Can a president fire any member on his presidential cabinet?
Sure. They are his advisers and they serve at his pleasure. When he "hires" them, the Senate has the power to reject his nominees and force him to nominate others. But once they are confirmed, only the president can ask them to resign. One exception is the vice president, who is considered a member of the Cabinet but who is elected with the president and serves the same term as the president. In order for him to be "fired" he would have to be impeached by the House of Representatives and removed by the Senate. But if the president and the vice president have a falling out, the president always has the option of excluding the vice president from his meetings.
If President Obama were nominated into a cabinet position or elected Speaker of the House, would he enter in line of succession?
No, he would not, according to current interpretation of both the relevant Presidential Succession Act and the Constitution (and Amendments).In order to assume the powers of the President (even if only as Acting President), one must qualify to hold the Office of the President itself. Current law interpretation is such that this means you must be able to be elected to the Presidency. This is explicit in the Constitution for the V.P. (i.e. the V.P. must have all the same qualifications as the President, regardless of whether they were elected or appointed), and implied in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 for the rest of the line of succession.As Obama cannot qualify to be elected anymore (via the strictures in the 22nd Amendment), he does not qualify to be in the line of succession. He may hold a Cabinet or Speakership or President Pro Temp position, but he would not be eligible to be Acting President or assume the Office of the President - the line would skip him.Until a SCOTUS ruling says otherwise, this is the definition we’re working under.
If a cabinet secretary keeps their position between 2 presidents do they have to be reconfirmed by the senate?
It depends. Lets take John Kerry for example. He was secretary of state.Scenario 1: Obama resigned, Biden kept him. He would not need to be confirmed even in a full first Biden Term in 2016 - Biden was incumbent so no need to reconfirm his cabinet for the same position as under Obama’s half a term.Scenario 2: HRC had won and picked Kerry for same position. He needs to be confirmed. HRC is a new president.
Do you think presidents are "chosen" or "selected" beforehand?
I never have believed the Elections It is all just a smoke screen But the Average American is to blind & stupid to see this Government does what the government wants to do Period Your vote & my vote & every body's Vote is a complete waste of our time
The usefulness to the president of having cabinet members as political advisers is undermined by the fact that?
choose wisely ; ) 1. the president has little latitude in choosing cabinet members. 2. cabinet members have little political support independent of the president. 3. cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties to Congress. 4. the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the president and loyalty to their own executive departments. 5. the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have limited access to the president.
Should presidential nominees be required to declare their cabinet before an election?
One thing to consider is that many cabinet members hold elected offices prior to be appointed to the cabinet. Announcing who would make up the cabinet prior to an election could have unexpected consequences. For example, if a governor is selected for a cabinet position, voters in that state might vote against the presidential candidate supporting him because they want to keep their governor. It could especially be problematic if the person selected just happens to be running for re-election that year. People might vote against them because they don't appear dedicated to their elected position.The other problem is that campaigns would be brutal as presidential candidates wouldn't just have to defend the record of themselves and their running mate, but also their entire cabinet. With so many people, a major scandal is bound to come up. Studies find that negative campaign ads tend to discourage voting. With so many targets, negative campaign ads would be everywhere and voter turnout would sink below its already poor numbers.
How long can an acting secretary/ambassador hold his position without the US Senate confirmation? How will the president appoint a position without a Senate confirmation if all of his nominators fail in front of committees?
How long can an acting secretary/ambassador hold his position without the US Senate confirmation? How will the president appoint a position without a Senate confirmation if all of his nominators fail in front of committees?They can serve for one calendar year. If the fail to get senate conformation they are out of the running. Committees make recommendations on whether or not there should be a vote on the floor of the senate but the Senate majority leader can override the committees’ recommendation. That is he can bring to the floor a nominee that was rejected by committee, he can also withhold introducing an approved nominee for a vote.