Chapter 12: The Presidency

Although our Constitution is two hundred years old, we still argue about many of the same things that the authors of that document did. The powers of the presidency still concern us. What powers belong to the president? Although some are quite clear from the Constitution, claims of inherent powers have led to many controversies during our history. How past presidents have expanded the powers of that office is key to understanding the nature of the modern presidency.

The president is a popularly elected leader, and his political skills are critical for putting together a winning electoral coalition. The need to win favor with the public does not end with the election. A president's popularity affects his standing with Congress and his overall ability to lead.

Candidates who successfully put together an electoral coalition and win the presidency inevitably claim to have received a mandate from the public. In recent years their ability to carry out the perceived mandate is made more difficult by divided control of government.

In exercising leadership, the president has the resources of the executive branch to draw on. None of these is more important than his personal staff. More broadly, he draws upon the Executive Office of the President and his cabinet. The task of presidential leadership is to translate his political vision into a concrete agenda and then to persuade the public and the Congress to support the legislation that is derived from that agenda.

The president is a world leader, too, and his skills at crisis management and diplomacy will affect the success of his administration. The way a president handles crisis and noncrisis decision making in the White House is often influenced by his "presidential character."