Presidential Power

- Founding of US
    - Presidency was a unique, new US concept
    - Power has fluctuated a lot
    - Now, it's super important and even revered
- Becoming President
    - Article II Section 1
        - 35 yrs old
        - Natural born
    - Common characteristics that help
        - Previous success in business, politics, law
        - Protestant, white, male
        - Most presidents didn't have Ph.Ds

Roles of the President
- Chief of State
    - Symbolic roles
        - Host foreign dignitaries
        - Throw the first pitch at the World Series
- Chief Executive
    - Heads bureaucracy
    - Appoints SC nominees
    - Budget roles
    - Enforcement of enacted legislation
- Commander-in-chief
    - Increasing importance over time
        - Standing army, defense department
        - Nuclear powers
    - Attempts to reign in power over time
        - War Powers Resolution Act requires pres, in 48hrs, to inform
          Congress of military deployment
- Chief Diplomat
    - Sort of an inherent power
    - Directs foreign policy
    - Treaties are passed by 2/3 vote in Congress, negotiated by pres
    - "Executive Agreements"
        - More temporary, less "deep" treaty
- Chief Legislator
    - Sets the Agenda
        - Term-length
    - State of the Union, yearly, mandated by Constitution
        - Radio, TV made it more of a spectacle
        - Used to just be a note/letter to Congress
- Party Chief and Politician
    - Domestic vs Foreign Policy
        - Congressional vs Public Support
        - Few presidents are great at both
    - Chief Campaigner/Fundraiser
        - Often campaigning for other politicians in party
        - Midterms, mostly
        - "go on the stump"

Emergency Power
    - Only during a specific national crisis
    - Limited: president must assign his action to a specific power in
      the code
Executive Orders
- Must relate to existing, delegated area of presidential authority
- Same weight as real laws because they're meant to follow existing laws
- 300 executive orders in eight years is average
Executive Privilege
    - Hide things from Congress
    - Does not extend to crimes (Nixon)
Inherent Powers (anything any head of state would have)
    - ex: Diplomatic Immunity

Impeachment
- Defined in Constitution @ Art. I, Sec 2,3 and Art. II, Sec 4
- Most people misunderstand the term
    - Does NOT mean automatic removal
    - Can try president or member of executive branch or member of gov
    - "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors"
- House has power of impeachment
- Senate conducts the trial
- 20 impeachments in history
    - 8 were removed
    - 3 resigned
    - 8 were acquitted
    - 1 trial was dismissed
    - Most were judges impeached on bribery, only 3 presidents
        - Andrew Johnson
        - Clinton
        - Trump
    - Trump *might* be reimpeached on new evidence