![[The Presidential Seal]](images/preseal.gif)
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The president, aka the Chief Executive, is quite possibly the most powerful person in the world. He is head of the executive branch, leader of the free world. How did his position come to be? Hang on, I'm getting to that.
The writers of the Constitution wanted someone to be in charge, but not have too much power. Very few wanted a king, since we had just freed ourselves from tyranny. When the idea of three branches was finally pounded out, the president was put in charge of the executive branch, and was meant to be sort of a figurehead. Kind of like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. Doesn't really do much, but looks nice.
Obviously, from the appearence of the presidents nowadays, there is much, much more to the position (no offence, sir).
Here, in Top Ten...er...Eleven format, are the formal powers of the president, given to him or her by the constitution:
From the home office in Washington D.C., USA...
Again, these are just the powers of the president given to him by the Constitution. The Constitution had very little on what the president couldn't do, however, and starting with George Washington, the president and the executive branch have taken on powers never expected by the writers of the Constitution.
Well, almost anybody. There are a few quick requirements...
The requirements for being vice-president would be the same, since of the the duties of the VP is to take over for the president if he can't work anymore.
Election Day is the first Tuesday of November in the United States. Voters (for any election) must be 18 years or older to vote.
The people don't actually vote dirctly for the President. They vote for electors, who in turn vote for the President. All the electors together is called an Electoral College. The number of electors in your state is based on its population.
For example:
Say the majority of the people in Nevada vote for Candidate A. Candidate A would get all of the electoral votes for Nevada. Perhaps then most of the people in Maine vote for Candidate B. That candidate would get all of Maine's electoral votes, and so on, through all 50 states. In the end, the candidates with the most electoral votes wins (the electors don't actually vote to make it official until the following December).
Once elected, the candidate give a speech to the supporters and throws a big party. On Janruary 20, he or she is sworn in with the following oath:
"I do solemnly swear* that I will faithfully execute the office of the Presidency of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
*if a president is being sworn in for a second term, the word "swear" is replaced with "affirm"
A president may serve a maximum of two terms.
John Adams, the first U.S. Vice President, once said the vice presidency was the most insignificant office that man ever conceived. While it is true that the Vice President has significantly less constitutional power than the President, that doesn't mean he or she gets to lie around the pool at the vice-presidential mansion. No sir. His main two duties are:
In addition, the Vice President usually serves on the Cabinet and National Security Council. The President can also give him more stuff to do, like visiting leaders in other countries, help in important decisions, and pick out nice drapes that match the furniture (oh, wait - never mind, they have an aide for that). Basically, many of the vice president's duties are determined by the President himself.
The Vice President used to be the second place presidential candidate, you know, like a conselation prize. Then in 1804 it changed so people had one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. Now a candidate for president will choose a running mate, who will be Vice President if they are elected.
For Example
Al Gore was Bill Clinton's running mate during the 1992 and 1996 presidential elections.
Choosing the right running mate is very important for a candidate. The candidate often will choose someone from a different part of the country or with different views than themself to attract more votes.