Chapter 8 of 25
Designing a President
The delegates wanted an energetic leader, but not a king. The President of the United States is in charge ofQ17 the executive branch, which carries out and enforces the laws. The President of the United States is elected forQ36 four years at a time.
Choosing a president was hard. Some delegates wanted Congress to pick; others wanted a direct popular vote. They settled on electors. Each state gets electors equal to its senators plus representatives; today there are 538, and a candidate needs 270 to win. The Electoral College is importantQ49 because it decides who is elected president.
The Constitution gives the President several key powers. One power of the presidentQ41 is that the president signs bills into law. Because the President signs bills to become lawsQ43, the same office can also stop them: it is the President who vetoes billsQ44 he or she opposes, sending them back to Congress, which can override a veto only with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. That is the separation of powers at work.
The founders wanted the military firmly under civilian control, not run by generals. So the Commander in Chief of the U.S. militaryQ42 is the President. And the one who appoints federal judgesQ45 is the President, with the Senate's approval.