• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Chapter 8. The Presidency

Take a Position

The textbook argues that modern presidents often fail to serve two terms and even more often see their popularity ratings drop precipitously during their term(s) because of a gap between what the public expects them to accomplish and the powers of the office.

Take a position: What should be done to close the "expectations gap?" Should the public's expectations be lowered, or should the president's powers be increased so that he can meet the public's expectations?



As you develop your argument, answer the following questions:

• How could the public's expectations be lowered? What role would presidents, the media, and other sources of information and explanation of events play in lowering expectations? Can expectations be lowered in a way that is consistent with popular sovereignty?
• Which presidential powers should be increased? How could this be accomplished? What are the hazards of increasing presidential powers, and how would you avoid those hazards?
• Are their alternative explanations for why presidents fail and lose popularity? Are any of those explanations better than the one offered in the textbook?