Chapter 14 The Presidency

Defining the Presidency Presidents serve a four-year term and can run for reelection once. They are elected indirectly, via the Electoral College. The president has three kinds of powers: expressed in the Constitution, delegated by Congress, and inherent in the role of chief executive. In theory, Congress passes laws and the president executes them. In reality, presidents constantly negotiate the limits of their power— which often expands during crises.

Is the Presidency Too Powerful? Americans want a powerful president; simultaneously, Americans fear a powerful president. The executive branch has grown far stronger over time, especially when it comes to foreign policy. In significant ways, presidential power is also limited, especially when it comes to solving domestic problems.

What Presidents Do The president wears many hats and helmets. Some are specified in the Constitution. Others have developed over time. Presidential roles include commander in chief, top diplomat, first legislator, head bureaucrat, economist in chief, head of state, and party leader. Presidents are also uniquely situated to introduce new ideas—tying together these many different roles. The president’s authority has grown in every one of these roles. At the same time, it is difficult to do so many different things effectively.

Presidential Leadership: Success and Failure in the Oval Office Presidents try to manage public perceptions of the job they are doing. They get immediate feedback from polls. A president’s place in history, however, usually does not emerge right away. Great presidents change the way Americans see themselves. They change what government does. They forge a new answer to the question, Who are we? Individual presidents don’t completely control their own destiny. They operate in the historical cycle of political orders.

The Personal Presidency Although presidential scholars generally focus on ideas and institutions, the presidency also has a critically important personal dimension. All presidents exhibit a distinctive personal style. Presidents are limited human beings with strengths and weaknesses. That is precisely why the Constitution located the office in an intricate system of checks and balances.

The President’s Team: A Tour of the White House Each president directs a massive organization—the executive branch of the federal government. Cabinet secretaries manage the great bureaucracies of the executive branch of government, but only a few have influence in the White House. Over time, executive-branch policymaking has migrated from the cabinet to the Executive Office of the Presidency—the network of offices that help the president manage the government. The president’s innermost circle is the White House Office. These close advisors—often relatively young—include the Chief of Staff, speechwriters, the legislative liaison, and the office of the First Spouse.