THE VICE PRESIDENT AND THE ORDER OF SUCCESSION

Chapter 8, Section 1

Role of the Vice President What are the Constitutional duties of the VP?

•Have VP’s had much of a role throughout history?

•How has the office of the VP changed in recent years?

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-cheneynragun.htm

“Balancing the Ticket”What does it mean for a VP to “Balance the

ticket”? Geographically Politically Personality /Personal characteristics –

VPs also may be chosen to fill a perceived weakness with presidential candidate.

“Balancing the Ticket” Can you figure out how these VP candidates

“balanced” their “tickets”? Geographically? Politically? Personality/Personal Characteristics?

A Heartbeat Away…

So the VP is next in line, and one of his major functions is just to be ready in case the President can’t be President. But what happens if both the President and

the VP are unable to serve at the same time? We have a plan for who would take over if

that should happen… What is this plan called?

The Order of Succession to the Presidency

What does “Order of Succession” mean? How was the order determined?

Article II of the Constitution Acts of Congress The 25th amendment.

Constitution- Article II, Section 1 What does this part of the Constitution say

about what will happen if the president cannot serve for any reason?

What is the problem with this part of the Constitution?

Presidential Succession Act (1947) Why is the time period significant for the passage of

this act? What did this act of Congress do? What is the current order of succession?

1. Vice President2. Speaker of the House3. President pro tempore of

the Senate4. Secretary of State5. Secretary of the Treasury 6. Secretary of Defense 7. Attorney General- 11 other Cabinet

departments follow, last is dept. of homeland security

Line of Presidential Succession

1. Vice President – Joe Biden2. Speaker of the House- Nancy Pelosi3. President pro tempore of the Senate -

Robert Byrd4. Secretary of State-Hillary Rodham Clinton5. Secretary of the Treasury- Timothy Geithner6. Secretary of Defense- Robert Gates7. Attorney General- Eric Holder8. ……

25th Amendment (1967) How did the 25th amendment “fill out”

the remaining issues with the order of succession?

Fun Game: What are the original 3 “formal” Constitutional

requirements for the President? List 4 common characteristics of past presidents. What government position have many president’s held

just prior to becoming president? (answers may vary) What is the salary, and how long is the term of office of

the president? What are the only 2 constitutional duties of the Vice

President? After the VP, list the next 3 positions in the OoS. Describe what happens if the VP position becomes

vacant. **Bonus Question:…