Presidents' Power to Persuade

Presidents' Power to Persuade

The president of the United States of America is seen around the world

to be the most powerful man on Earth. However, many believe that his

only real power is the power to persuade. The checks and balances of

congress and the Supreme Court over the president are great, and

without their support he has relatively little power. A president

cannot get any legislation passed if he does not have the support of

the senate and or the house of representatives. If a president wanted

the US to sign a new treaty, the senate would have to ratify it with a

2/3 majority. If a president wanted new legislation, he must submit it

to congress and persuade both houses to vote for it. The president

cannot pass legislation without congress, and it may be checked by the

supreme court. Once the president has submitted the piece of

legislation, he can only try and persuade both houses to go along with

it. There is no system by which the president can pass legislation

without the checks and balances of congress. The president supposedly

has the power to submit the annual budget aswell, however, as with

other legislation, this must be checked and approved by a majority in

both houses of congress.

As far as legislation goes, the presidents options are very limited.

The last two years of Clinton's presidency he faced a republican

controlled congress. This is a variable factor of every presidency,

but if you are unfortunate to have this effect, then it becomes

difficult to pass legislation. If there is not a major swing in

congress, then your legislation will not be passed. In this point the

power of persuasion is the only opti...

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...annot check it, and if they do, they cannot

stop it. However, the limit on this is that the president cannot

declare war on another country without the approval of congress.

A presidents power to negotiate treaties is what makes him seen as a

powerful figure abroad. Though this requires a 2/3 majority from the

senate to confirm it, it is a very useful power. It is increasingly

useful when a presidents party has a strong majority in the senate.

However, if the president does not have a 2/3 majority in the senate,

which is more than likely, he will have to use the power of

persuasion.

In conclusion, the president has a number of powers, not just

persuasion. However, in the circumstances that for example he is

facing a congress held by the opposition party, then the power of

persuasion becomes ever more important.