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The theories of presidential power
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The theories of presidential power
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Presidents of the United States of America have been around since the country became it’s own. Each president is given certain responsibilities and rights. Presidential power is listed in the Constitution but since then, there’s been room for more responsibilities to come into play. The powers exercised in the modern world surpass those included in the Constitution. Today, the president has a number of offices and departments serving under him. These institutions help keep the government together and everything running smoothly. The presidents rely on a number of other things. Some include elections, political parties, interest groups, the media, and public opinion. There are different kinds of powers granted to the president. While some are expressed powers and can be found written in the Constitution, others are delegated powers are given by the Congress to the president, and inherent powers, which are powers claimed by the President but aren’t found in the Constitution.
Expressed powers that can be found in the Constitution are Military, Judicial, Diplomatic, Executive, and Legislative powers. The president assumes the role of commander in chief. Presidents are allowed to declare war only with authorization from Congress. Article IV says that the “United States shall [protect] every State… against invasion… and …domestic violence” (Ginsberg 312). The judicial power the president holds is where he has the right to grant reprieves, pardons, and amnesty which involves the power of life and death over all individuals that pose a threat to the country. Diplomatic powers back the idea that the president is the head of the country. He’s the chief representative who’s the face while dealing with other nations. He can make treaties. He...
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...icized Bush for using this but had issued twenty statements in his first term.
Even with the very few examples I’ve included, it’s easy to note that every president is given the same powers and it’s up to them if they want to use them or not. Some may use some while other presidents favor others. Powers of the presidents don’t always change and have been used since the Constitution was drawn up. Continuing on from now, each president will continue to use these powers to further keep up with the order amongst the country. The United States depends on the president and needs it in order for its well-being. The country wouldn’t be what it is today without the president of the United States of America.
Works Cited
Ginsberg, Benjamin. "The Presidency." We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. 9th Essentials ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. 306-26. Print.
The President of the United States is instrumental in the running of the country. He serves as the chief executive, chief diplomat, commander in chief, chief legislator, chief of state, judicial powers, and head of party. Article II of the Constitution states that the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. He also is tasked with the authority to appoint fifteen leaders of the executive departments which will be a part of the President’s cabinet. He or she is also responsible for speaking with the leaders the CIA and other agencies that are not part of his cabinet because these agencies play a key role in the protection of the US. The President also appoints the heads of more than 50 independent
As the President of the United States, a president have powers that other members of the government do not. Presidential power can be defined in numerous ways. Political scientists Richard Neustadt and William Howell give different views on what is presidential power. These polarized views of presidential powers can be used to compare and contrast the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Presidential power has become a hot topic in the media the in recent years. There has been extensive debate about what a president should be able to do, especially without the involvement of Congress and the American people. While this debate has become more publicized since the Bush administration, similar issues of presidential power date back to Truman and the Korean War. As with much of the structure of the U.S. government, the powers of the president are constantly evolving with the times and the executives.
Under the Constitution, war powers are divided. Congress has the power to declare war and raise and support the armed forces (Article I, Section 8), while the president is the Commander in Chief (Article II, Section 2) (War Powers Resolution, Wikimedia). It is generally agreed that the Commander in Chief role gives the president power to repel attacks against the United States and makes him responsible for leading the armed forces. During the Korean and Vietnam wars, the United States found itself involved for many years in undeclared wars (War Powers Resolution, Wikimedia). Many members of Congress became concerned with the erosion of congressional authority to decide when the United States should become involved in a war or the use of armed forces that might lead to war. The Senate and the House of Representatives achieved the 2/3 majority required to pass this joint resolution over President Nixon¡¯s veto on November 7, 1973. (War Powers Resolution, Wikimedia).
University of Illinois Press, 1994. Coolidge, Olivia. The Statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976. Merrill, Thomas F. Revised Edition.
The Evolution of the Power of the Presidency The views of the presidency by the first sixteen presidents varied widely but all of their actions set precedents for their successors to use, expand, or even curtail the power of the office. Some believed in the Whig theory of strict adherence to the constitution, while others believed the president was the steward of the people with a loose interpretation of it. The power of the office expanded through the years, however it only expanded as far as the public and congress allowed. George Washington was the first President of the United States of America and realizing this he acted carefully and deliberately, aware of the need to build an executive structure that could accommodate future presidents.
It is obvious the president was not given enough power under the Constitution. This is in part because Article II of the Constitution was written in a short period of time with little thought. Many presidents have had to make unclear decisions with little information about the circumstance in the Constitution and the president is beginning to take over the government due to increasing implied powers. However the president’s power has recently proven that it has outgrown the constitution and is swiftly evolving. The Constitution gave the president broad but vague powers, including the authorization to appoint judges and other officials with the Senate’s consent, veto bills, lead the military as commander and chief and make sure “that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Many of these powers however are shared with the Legislative Branch, and cause conflict within the government.
... in office and how the congress will act toward the President; whether he be a President that demands respect or one who forfeits it and whether the Congress gives in to the demands of the Executive or if the Congress comes down on t he Executive like a hammer on a nail. This can be accomplished by viewing the circumstances in which a President takes office, the manner in which he carries himself during his term, and the way in which the President leaves as Commander in Chief. Conclusion: The President has neither gained nor lost power. There exists the same balance between Executive and Congress as there was when Washington was sworn in as America's first President. The only difference between then and now, is the fact that today we must wade through the layers of insignificance and precedents that history has forged against us, the political thinker and historian.
Richard E. Neustadt, the author of Presidential Power, addresses the politics of leadership and how the citizens of the United States rate the performance of the president's term. We measure his leadership by saying that he is either "weak or "strong" and Neustadt argues that we have the right to do so, because his office has become the focal point of politics and policy in our political system.
The Constitution lays out power sharing amongst the President and Congress. However the Constitution is not always clearly defined which leaves questions to how the laws should be interpreted and decisions implemented. There are three major models of presidential power within foreign policy; the first being the presidential model in which decisions abroad are made by the president and his or her top aides and advisors. This model is accepted amongst many because during times of urgency and crisis the president must make quick decisions. The president unlike congress is provided various sources of intelligence information, which is a benefit in analyzing situations globally and making sound decisions.
Lowi, Theodore J. (1985). The personal President: Power invested promise unfulfilled. Ithaca, New York: Cornell
When the framers created our government over 200 years ago, they were very weary of history repeating itself in regards to the monarchy created by the King of Great Britain. Their concerns about having a president included someone who would gain too much power using it to overthrow the state governments, continue to run for election, or become a tool of the senate. To avoid their fears they allowed congress and the legislative branch to be the first branch of government. Today however, I think Congress has gained more power than the founders ever thought it would. I believe that the president’s perception of power has decreased over time. The powers that the president had at the beginning of our country, and th e powers they have now are very similar. The difference is Americans are more educated and involved in politics than they were before. Today the President not only has to deal with Congress to get anything done, but the people as well. If Americans are unhappy they want the president to hear them, sometimes that means by being close with their congressmen, or by protesting and rioting. Nowadays protests and riots are prodcast everywhere by the media, and if the president ignores them, everyone knows about it. Another reason the presidential office is not as powerful as it once was is that
The president of the United States can make executive agreements (equal to a treaty) and meet with other world leaders without the Senate’s approval. He also has powers that allow him to obtain control in times of an emergency, without the interference of Congress. Abraham Lincoln used this during the Civil War because he needed to ensure he could spend all the money he needed to win the war. The Iranian president can also do this, he can declare a state of emergency which suspends all laws and can enact a state of martial law. However, no president has actually used this power as of now.
As the president is the head of the executive branch, he has the authority to make policy changes that would make a significant impact on society. One example of this would be the time when “…. President Obama signed an order barring federal contractors from retaliating against employees who disclose their salaries as a measure to help close the pay gap between men and women” (Bianco & Canon, 2015). Additionally, because of these powers, the president may not have the power to declare war. This is important because the War Powers Act was put in place. In order to properly declare war, the president has to first identify a clear and imminent threat and he has 60 days to move troops into an
The modern presidency has much more power than the one outlined in the constitution. There is argument as to whether or not this power derives from government itself, or from public perception. The notion is that the president is more powerful than the other branches of government, mainly the congress, and therefore has supremacy. However, in the constitution at least, this is not the case. Congress is the one that has the power to create and pass laws, while the president has no such power. In modern times, the perception is that the president has more power than the congress, and in some ways this is true. This can be seen in the rhetoric during the race for president. Candidates promise to implement many policies, but this all relies on Congress.