demographic characteristics of u.s. presidents
DESCRIPTION
100% male 97% Caucasian 97% Protestant 82% of British ancestry 77% college educated. Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Presidents. 69% politicians 62% lawyers >50% from the top 3% wealth and social class 0.5% born into poverty 69% elected from large states. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Demographic Characteristics of U.S.
Presidents• 100% male• 97% Caucasian• 97% Protestant• 82% of British
ancestry• 77% college
educated
• 69% politicians• 62% lawyers• >50% from the top 3%
wealth and social class• 0.5% born into
poverty• 69% elected from
large states
Constitutional Qualifications
Must be at least 35 years old
Must have lived in the United States for 14 years
Must be a natural born citizen
Presidential Benefits $400,000 tax-free salary $50,000/year expense
account $100,000/year travel
expenses The White House Secret Service
protection Camp David country
estate Air Force One personal
airplane Staff of 400-500
Christmas at the White House, 2004
Presidential Roles
Constitutional Roles
There are 5 expressed roles of the president found in the constitution
Head of StateQueen Elizabeth and President Reagan, 1983
President Kennedy speaks at Berlin Wall, 1963
Head of State
• Performs ceremonial roles• Some examples include:
– Hosting foreign leaders– Throwing the first baseball at a game– Meeting public figures, kings, and queens.
Bush throws first pitch last Sunday at the opening game between the washington nationals and the atlanta braves
Chief Executive
President Bush holds cabinet meeting in October, 2005
President Clinton with Janet Reno, the first female Attorney General,
February, 1993
Chief Executive
• Makes sure the laws of congress are carried out
Examples:– Executive Orders- rules that have the force
of the law– Presidential Appointments/Removals-
appoint or remove people from cabinet, government agencies, etc.
Chief Executive
• Reprieve- postponement of legal punishment
• Pardon- release from legal punishment
• Amnesty- a group pardon to people for offenses against the government
ex: Carter’s amnesty for draft dodgers
Commander-in-Chief
President Bush aboard U.S.S. Lincoln, May, 2003
President Johnson decorates a soldier in Vietnam, October, 1966
Commander in Chief
• Power to make “war” or send troops to fight in a certain area
• Power to support war effort by raising gas, ration food, and use industries to make war goods
Chief Diplomat
Ronald Reagan 1987
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”
President Bush and
President Putin of Russia
Chief Diplomat
• Makes foreign policy decisions– Constant struggle between president and
congress over foreign policy
• Signs Treaties – checks and balances- Congress must
approve
Chief LegislatorPresident Clinton delivers the State
of the Union Address, 1997
President Roosevelt signs into law the Social Security Act, 1935
Chief Legislator
• President describes laws and policy he would like to create
• See political cartoon on page 255.
Unwritten Roles• Many roles of the President have
developed over the course of history.
Political Party Leader
President Reagan & Vice-President Bush accepting their party’s nomination in 1980
Party Leader
• Supports his own party
• Patronage: Appoint loyal party members to important positions
Party Leader• President should represent all people so what about
his party?
• Presidents are sometimes criticized for crossing party lines by the party, the media, and the public.
• When President Clinton compromised with the Republican Congress to enact legislation in 1996, more liberal members of his own party criticized him.
Crisis Manager
Vice-President Johnson sworn in aboard Air Force One
after President Kennedy’s assassination, 1963
President Bush at Ground Zero after 9-11
Moral Persuader
President Lincoln during the Civil War, 1862
President Roosevelt and the “Bully Pulpit,” 1910
Economic Planner
FDR New Deal
Economic Planner
• This role greatly increased after the “New Deal” of FDR.
• Makes decisions about the budget, government spending, tax policy, etc.
Chief Administrator• Directs government agencies• Employs 3 million people to conduct
government businesses
Chief Citizen• Representative of all people
• Works for and represents the public interest