Presidents and the Presidency

1. We expect the president to be our mythical Hero

        Americans expect the president  to

            - Protect us

            - Solve national problems

            - Be a moral guide
 

    Why has the Mythical Presidency developed?

       - Every country elevates its leader

       - The U.S. leader is commander in chief and most active government leader

       - The president is a media celebrity

2. The Reality of the Presidency: Who are the Presidents?

A. Presidents are only Human

    1). Presidents’ Personalities are different

    2). Presidents' Political & Administrative Skills are different

-Presidential Leadership Requires Management and Sales Skills

3. The Reality of Presidential Powers: Using the Presidency is Difficult

a). Emergency Powers / Military Leadership

Powers:
- Can accomplish goals directly and quickly

Limits:
- must use these powers briefly and successfully, or risk
substantial loss of support
 
 

b). Appointment

Powers:
Can appoint 2500 top administrators
when the President takes office

Limits:
- the Senate must approve these appointments
- the President appoints only 1% of federal employees
- 2500 loyal and competent appointees are hard to find in three months
 
 

c). Executive Orders

Powers
- Can make some policy choices without having to go through Congress  

Limits:

- Congress must approve major reorganizations
- Reorganization may not change bureaus at all

d). Reorganizing Government

Powers
- Can try to improve bureaus' performance

Limits:

- The next president can issue executive orders that reverse your executive orders.
 
 

e). The Power to Set The Legislative Agenda

Powers:
- To determine some of Congress's priorities

Limits:
- Congress can change or ignore Presidential proposals
 

f). Party Leadership:

Powers:
- To rally the "party-in-government" and end gridlock

Limits:
- American government was designed to make this difficult
- Legislators who now can "go it alone"
 
 

g). The Veto

Powers:
- To stop Congressional actions
- To change laws by threatening a veto
- Only 4% of Presidential vetoes are overridden

Limits:
- The veto can only stop something from happening -
it is only a negative power

h). Publicity

Powers:
- To build personal popularity

Limits:
-Popularity can swing widely
 

4. The Presidency as An Temptation for Tragedy

- We expect Presidents to Use the Presidency Actively, but

   the Presidency is hard to Use
- there are lots of constraints on Presidential Power

Presidents battle to use the tools that are easiest to use.

  Presidents can most easily control National Security and Publicity, so ... 
 

We tend to get

1). The Permanent Campaign:

- Presidents are tempted to manage their image
instead of improving public policy

2). The Covert Presidency:

- Presidents are tempted to abuse "national security"
to achieve their goals

Wategate was the logical result of these temptations.