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CHAPTER EIGHT Study Chapter Summary ·
Presidents face a double expectations gap
when it comes to their relationship with the American public. The first gap is
between what the president must promise in order to gain office and the
limitations put on the president by the powers granted by the Constitution. The
second gap occurs between conflicting roles. An American president must
function as both a political head of government and an apolitical head of
state, and often these two roles conflict. ·
When it came to defining the functions and
powers of the president, the founders devised rules that both empowered and
limited the president. While some of the founders argued for a strong leader
with far-reaching powers, others argued for several executives who would check
each other's power. The constitutional compromise gives us an executive with
certain powers and independence, yet checked by congressional and judicial
power. ·
We have seen two periods of presidential
leadership so far. The first period, called the traditional presidency, which
lasted until the 1930s, describes chief executives who mainly lived within the
limits of their constitutional powers. Since then, in the modern presidency, a
more complex relationship exists between the president and the American
citizens, in which presidents branch out to use more informal powers yet remain
indebted to public approval for this expansion. ·
The president is in a constant struggle with
Congress and the public for the furthering of his legislative agenda. The
president needs both congressional cooperation and public approval in order to
fulfill campaign promises. The chief executive uses several strategies to
achieve these goals, including going public and building coalitions in
Congress. ·
The presidential establishment includes the
cabinet, the Executive Office of the President, and the White House Office—a
huge bureaucracy that has grown considerably since the days of George
Washington's presidency. Although the resources are vast, managing such a large
and complex organization presents its own problems for the president. The
president's closest advisers are generally focused on his interests, but the
variety of other staff and agency heads—often with their own agendas and often
difficult to control—can make life difficult for the chief executive. Learning Objectives
After
reading this chapter, you should understand ·
the double expectations gap between what
Americans want the president to do and what he can deliver ·
the evolution of the American presidency
from its constitutional origins to the modern presidency ·
the president's struggle for power ·
the organization and functioning of the
executive office ·
the role of presidential character ·
the relationship of citizens to the
president |
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