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Informal Qualifications of President, Presidential Succession, and the V.P.

$ Money $

  • MUST have access to large amounts of $$$...doesn't have to be theirs, could be donations.
  • Must pay for campaign during the primaries vs. other party members and then vs. opposite party, television time, a website, Facebook and twitter ads, campaign staff, campaign consultants, and mailings.
  • There used to be a limit to how much a candidate could spend but the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that use of one's money is in a sense freedom of expression and speech so there cannot be a limit on it. Problems with this?
  • In the 2012 election, according to Politico.com, "Obama: $1.123 billion vs. Romney: $1.019 billion. That’s the final fundraising tally in the most expensive presidential election ever, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission."

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/campaign-finance/

Informal Qualifications #4

Personal Characteristics

  • Most have:
  • Been Northern European in ancestry.
  • When considering all 45, most have middle class backgrounds...only a few poor (Lincoln, Eisenhower, Truman)....
  • White, except for Obama.
  • ALL men.
  • All protestant except for JFK who was Catholic.

Presidential Succession

What happens if the president dies? Who takes over?

  • 8 presidents have died while in office, 4 were assassinations.
  • After the most recent assassination of JFK in 1963, the nation realized we should probably have a clear definition of who takes over after the VP in case he/she dies, too.

In 1967, the states ratified the 25th amendment which specifically explains the order of presidential succession.

What's the order?

1. Vice President

2. Speaker of the House

3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

4. Secretary of State

5. Secretary of Treasury

6. Secretary of Defense

7. Attorney General (Justice)

8. Secretary of Interior

9. Secretary of Agriculture

10. Secretary of Commerce

11. Secretary of Labor

12. Secretary of Health and Human Services

13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

14. Secretary of Transportation

15. Secretary of Energy

16. Secretary of Education

17. Secretary of Veteran Affairs

18. Secretary of Homeland Security

WHY THAT ORDER???

It's the order in which they were created!

The 2nd part to the amendment allows a president to appoint a new vice-president if the current one resigns or dies...with the approval of Senate of course.

In the past, presidents would just not have a vice-president when this happened. In 1973, Ford will be the first vice-president appointed because of this amendment when Nixon gets the appointment approved after his former VP resigned.

The final part of the amendment describes what would happen if the president were to become disabled.

  • V.P. becomes acting president if 1) president informs Congress of his inability to perform due to a temporary disability (sick, shot, etc) or 2)if the majority of the Cabinet informs Congress that the president is disabled (this would be done if the president was unconscious or unable/unwilling to do it himself, etc.)
  • President can resume his duties as soon as he informs Congress that he is able and no longer disabled, however, the majority of the Cabinet can contest that he is not ready yet and ask that the VP continue for up to 21 days.
  • After 21 days, Congress can decide with a 2/3rds vote if they should continue with the VP or allow the president to return to office.

Constitutionally, the VP takes over if the president dies and is the president of the Senate with tie breaking powers.

However, as our country has grown, his/her role has been increasing.

The Modern VP

Today the VP...

  • Spends very little time in the Senate...too many duties under the president now.
  • Helps decide if the president is disabled and can take over if the majority of the Cabinet decides this.
  • Acts as president if president is disabled.
  • Workload and power depends on the president.
  • Most president's today use their VP's to help them gain support during election, to fill in for them in their role as Chief of State, and represent the president overseas and in foreign affairs when he cannot attend.
  • VPs also often give speeches and try to get the president's views supported by the people and Congress.
  • Ever since Walter Mondale, VPs have also been part of the National Security Council.
  • Al Gore was a very powerful VP under Clinton who was given power over elements of gov't organization and the environment. He also helped negotiate NAFTA.
  • Joe Biden, Obama's VP, is often sent to negotiate with the Senate and the House since he was a long time member of Congress.

Informal Presidential Qualifications, Presidential Succession, and the V.P.

Informal Qualification #3

Informal Qualification #2

Political Beliefs

  • Political parties usually choose moderate candidates since moderates and independents usually decide elections.
  • Rarely will a party choose a party extremist.

Informal Qualification #1

The Vice President's Job

Government Experience

  • Unwritten but important.
  • All but 6 presidents since 1868 have had it (Ike and Trump being the most recent)
  • U.S. senators and state governors have had the most success at becoming president in the last 100 years. (Exp. Obama=U.S. Senator, W. Bush=TX Governor, Clinton=AR Governor, Reagan=CA Governor, Carter=GA Governor, Nixon=U.S. Senate, LBJ=U.S. Senate, JFK= U.S. Senate...you get the picture!)
  • Plus, a previous government career provides many of the necessary connections needed in order to get a nomination and run an effective campaign.
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