and offices that make up the executive branch

President’s power to issue a declaration of forgiveness & freedom from punishment Executive Order – Person appointed (chosen/selected) by the president to serve in an important position

A formal agreement between the governments of two or more countries. The president has the power to make treaties, but they must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the Senate Federal Bureaucracy –

List the three constitutional requirements for a US President: Pardon – 1. 2. Political Appointee – 3.

Treaty – Read through the excerpt from Article II (left) and list the powers belonging to the president in the space provided below.

------ Qualifications and Powers:

The following is from Article II Section I of the US Constitution –

No person except a natural born citizen, or a Don’t forget … The president DOES NOT citizen of the United States, at the time of the have the power to declare war! That adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible power belongs to Congress. to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the Identifying Examples of Presidential Roles: United States. (Use abbreviations on the left)

Orders 25,000 troops sent to North Korea

Recognizes a dozen Americans for outstanding community service From Article II of the US Constitution – Travels to Missouri to appear at a campaign rally for a The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and candidate running for a seat in the US Senate Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United Appoints the head of the CIA States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the Delivers a speech designed to build support for a principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon particular piece of legislation any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for Discusses an embargo of Russia with the leaders of offenses against the United States, except in cases of several European countries impeachment. Issues an executive order to raise the minimum wage for He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of federally contracted workers the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Hosts the annual White House Easter Egg Roll Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint Orders a strike against a suspected terrorist training ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of compound the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, Assists in the negotiation of a peaceful resolution to whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, conflict among Middle Eastern countries and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they (I realize the charts/graphics on the left are extremely think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in difficult to see/read, but I hope they allow you to the heads of departments. see/understand an important theme.)

The Roles of the President: Legislative Branch = Members of Congress, which includes the US Senate & the US House of Reps.

Chief Executive – The president runs over Judicial Branch = US Supreme Court + federal government (He’s the BOSS) and makes sure that judges at the District & Appeal Court levels the laws of the land are enforced. CE (x2)

1. How does the size of the executive branch compare with that of the Chief Diplomat The president is the leader, – other two branches? initiator/primary developer, and guide of our foreign policy. CD (x2)

Commander-In-Chief – The president is in charge of our military. They take orders from him. He is responsible for training, supervising, and deploying our troops. CC (x2) 2. Everybody knows about the president and the vice president, but who and what else is part of the executive branch? Chief Legislator – The president recommends laws while advising & guiding Congress in its lawmaking activities. He delivers speeches to promote his agenda and meets with Congress to discuss policies. CL

Chief of State – He’s the symbolic leader of the US, so he performs many ceremonial functions allowing him to promote/convey/represent American values. CS (x2)

Party Leader – Helps members of his/her political party get elected. PL The Federal Bureaucracy:

Figure 1 – Organizational Chart of the Exec. Branch

Complete Electoral College readings (on the left) and then respond to the following questions:

 Briefly explain the Electoral College system. What is it and how exactly does it work? Figure 2 – Flowchart of the US Federal Government

(Arrows are pointing to the Exec. Branch section of the chart; top left is leg. branch; top right is judicial branch)

 How does the “winner-take-all” aspect of the system influence campaign strategy? Why do candidates avoid campaigning in some states and spend huge amounts of time and money in others? The Electoral College & Campaign Strategy:

What is the Electoral College? The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors who cast votes to decide the President and Vice-President of the United States. When voters go to the polls on Election Day, they are choosing which candidate receives their state's electors. The candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes (270) wins the Presidency. The number 538 is the sum of the nation's 435 Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 electors given to the District of Columbia.

(Continued on the next page)

How does the Electoral College work? Every four years, voters go to the polls and select a candidate for President and Vice-President. In all but two states, the candidate who wins the majority of votes in a state wins that state's electoral votes. In Nebraska and Maine, electoral votes are assigned by proportional representation, meaning that the top vote-getter in those states wins two electoral votes (for the two Senators) while the remaining electoral votes are allocated congressional district by congressional district. These rules make it possible for both candidates to receive electoral votes from Nebraska and Maine, unlike the winner-take-all A) The offices of the president had too much system in the other 48 states. power in the 19th century. Can you lose the popular vote and win the electoral B) Original checks and balances in the college vote? Constitution sufficiently limit the president’s power. Yes, a candidate could lose the popular vote and win C) Congress should have more power to check the electoral college vote. This happened to George the president’s power. W. Bush in 2000, who lost the popular vote to Al D) Term limits are needed to keep any one Gore by 0.51% but won the electoral college vote 271 president from growing too powerful to 266.

Electoral College Map (#s indicate Electoral College votes per state)

A) Checks and Balances B) Popular Sovereignty C) Rule of Law D) Judicial Review A) Federalism; Democrats B) Limited Government; Liberals C) Separation of Powers; Conservatives D) Limited Government; Republicans

EOC Practice Questions on the back!

EOC Practice:

1. Which view of presidential power led to A. Commander-In-Chief nd the 22 Amendment? B. Party Leader C. Chief Legislator D. Chief Executive

2. “A government for the people must depend for its success on the intelligence, the morality, the justice, and the interest of the people themselves.” – Grover Cleveland

Which principle of government is Cleveland highlighting in this quote?

3. “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” – Gerald Ford

In this quote, Ford is pointing out the importance of ______and he is communicating a belief held by most ______.

4. Which presidential role is best illustrated by this political cartoon?