I got my White House Christmas card in the mail today. It’s pre-sorted, bulk rate. But the stuff from my Congresscritters is franked. What’s the deal?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franking
A sitting president doesn’t get franking privileges, but the vice president and former presidents do.
Check to see if the card is sponsored by the Democratic National Committee. If it is, there’s your answer as to why it’s bulk rate. Political campaigns and organizations are not allowed to use a congressman’s (or anyone else’s) franking privilege.
But, in the word of the OP, “WHY?”
Well, I don’t know, but if I had to guess, it would be that Franking was originally supposed to be used for official, non-campaign, information to constitutents (not Christmas cards or ‘Don’t vote for my stinkin’ opponent’ mailings, but info about important bills). If the President thinks the people should be told about some important issue, that issue should be in the purview of some executive branch department (or, these days, independent agency), so the agency should be telling the people. And executive branch agencies have their own budget for mailing.
Neither Presidents nor Congresspeople should be using government funds to send Christmas cards or campaign material. (Not that Congresspeople don’t push this right up to and past the breaking point, but that’s the theory).
OP: Why doesn’t the President get Franking privileges?
So he can’t use government funds to promote his Socialist agenda. (JK!)
The president didn’t exist when franking laws were first written. The Articles of Confederation contained Americas first franking law. At that time there was a President of the Continental Congress, but he was a member of Congress, and unrelated to the later POTUS position. When the first congress met, they enacted the previous language into law.
Why the president wasn’t given franking privileges later, is impossible to answer.
This PDF has just about everything you’d want to know on the subject of franking.
Well, from what I understand, he can frank anybody he wants. But he chooses to do so only with his wife (at least that we know of).
Also, even if the President had franking privileges, he couldn’t use them for Christmas cards. Franking is supposed to be for official communications to constituents. Van Hecke V Reuss cleared that up
Thank you.
Personally, I’d be more interested in a mailing from the President than my Senator or Representative.
The card was paid for by the DNC.
Neither did the vice-president. It seems that for some reason, the president was specifically excluded.
… unless…
Under the Articles of Confederation, did the Senate have a President who was not himself a senator? That would explain how the VP got franking privileges without being a senator.
There was no Senate under the Articles.
Here’s my guess:
Senator 1: Say, old chap, how about we enact this old-fashioned franking law so we, the legislature, can send mail for free.
Senator 2: Smashing idea, old bean!
Vice President: Hey, we want to send free mail in the executive branch, too.
Senator 3: Go wax your tallywhacker, you bimetalist rapscallion!
Vice President: I can command a majority vote in the Senate right now.
Senators 1, 2, and 3: Say, you know, the Vice President is kind-of a Senator, sorta.
Vice President: That’s what I’m saying.
Senator 4: But fuck the president.
Vice President: Fine with me.
And that’s the history of postal abuse by our nation’s government.
The vice president gets privileges as President of the Senate.
Little known fact: Two U.S. Presidents could legitimately frank their mail while serving as president. Who?
If you’re counting all the presidents who had served in Congress or been VP prior to their election, that list is going to have several people on it, not just two. Otherwise, I don’t understand.
Clinton had Frenching privileges. That’s pretty close.
I would say one is Grover Cleveland who as the 24th President was the former 22nd President and got his privilige because of that.
Lincoln got franking privileges on 10 March 1864 so maybe Johnson did too which means I am wrong about Cleveland.
facepalm Frank Pierce and Frank D. Roosevelt, of course.