The Constitutional Basis of Presidential Power

• The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were wary of unchecked power.

• The Articles of Confederation had failed, however, in part because of the lack of a strong national executive.

The Constitutional Basis of Presidential Power(Cont’d)

• Delegates had to balance the need to check the power of the presidency with the need to make it powerful enough to provide effective leadership.

• In the end, they created an office that gave presidents several powers.

Presidential Powers

• Act as administrative head of the nation. • Serve as commander in chief of the military. • Convene Congress.• Veto legislation.• Appoint top officials, though some are subject to

the advice and consent of the Senate.• Make treaties.• Grant pardons.

The Expansion of Presidential Power

• The power of the modern presidency comes not only from the explicit powers listed in the Constitution but also from the expansion of authority under claims of inherent powers.

• Congress has also delegated power to the executive branch.

The Executive Branch Establishment

• One of the most important of the president’s resources in office is his White House staff.

• The Executive Office of the President consists of the Chief of Staff, the National Security Adviser, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Office of Management and Budget.

The Executive Branch Establishment (Cont’d)

• Vice presidents have traditionally been “standby equipment.” They are not usually used in a major advisory capacity. However, Al Gore was given a more public role than usual, and Dick Cheney was also a major force within the George W. Bush administration.

The Executive Branch Establishment (Cont’d)

• The cabinet is composed of the heads of the major departments in the executive branch and a small number of other key officials such as the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

• Modern presidents do not rely on the cabinet to make policy because their White House staffs, offer most of the advisory support they need.

Presidential Leadership

• Presidential power is determined in part by the political skills of the individual president and how effectively the president uses the resources of his office.

Presidential Character

• A president’s actions in office reflect something more than his political views. They also reflect the inner forces that give rise to his basic character.

Presidential Character (Cont’d)

• Personality characteristics clearly have an important effect on presidents’ success or failure in office. However, character is only one of a number of factors that go into making a successful president.

Presidential Character (Cont’d)

• Presidents are in a better position to persuade when their public popularity is high.

• The president’s popularity and legislative success also depend upon the wider political environment and whether divided government exists that produces gridlock.

Legislative Leadership

• Presidential leadership is also shaped by the president’s relationship to the dominant political party and its policy agenda.

• According to political science scholars, presidents will have a greater opportunity to change policy when he is in the majority and the opposing political party is perceived to be unable to solve major national problems.

• Presidents who come to power right after critical elections have the most favorable environment for exerting strong presidential leadership.

The President as National Leader

• Presidents carry into office a broad political vision that reflects their ideology and priorities.

• The president’s central role in our political system guarantees that he can always command attention for his agenda.

The President as National Leader (Cont’d)

• Thus, the president is the “Chief Lobbyist” as well as an agenda setter.

• Part of the president’s job is to lead his party.

The President as World Leader

• For nearly forty years, the president’s priority as world leader was to contain communism.

• American presidents are now entering a new era in which there is more emphasis on managing national security, fostering a peaceful international environment, protecting U.S. economic interests and promoting democracy and humanitarian concerns throughout the world.

The President as World Leader (Cont’d)

• Periodically, the president faces a grave situation in which conflict is imminent or a small conflict threatens to explode into a larger war.

The President as World Leader (Cont’d)

• Guidelines for determining presidential actions during these crises include:• Drawing on a range of advisers and opinions• Not acting in haste• Having a well-designed formal review process

with thorough analysis and open debate• Examining the reasoning underlying all

options to ensure that their assumptions are valid

The Best and Worst Presidents

Ten Best Presidents Ten Worst Presidents

1. Lincoln (best) 1. Buchanan (worst)

2. F. Roosevelt 2. A. Johnson

3. Washington 3. Pierce

4. T. Roosevelt 4. Harding

5. Truman 5. W. Harrison

6. Wilson 6. Tyler

7. Jefferson 7. Fillmore

8. Kennedy 8. Hoover

9. Eisenhower 9. Grant

10. L. Johnson (10th best) 10. Arthur (10th worst)

Who was the best president and who was the worst? Many surveys of scholars have been taken over the years to answer this question, and virtually all have ranked Abraham Lincoln the best. A 2000 C-SPAN survey of fifty-eight historians, for example, came up with these results.

Presidential Leadership

• Often the difference between great and mediocre presidents centers on their ability to grasp the importance of leadership style.

• Seat of power from which decisions could flow to shape the national destiny

• FDR and the Great Depression• Lincoln and the Civil War• Bush and 9/11?