Chapter 10: Choosing the PresidentOutlineLesson 1 – Presidential Qualifications and LeadershipI.Qualifications for PresidencyIn order to be elected and Serve successfully as president of the United, a personmust posses a variety of skills talents, experiences, and personal qualitiesa.Constitutional RequirementsIn Article II, Section 1, the Constitution defines the formal requirements forthe presidency. The president must be:a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least 35 years old, and havebeen a resident of the United States for at least 14 years before takingoffice.b.Informal RequirementsEvery president in American history, has served in one of these roles beforebecoming president: Vice President U.S. senator or representative cabinet secretary,governor of a state, or general in the U.S. Army.c.Political BeliefsExtremely Liberal/ Extremely Conservative candidates have little chances ofbeing elected and because of that most parties choose candidates who are moderate.d.Personal CharacteristicsHistorically, most presidents have come from northern Europeanbackgrounds. There have been presidents that came from poor families such as –Abraham Lincoln, Harry S. Truman, for ex. and there have been presidents that camefrom wealthy families such as – Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.e.Financial BackingRunning for presidency costs tens of millions of dollars. Candidates pay foradvertising, salaries of campaign staff and consultants and travel; they also spendmillions of dollars to reach out to voters by mail; e-mail, Internet, and phone.II.Leadership SkillsEvery president has a unique style of leadership. Sometimes presidentsdemonstrate leadership by introducing bold new policies; president Truman did this in1948 when he announced measures to end discrimination against African Americans inthe military. However, more often presidents demonstrate leadership by responding tocrises, problems, or opportunities as they occur.a.Understanding the PublicA president must know and understand the American people. A failure tounderstand the public can cost a candidate the presidency. As is the case of theelection of 1932, during which Hoover's failure to understand the public led toFranklin D. Roosevelt To win by alandslide, or a great majority of votes on oneside.
