Presidency Synthesis

The president of the United States holds the important job as the being the sole individual in charge of directing the actions of others and planning large scale projects. Because Congress is a slow, divided system, it is important to have a single, authoritarian figure that can respond quickly to big situations, such as World War II, and build relationships with other nations. People look up to the president, not Congress, for leadership in battling terrorism, as shown during Bush's efforts in winning international support for the US military after 9-11. Originally, according to the Whig theory, the president had to act within the limitations of the Constitution when enacting authority, therefore preventing the possible chance of an imperial presidency, when the power of the president is even greater than the Constitution allows. Later on, when T. Roosevelt took office, the Whig Theory was replaced with the stewardship theory, stating that the president is limited only by what is explicitly prohibited, meaning anything not addressed could be interpreted and used to the president's advantage.

The president has many powers, the primary one being the ability to veto. With the veto, the president can choose to refuse a bill into becoming a law. One variation of this is the pocket veto, when the president doesn't sign the bill within ten days and Congress adjourns. The president also has the ability to grant pardons and reprieves and appoint the top officials of the executive branch (ex: Cabinet which holds advisers and attorney general, Executive Office which holds president's closest advisers) or the judicial branch (supreme court justices), which are in turn confirmed by the Senate. If the Senate refuses to comply with the appointments, the president can work his/her way around this obstacle by waiting for the Senate to adjourn for three days or more and using a "recess appointment" which bypasses the Senate for one year. 

However, even as the single head of the nation, the president's power comes with many limits. One, for example, is it's dependence on Congress, the lawmaking body. In order for the president to execute his or her's plans, he or she needs Congress to make the actual law which establishes it. If Congress is dominated by members of the same party as the president, passing favorable laws can be easy. However, as shown through many past Republican presidents such as Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Bush, it is very hard to pass laws with a Congress filled with members of the opposing party. When Clinton, a Democratic president, had been backed by a Democratic majority Congress, he was able to pass 85% of the bills he supported. Once Congress majority changed, his legislative success sank below 40%. In addition, although the president is given the title of the commander in chief of armed forces by the Constitution, the War Powers Act prevents the president from engaging in any military activity until there is a declaration of war by Congress.

During campaigns, presidential candidates have to organize a strategy in order to ensure victory. Campaigning for presidential office normally starts two years before the actual election, an action described with the term "invisible primary". This make sense, as primary elections are the process of voters choosing nominees for public office. In this case, the primary is "invisible" since it isn't official, but still influences the decision of the voters. This way when the time actually comes for party candidates to be nominated during open party caucuses, voters who attend will already have a well built foundation of the candidates.The unit rule states that all states, must grant all their electoral votes to the candidate that wins the popular vote, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska which distribute electoral votes by popularity percentage. Because of this, candidates don't need to put in much effort in campaigning in lopsidedly Republican or Democratic states (since they outcome is quite obvious and predictable), and instead target gaining support from the more neutral, persuadable, battleground states.

The irony with US presidents is that, they are most powerful when they are least experienced. When a US president first enters office, he/she enjoys a “honeymoon period”. During this period of time, the president is making a fresh start and is given a warm, welcome. At this time, presidential approval ratings, polls conducted by Pew Research Center showing the level of satisfactory remarks on the president, are especially high and positive. Congress members are more disposed at the president's service and the media reports more positive news on presidential related matters. Presidents are more likely to pass programs during their first year in office. Later on when they begin to run out of gold ideas or deplete their political resources, they lose their favorable momentum, strong showing that contributes to voter support and opposing feelings emerge. This has been proven, as FDR couldn't duplicate his glorious “Hundred Days” period from his first year in office, and even famous presidents such as Reagan and LBJ had weak records in their final years.

Sometimes certain circumstances can contribute to a president's chances and success with passing legislation. For case with FDR, the dragging weights of the Great Depression were enough for Congress to agree in allowing him to launch his New Deal initiatives which improved the nation's economy. The 1964-1965 period of civil rights movement helped LBJ pass landmark civil right/social welfare legislation. When Reagan entered office, America was stuck in a period of deep unemployment and inflation. In order to help improve America's dire situation, Congress allowed Reagan to tax and spend.

There are a few trends displayed in the line of past presidents. All presidents, with the exception Barrack Obama, have been Caucasian/white men. With the exception of four army generals, every other U.S president has served previously as at least one of the following: vice president, state governor, Congress member, or top federal executive. Although there is no female president yet, one is expected to take office any time in the near future. Surveys show that only less than 5% of all Americans believe that a women cannot become the president. If JFK could break the "no-Catholics" trend by becoming the first Catholic president, a female should be able to do the same as well.