Unit 4 Text 1; Qualifications, Powers, Roles of Executive
SSCG4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the organization and powers of the national government. a. Describe the structure and powers of the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches. SSCG12 The student will analyze the various roles played by the President of the United States; include Commander-in-Chief of
the Armed Forces, chief executive, chief agenda setter, representative of the nation, chief of state, foreign policy leader, and party leader. SSCG13 The student will
describe the qualifications for becoming President of the United States. a. Explain the written qualifications for President of the United States. b. Describe
unwritten qualifications common to past presidents.
Need for Strong Executive
The Founders of our nation wanted a strong national executive but had to consider the following: One of
the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that it lacked an executive, some to execute or
carry out the acts of Congress. This made it difficult for government to enforce laws and to respond quickly
to problems. However they feared a powerful executive based on their experience with England. They
believed that rights were denied by the King, his prime Minister or both.
Constitutional Powers and Qualifications
Presidential Powers comes from Article 2 of the Constitution and falls into the following five areas:
Military Leader; Executive Leader, Foreign Policy Leader, Judicial Leader, and Legislative Leader. The
Constitution requires that a president or a vice president be: a natural-born citizen of the United States, at
least 35 years old, and a resident of the United States for at least 14 years before taking office
Informal requirements for presidents
While not specified, candidates for president tend to have these qualities in common: Experience in
government, at the state or national level; Access to large amounts of money to pay for a presidential
campaign. Have moderate positions on the major issues of the day. The ability to adapt, grow and change as
a person.
Choosing the President
Because they feared an all powerful executive and democracy, the writers of the Constitution wanted to
make sure there was no direct election of the president. They created the Electoral College, an indirect
election process. The president is chosen not by direct election by the people, but by the chosen members of
the Electoral College. On the National Election day, which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in
November of even number years, the Presidential Election being held every four years, while people vote in
a direct election of members of the House and Senate, for president they vote for Electors, people who were
chosen by political parties to take part in the Electoral College. If the elector is chosen, they are sent to the
Electoral College, which is a meeting of the electors of a state. They then vote for the candidate they
represented and when the vote of the majority of electors from across the nation are counted, the president is
official chosen.
Roles of the President
Whoever is elected president, will have to play many roles, often simultaneously based on the current
demands of the office. These roles come out of the powers of the president as found in Article 2 of the
Constitution.
Military Leader
As Commander in Chief of the armed forces, all of the nation’s military are under the president’s control.
While the president shares with Congress the power to make war. For example, Congress can declare war,
but only the president can send in the military. He does not need their permission to enter into a war, nor
does he have to commit troops if they say so. However the president’s actions are subject to Congress as they
are the only ones who can appropriate the money for any military action.
Executive Leader
As chief of the executive branch, the president sees that the laws of Congress are carried out. To do this,
the president uses the following tools: Presidents issue executive order, rules with the force of law, to spell
out the details of policies and programs Congress enacts. Executive orders inform all the members of the
executive branch how to carry out the laws made by Congress. The president also appoints all the top-level
federal officials who usually share their political beliefs. As a result, the officials at the heads of departments
and agencies are more likely to carry out the presidents’ policies. Presidents also have the right to remove
officials they have appointed who they feel are not doing their jobs as the president intended. The Presidents
can also refuse to allow a federal department or agency to spend the money Congress has appropriated for it,
this process is called impoundment. Most of the time money is impounded because the reason it was
appropriate no longer exists. However, the president must return impounded funds to the control of
Congress.
Foreign Policy Leader
In this role, the president is the nation’s Chief Diplomat in charge of foreign affairs. As such the president
makes the key decisions about our relations with other countries. Congress and the president continually
share control over the nation’s foreign policy. While the president can write a treaty, a formal agreement
between two or more countries, only the Senate can ratify it. When a treaty is written and ratified it becomes
part of U.S. law. However Congress is generally too slow to act to foreign events and because of this the
president can make executive agreements. These are pacts between the president and heads of countries.
These agreements have the same status as treaties, but they do not require the Senate’s approval. Most
presidents prefer executive agreements to treaties as they can be done much faster. The president also
nominates ambassadors who are official representative of the U.S. in other countries. Another power of the
president in foreign affairs is the recognition of other countries. To recognize a government means to
acknowledge its existence and the legitimacy of its government.
Judicial Leader
The Presidents has many power related to the judiciary. When positions become available the president
can appoint federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, with the Senate’s approval. Because they hold
their positions for life, the president can influence court decisions for many years by appointing justices who
hold views similar to the president. Presidents can grant a pardon, which is ending of a punishment given
for a crime. The president can also grant a reprieve which is the temporary suspension of a punishment. The
President may also grant amnesty. Amnesty is a group pardon. For example, Presidents Ford and Carter
granted amnesty to men who fled the draft during the Vietnam War. The President also appoints the Attorney
General, the nation’s prosecutor, and can instruct him on what types of cases he should pursue.
Legislative Leader
As chief legislative leader the president describes the laws he wants in the annual State of the Union
message to Congress. It calls attention to the president’s ideas about how to handle important problems
facing the nation. To carry out these ideas, the president has a large staff to help write legislation which is
referred to Congress. . The president also presents a suggested budget and an annual economic report which
Congress will have to address. The president works hard to influence Congress in the following his
legislative agenda. To do this the president will often meets with members of Congress to hear their views. A
president may hand out political favors to get congressional support visiting their home state at reelection
time. A president may use the threat of a veto to force Congress to stop a bill or change it to fit the
president’s wishes. Threats often succeed because Congress finds it hard to override a veto.
Head of State
As head of state, the president is the representative of the nation and performs ceremonial roles. For
example, the president serves as hosts to leaders of other nations as well as kings and queens. The president
gives out awards, medals, and presents other honors. As a symbol of the nation, the president is not just an
individual leader but the collective image of the United States.
Economic Leader
The Employment Act of 1946 directed the president to submit an annual economic report to Congress.
The law also declared that the government is responsible for promoting high employment, production, and
purchasing power. Since 1946, Congress has passed even more laws giving the president power to deal with
economic problems. The size of the government’s budget and decisions about how government money is
spent also affect the economy.
Party Leader
The president’s political party expects the president to be the party leader. This means giving speeches or
attending fund raisers to help party members running for office. The president also selects the party’s
national chairperson and often helps plan election strategies. Presidents are expected to reward persons who
support the party with patronage, or political appointments to high paying jobs.