Saturday, November 24, 2012

Models of Presidential Power

"The fact that the Constitution allows for a powerful president does not mean that it mandates one."         - Professor Daniel Shea

During much of the 19th century, most presidents held to the more conservative "whig model" of presidential power, meaning that they were limited to the powers expressly granted in the Constitution. beginning with Teddy Roosevelt, and continuing with his cousin Frankiln D. Roosevelt, the more activist "stewardship model" took hold. In addition, a host of institutional changes broadened presidential powers, including the development of the Executive Office of the President, the addition of more presidential advisors, and, more recently, an expanded role for the vice president. Today there is little question that the presidency is at the very center of our political system.

Is the modern, institutional presidency too powerful - changing the nature of American democracy in ways that endanger the Founders' vision for our country?

157 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe that in today's world, Presidents need to make their mark on the country. Times have changed and in order to keep the country's policies relevant and fresh, our leaders need to have the ability to stray from the Constitution. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats." (216)In order for a President to be innovative, they must come up with their own policies to fix issues. Also in order to maintain a growing and changing economy, new policies are needed that weren't a problem in the 1800's. Growing technology also offers more threats to our country which need to be protected against in ways that are effective with modern day technology. Without the President making his mark in office, the United States as a country would be stuck in the past.

Luke said...

In todays modern society of presidency, presdients are using a Stewardship model of power and using all there power except what is prohibited by the constitution. The mind set of Stewardship model is too powerful for a democracy and does threaten the Founder's vision for America. Theodore Roosevelt states,"...in whatever manner was necessary,unless prevented by direct constitutional or legeslative prohibition" (215).The use of power in presidency should be used by the Whig Model where the president uses what is granted in the constitution opposed to what is prohibited. This method would keep America in a democracy without fail.

Q said...

The Founder's of our country set up a strong vision and written law stating what the President should and should not be allowed to do. Recently the new stewardship model of a Presidence has "reversed the earlier apporach. Instead of using only the powers expressly granted, Roosevelt believed that all was possible except what was prohibited" (215). This new way of Presedential model can be becoming too powerful by becoming the central of our government. The Whig Model of a President in the earlier presidencies stated that they can only do what is expressly stated in the Constitution. I believe that the president should be allowed to make desicions that were granted to them by our founders, and not have the executive branch become too powerful to control. This way we could keep our democracy government more in tact.

Anonymous said...

The modern presidencyis becoming to powerful and is starting to go agaisnt the Foundes' viewpoint. The presidents when going with the stewardship modle are taking as much power as they can. "Most nieteenth-century presidents-and a few in the twentiwth-century-held closely to the idea that presidents are limited to the powers explicity stated in the Constitution" saying that when the founders of our country want the president to only use the powers that were explicity granted in the constitution, however today they are using whatever powers the constitution doesnt prohibit(214).

Emily L said...

The institutional presidency in modern society is not becoming too powerful. The president is supposed to be a strong leader that has the ability to play a very large and active role in society. Over the course of our history, the executive branch has become more important to the nation. Although the president is gaining power, it is crucial that they make their mark among the American citizens. "They must come up innovative solutions to our problems.." (216) Americans rely on the leaders of our nation to make decisions to better our economy. As times change, I beleive that the president gaining more power will not endanger the Founders' vision for our country, but will only make it stronger.

Anonymous said...

The powers of the president have expanded as Theodore Roosevelt said, on the terms that it is “for the common well-being of our people…. in whatever manner was necessary” (215), but when such a growth in power creates an unequal distribution of powers, the government becomes dysfunctional. America’s power was invested in three branches of government so one would not become more powerful than the other. The expansion of presidential power disrupts this cleverly crafted system, and turns the process into a competition for power. While the president may be acting in what he/she thinks is the best interest of Americans, it creates a divide between the government, which only comes back to hurt Americans.

Anonymous said...

The modern, institutional presidency today is helpful and beneficial in carrying out the founders vision for our country. As times go on new issues are brought up and a president that can use his powers efficiantly with only the constitution holding him back is a step forward. Theodore Roosevelt said, "I did not upsurp power, but i did greatly broaden the use of executive power... I acted for the well-beeing of our people"(Page 15). With a broadened use of power presidents are able to make their presidency unique and well known. It gives possibilities and people different views of ideas from different presidencies.With an active president better decisions for our nation will be presented which was our Founders vision.
-lauren b

Anonymous said...

The modern institutional presidency is too powerful changing the nature of American democracy in ways that endanger the Founders’ vision for our country. Because back in the in the first centuries of our nation “the presidency was not at the center of the nineteenth-century American government: the national economy was still centered on agriculture, and supervision and guidance of economic matters was not important.” (214) Since things have changed from back then to the 21th century the economic matters are important and the Stewardship Model has taken place, where the president is only limited by explicit restrictions in the Constitution.

Anonymous said...

I believe that the modern,institutional presidency is not too powerful because with the nation as a major power in the world it needs a strong leader. "Presidents have no choice choice but to lead- or else stand to be condemned as failures." Presidents have a lot of pressure on them to change and reform the nation as promised in their campaigns. Also, with the presidency being such a coveted and prestigious office every President would like to make their mark on history by being proactive with reforms and laws.

Colton U said...

Yes, the modern institutional presidency has gotten out of hand and is becoming way to power. Back in previous elections most of the democratic presidents were following more of the Whig Model but more recently presidents have progressed more towards the Stewardship Model. The recent presidents have started to use the Stewardship Model because it allows them to have more power since it is only limited by explicit restrictions in the Constitution. Theodore Roosevelt stated that he “held firmly to a new view of presidential powers, one which no restriction on presidential authority except what was strictly forbidden in the Constitution” (215). This view point is endangering the Founder’s vision for our country because the presidents are becoming way to power.

Anonymous said...

Society today is using a Stewardship model of power which is the theory of robust broad presidential powers and the idea that the president is only limited by explicit restrictions in the constitution. This model is too powerful for the democracy and does threaten the the vision of America by the Founders. Theodore Roosevelt says, " I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power ... I acted fot the common well-being of our people ... in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition."(215) I believe that the presidency should be using the Whig model, which is the restrained power of the president, that the president should use only the powers explicitly granted in the constitution. Hopefully this would keep failure out of Americas democracy.
- Donovan Owens

morgan said...

As presidents continue to utilize a stewardship model, their power is growing too strong. On the other hand, if they returned to the Whig model they would have too little power to make a difference. “They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats.” (216) In doing so, the President must use a model of power that falls between the Whig and the stewardship model. This will allow them to hold a position of influence and power without overstepping their just authority.

Emily S. said...

From the moment “We the People” elect a representative of our country and put them into office, the “President [has] no choice but to lead—or else stand condemned as failures” (216). It is important that our leader does not impose their own ideas, but instead work for the best of all, even those who may not agree. “Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats” (216). However, being elected does not give one a mandate to do as one pleases. All people’s opinions and values must be considered, not diminished. If our President can effectively act on behalf of “We the People” our country will flourish and our Founders Vision will not be endangered.

Brookie H said...

In our modern day society, I believe that every president, whoever it may be, should have the power to be able to do what they think is best for our country. One of our past presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, said, “‘I did not usurp power… I acted for the common well-being of our people… in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition’” (215). President Theodore Roosevelt did what he thought was best for the nation and put his power to good use. I understand that if the president has too much power then our nation would be more like a dictatorship. However, if the president doesn’t have enough power, then America would be more like a monarchy with the president acting more like a figure head than a leader. The beginning of the 20th century “transformed the job of the president” (215) because this was the time when “the nation’s economy shifted from farming to industry, and its position in global affairs expanded” (215). The transformation of our nation opened up a door that required a need for more presidential power. I say this because our country has different needs today then it needed in the 19th century making more presidential power necessary.

chris cole said...

I believe that in today’s America, the Constitution does a good job of limiting what the President can do. Although the founding fathers’ visions may not have been seen fully, the Constitution has done a good job of limiting the President’s and governments powers, with some weak points every now and then. The President is supposed to be a person of great power and influence on our nation, doing everything in his power to better our country in every way possible. But with the responsibility to make our country better, the President must also do that within his rights and powers. “Presidents are expected to lead the nation” (216). Without a doubt, the President must be a leader in the country and do whatever he can to make this country better.

woodyleonard said...

The majority of modern presidents have been pushing their limits and reflect the Stewardship model. The reason for this is because the Nation is changing and the bills, laws and reforms must change also. The stewardship model allows for much more to be accomplished in a presidency, “Roosevelt believed that all was possible except what was prohibited.”(Page The reason why this works is due to the triangle of political power. The President has the job of changing the Nation to best fit modern issues that our forefathers couldn’t have ever thought of. Then, it is up to the Supreme Court to see if it is prohibited by the constitution. This allows for the maximum amount of opportunity in America because new issues arise very day which requires new solutions every day.
-Jack Leonard

JackM said...

The modern, institutional presidency has too much power under the Stewardship Model. This way of leading a country has too much grey area for Presidents to get away with actions or ideas that he has not been granted by the Constitution. The Constituion was designed by the founding father, so when Presidents have the power to go against the ideas that our founding father set up, then the ideas of our Founder's vivsion has been endangered. President Roosevelt, a follower of the Stewardship model, "Belived that all was possible except what was forbidden." (215) This ideaology could lead to the destrucion of the democracy that the founding fathers origionally established. As a whole to decrease the amount of grey area of a President's decision, a Whig Model should be followed more closely because then Presidents can only use a certain amount of power, keeping America away from a dictatorship.

Cooper said...

In our time I believe that the President should have the flexibility of leaving the rules of the constitution if the ideal being set in motion will better our country as a whole. If we give the most powerful man in arguably the world let alone the country we live in then he should be allowed to do whatever is necessary to better our nation. “Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats. In times of peace and prosperity, we congratulate the president, and in bad times, we place the blame squarely on the White House.” (pg. 216) If this is true then shouldn’t we give the president all the help he can get in order to make sure he can keep our nation strong and healthy?

Anonymous said...

President's should be able to make changes and not be limited by documents written over 200 years ago. Franklin Delano Rosevelt was the first president to start thinking this way. "Roosevelt believed that all was possible except what was prohibited" (215). His modern way of thinking was to benefit America in the times of change and while technology is growing. Now moving into the 21st century, times have changed since the Consitition was written. America is not the same today and in order to make changes, The president needs to be able to stray from the norms in the 1800s and make desicions that benefit america today in the 2000s.While the Constitution is a very important document and should always remain the center of thinking for our governement, a new point of view on it and a little more elbow room in the interpriation should be able to take place in order to help America grow.

jack attack said...

Today in America it is crucial for presidents to have the power to drastically change laws and policies in America. Times have changed since the 19th century and in modern day America presidents need to be able to review and correct old laws and policies as well as present new acts and policies that will benefit the nation. Theodore Roosevelt, one of the United Sates most influential leaders said “ I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power…I acted for the common well-being of our people…in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition” (215). I completely agree with President Roosevelt, presidents must have the power to change things when needed while staying in the guidelines of the constitution.

Anonymous said...

The Presidential model of the United States has evolved throughout time and has got better with almost every new President that has come to office since Theordore Roosevelt at the turn of the century. The development of the Executive Office of the President, the addition of more presidential advisors, and expanding the role for the vice president have been great changes to Presidential power because it allows for the President to collaborate with his advisors before he makes any rash decisions. The stewardship model devolped a stronger government that can make better and smarter decisions for the well-being of all people. The model allows for Presidents to make the necessary changes to our country. Theordore Roosevelt believed the "all was possible except what was prohibited", and that's the kind of mentality that the stewardship model brings to the table.

Julie Wheeler said...

I believe in today’s modern society, the power of the president has expanded and it is helpful for our nation. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “I acted for the common well-being of our people…in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition.” (215). I agree with President Roosevelt because it is good for the president to not have restricted power because if they did then if the nation was at stake, we would have a problem. With the power they are able to change laws and policies but they are also aware of the constitution. The president not being restricted is helpful for our nation because it allows us to grow as one.

Anonymous said...

I think that America needs these new boards in order to help regulate new advances in technology. America is one of the leaders in technology and needs to stay up-to-date with the world.

"Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216).

Presidents are voted into office because the American people believe he (or she in years to come)can help lead America in the next 4 years. The United States of America has grown in ways that the founders' never expected. These new departments (Transportation, Energy, Defense and Education) exist because we need to control our development of America in order to keep to our founders' ideals while still being active in technological advancement. If the President focused on staying only to our founders' views, then America would left in past and not help America grow.

- Ian M.

Anonymous said...

Although the Whig model of presidential powers was acceptable during the 19th century, America has, and is still, undergoing vast amounts of change. To cope with this change, presidents are forced to lead more proactively and follow the stewardship model. Teddy Roosevelt boasted, "I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power... I acted for the common well-being of our people"(215). This type of leadership is necessary for the modern day president because, "Presidents are expected to lead the nation"(216). It is very hard for a president to do what he thinks is best for the nation if his powers are limited to the powers explicitly stated in the constitution. Changing the nature of American democracy was a necessity because of the newfound expectations of our president.

Anonymous said...

The Presidency in the 20th century is a much more complex position in the government then it was 200 years ago. The time we live in now often demands for quick and efficient decisions from the president. The presidency is established to abide by strict models that allow the president to exercise power according to explicit restrictions in the Constitution. The restriction in the Constitution often hinders the abilities of the president to the point that nothing gets accomplished. Theodor Roosevelt once asserted, “I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power…I acted for the common well-being of our people…in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition” (215). I agree with our Roosevelt and strongly believe that the power of the president should be completely available in times of need, while at the same time maintaining the original restrictions of the Constitution.

Lauren Edmond said...

While the new institutional presidency does alter the vison of the Founders I believe the change is neccisary for the changing nation the we live in. It's true that "Presidnets have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemed as failures" (p.216). This logic holds true because the magority of America believes that as the president if you do not take a stand to better the nation then you stand for nothing and therefore fall for everything. Without an asssertive President today it looks like the President is not doing what Americans today belive is part of the job description.

Anonymous said...

I feel that a stewardship model is being used by presidents nowadays. In this modern society where power means everything, the stewardship model is at the center of politics, and I believe that it will only get worse. According to Theodore Roosevelt, 'he believed that presidents should use their position to articulate values, offer policy alternatives, and challenge accepted wisdom.' Presidents should no doubt be responsible for finding compromises and common ground.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

The modern day nature of the role of the president and the executive branch using a stewardship model is not what the Founder's visualized for America, but the expansion of power in the president's position is vital to today's society. In such a fast world today, the president may be put in a position to make a quick decision for the good of the country. President Theodore Roosevelt defended his use of the stewardship model, saying, "I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power...I acted for the common well-being of our people...in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition" (215). Although the president having more power has been a major change in today's democracy, it is not detrimental to society, but necessary to keep the country strong.

Miranda M. said...

Because of the extreme changes that are being made in this modern society, the institutional presidency isn't too powerful because now-a-days citizens are looking up to the President and the government as a whole to push the nation in a different, positive direction. As quoted in our textbook, ""Presidents have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemed as failures" (216), this statement is very true when discussing the future of the economy and the means for our well-being. When it comes to choosing a president, we must choose one who will take initiative. If that means granting the President more political power, so be it.

Anonymous said...

At this point, the president is taking more power than the founders of the united states envisioned. "The framers of our system believed that congress would be the primary branch of the government." (214). Now, the president has taken over most of the power. The authors of the constitution specifically wrote the constitution outlining the things the president could do. There are too many scenarios to think of regarding things the president cannot do. Therefore, it would be safer for the country for the president to just stick to doing what the constitution outlines, instead of taking the same approach a four year old would and saying "Well, you didn't say I couldn't do it."

Anonymous said...

I believe that America needs the President to be a strong leader rather than be lead by members of legislation. The Constitution was made almost 250 years ago and today, the President should be able to make executive decisions as the head of the executive branch. The Stewardship model of Presidency is better than Whig because knowing what not to do is easier than being unsure of what you can do. "This transformation has thus presented a double-edged sword, but there is little question that the stewardship model... guides the contemporary presidency" (216). The world is a much more threatening place than it was 250 years ago, with the introduction of nuclear weapons and advanced warfare technology. A President who defers to legislation instead of making his own changes is a President not ready for his job. A president should always make his own decisions and be confident about them without infringing on the visions of our Founding Fathers.

Anonymous said...

The role of the president today is one of much more power than in the past. The American democracy is separated into three branches, the legislative, judicial, and the executive(the president).The way this system works is a basic system of checks and balances to make sure that one branch does not exceed the others. So, with the presidential power expansion, this may cause the presidential branch to gain more power and prove unfair to the other two branches. Shea states that, "the president is expected to lead the nation"(216), yet, he cannot solely run the nation, or else it would become a dictatorship. Because of this, the expansion of presidential power can be sort of risky and in order for America to maintain its democratic government, it must maintain a firm equal separation of powers among the branches.

Nicole K said...

No, the modern, institutional presidency is not too powerful. Although it does change the nature of American democracy, it does not do so in a way that endangers the Founders' vision for our country. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation", says Shea, "They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). To do this, presidents need to adapt. In order for a president to be successful in the White House, they must understand, and adapt to their surroundings. Although this power creates competition in the government, it is a good competition. It is a way of keeping all political leaders on their "A-game". It is a way to keep them sharp and in-the-know. Modernizing presidential power is a healthy way to create this competition. It helps to grow the government and keep it moving in a positive direction.

Anonymous said...

The President's role in AMerica's constitution has always been to support the citizens. It has never been to create a powerkeg that draws as much power in as possible. XXXXXXXX"The fact that the constitution allows for a powerful president does not mean that it mandates one"XXXXXXX (214). The founders wanted our Presidents to be able to control the country but not to the extent that the Presidents are using their power today. Now-a-days, Presidents have more power than the citizens, outside of who votes the President in office, and it completely counteracts how democracy was intended to run.

Anonymous said...

I think that having a president in today’s society that has a power and can make decisions for the nation is good. The president should have power and be able to say how things should be instead of just being there for show. If the president has no power than he shouldn’t be there and it would actually hurt the government. We need someone who is going to be powerful and assertive because it allows us to get things done and he can keep things in order. Having a central person in power is good because otherwise it can be chaos without power. Also if someone has too much power it can be bad but for a good government you need one person with more power than other not everyone can be equal. “Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats.” (Shea 216) This quote explains that the president has a lot of responsibility and must have power in order to fill these responsibilities. The president needs power and power for him is good so that he can protect and keep the nation great.

Marcy Applebaum said...

The modern, institutional presidency has become too powerful. The president is one person and receives pressure in making the right decisions. The president needs to make decisions with input from others in order for his decisions to be a good representation of our country. If the president’s opinions make all the choices, our country is not really a democracy, which our Founders had envisioned. Presidents have many responsibilities, according to Shea, “Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats” (216). The president has to consider many problems and ideas in order to make his decision to represent the whole country. I believe the president needs to consult more people, and have those people contribute to the conclusion.

Anonymous said...

The President is not too powerful. We the people elect the President and by doing so, we have to listen and follow what he thinks is best for our country. President Obama uses the Stewardship model. I think that the invention of the Stewardship model was great because, like Theodore Roosevelt said, “I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power.. I worked for the common well-being of our people.. in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition (215).” We elect the President to lead us and should allow them to do whatever is necessary as long as it permitted by the constitution and within the restrictions. The President has the power to help us in any way possible, however, should still consider what the people want.

Anonymous said...

As the time between when the Constitution was written and today expands, presidents are required to look at more and more crises in the modern world. The president shouldn't "'usurp power, but [should] greatly broaden the use of executive power... [acting] for the common well-being of our people'" (215). This is exactly what Theodore Roosevelt did during his presidency. Being elected as president, one is responsible to do everything possible that is in the best interest of the country. As long as this stays within the confines of the Constitution, no bad comes from exercising one's power even if it goes through loop-holes in the Constitution (when doesn't say something can OR cannot be done).

Anonymous said...

I believe that the world we reside in currently is a fast paced world in development and the president needs to able to leave a high impact on the economy and the nation as a whole. If a president sticks to the Constitution completely then he will never progress our nation. “They [the President] must come up with innovative solution to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats”(page 216). The president is not going to be capable of doing this if he doesn’t stray away from the Constitution. The Constitution was written in 1787 the 18th century and we are currently in the 21st century. Things have come a long way since then and if we stick to the structure of the Constitution things won’t go too well for our nation.

Anonymous said...

I believe that the world we reside in currently is a fast paced world in development and the president needs to able to leave a high impact on the economy and the nation as a whole. If a president sticks to the Constitution completely then he will never progress our nation. “They [the President] must come up with innovative solution to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats”(page 216). The president is not going to be capable of doing this if he doesn’t stray away from the Constitution. The Constitution was written in 1787 the 18th century and we are currently in the 21st century. Things have come a long way since then and if we stick to the structure of the Constitution things won’t go too well for our nation.

Anonymous said...

There is no question that modern Presidents have enormous responsibility to successfully lead their people and country. “They must come up with innovated solutions to our problem, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats” (216). With all of these vital responsibilities that the President has to deal with, it is important that he has the power needed to succeed in pleasing his people. Therefore, I believe that it should be the Stewardship model. This allows the president successfully use his power that are given to him in the constitution to run the country to its fullest potential.

Anonymous said...

In today's society, I strongly believe that every president should have the power to be able to do what they think is best for our country. One of our past and greatest presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, once said, “‘I did not usurp power… I acted for the common well-being of our people… in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition’” (215). Roosevelt did what he thought was best for our nation and he put his power int making this country a better place. I am aware that if the president has too much power then our nation would be much more like a dictatorship; but, if the president does not have enough power, then America would be a monarchy with the president acting more like a figure head or king than a strong, independent leader. Today, the transformation of our nation has opened up a door that requires a need for more presidential power.

Nick izzard said...

I would strongly disagree with the notion that the modern presidency has become too powerful. I think that the power that the presidency has gained does not threaten the Founding Father's vision because their vision involved a strong democracy, on which the people had influence. These powers that the presidency has gained will benefit the democracy that the Founders envisioned. By nature, the presidency must be a powerful position and by broadening the presidential powers this position is made more and more efective. Now more than ever, "presidents are expected to lead the nation" (pg. 16). This modern form of presidency has made this job possible and is necessary the job to continue.

Andrew Boyd said...

The modern presidency has with no doubt changed the nature of American democracy. However, these changes in presidential power are for the good of the people. The President is the leaders of the United States, therefore, "They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort American citizens in time of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). With all these responsibilities to the citizens of the United States, the Presidents needs the modern day presidential powers in order to accomplish these goals. By using the stewardship model of presidency as well as the powers of the modern presidency, the president is better able to protect and maintain a great country.

Larson McQuary said...

Today's presidency is very different than the presidency in the 19th century but there has been no gain of power that would make it a position that could endanger the Founders' vision for America. The creation of the EOP, NSC, OMB, and CEA have made it so that not all the power is lying in the hands of one man or woman. More opinions are brought to the table and more voices are heard when there is a larger number of people contributing to a designated subject. The psychological idea of "group think", when one has an opposing viewpoint but chooses not to speak out so that they don't disrupt group flow, has faded into the background as cabinet members and officials speak to the president with their own, concrete thought. This dispersal of power prevents the presidency from becoming a dictatorship in any way, preserving American democracy. But in the end it is the presidents job to make decisions. Franklin D. Roosevelt realized this and utilized his authority by "listening to advice from different viewpoints, always making the final decision himself, and always keeping his options open to try something else" (218). If the president in any decade does these same things, they will keep American democracy stable while preserving what the Founders' worked hard to establish. The presidency hasn't developed into a power, country-dominating institution. The presidency has learned how to adjust to the changing times while keeping the pillars of our country stable.

Nick izzard said...

(pg. 216)*

Anonymous said...

In today's society, the presidency has become more powerful than when the Constitution was first written. This is necessary for a fast-paced word that we live in; we need one person to be able to make decisions for the good of our nation. Although the modern presidency does change democracy because they are more powerful, it does not endanger the Founders' vision for our country. Presidents today have an enormous amount of responsibility, so they must have more power than when the Constitution was first written. "Today, there no longer seems to be any question about the proactive role of the executive branch. Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in time of need, maintain and healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216).

Molly Aaron said...

It is important that we the people trust that our president will do what needs to be done to “maintain a healthy, growing economy, and to protect our country from foreign and domestic threats” (216). One cannot possibly think that being stuck in the 1800s is the most effective way to rule. Technology is advancing right before our eyes, which means more threats to our nation, and a greater need for a president that will develop new policies that are relevant. However, being elected president does not give one permission to do everything he wants; all opinions and beliefs of the people must be taken into consideration. If he can succeed in acting on our behalf while still doing what he thinks is best, our nation will prosper and the vision of our Founding Fathers will forever be protected.

Anonymous said...

In order to promote a dynamic and functioning nation, the president must have a strong sense of authority to lead the nation. A president following the Stewardship model is "expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovatice solutions to our problems, give aidand comfort to American citizens in times of need..." (216) When the president uses as much power as they can to lead the nation, they are fufillintg their roles as a leader making citizens confident n their ailities and ideas. These presidents are ambitious to benefit the country in any possible way they can and they are only limietd by the restrictions stated in the Constitution. The Stewardship model allows the president to satisfy the wants of the citizens but also create a resilient nation by satisfying the nation's needs for the future.
-Brooke Bode

Anonymous said...

"Today, there no longer seems to be any question about the proactive role of the executive branch. Presidents are expected to lead the nation (216)." The modern presidency has changed the nature of American democracy, but in a good way. Presidents should have the power to make large decisions, quickly if needed, and do what is best for the country. They are expected to lead the nation to greatness. With much and increasing responsibility comes immense power. Even though the presidency is gaining power, the checks and balances of our 3-branched government keep the presidential power in check and in the right boundaries. The presidency is merely gaining power to adapt to our fast-changing country and world in a way that will help, not hinder, America and its people. Because of this, the stewardship model of presidency is best for America today.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I believe that the "stewardship model" benefits the general public in a rapid and positive way. The limitations provided by the Constitution for the president are enough to ensure that nothing too radical occurs. The President seeks to make changes that would help the public and resolve issues in an efficient way. The new model is currently in use because Presidents must lead the nation and better it as much as they can. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). This excerpt explains the duties of a President. The contemporary model is more adequate to succeeding in the duties bestowed upon the President once elected. The limitations provided by the Constitution can not just be limitations but guidelines that provide the aid to create policies that can benefit the country. In this modern age voices are needed to represent those who can not speak out loud enough. With only certain limitations the President can efficiently express the will of the people and does not have to be restricted and have to an extent, little power, but can quickly provide changes to the country that will aid the people. This does not harm the nations democracy but helps it be expressed in a better way.

Anonymous said...

The President of the United States is elected under oath to serve his/her country to the best of their abilities, to lead, and to protect the nation through honor and loyalty. Along with this position comes immense trust and confidence of the nations' citizens. While voting, citizens take into consideration the amount of power the executive branch possesses, and must make their decision according to this condition.
Power is required in order to attain the high standards of their position: "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats"(216). To accomplish these responsibilities, presidents should follow the stewardship model. Although power should be restricted by the forbidden actions of the U.S. Constitution, all other power should be accessible to the president.

Anthony Escobar said...

The modern day presidency has very well evolved the democracy of our nation. While not only benefiting the president's power, this is to better the citizens of America. "They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort American citizens in time of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). The president has a lot of responsibilities to carry out these days, which means the president needs more power to complete different tasks these days that were not thought of back when the Constitution was written.

Anonymous said...

The President of the United States is elected under oath to serve his/her country to the best of their abilities, to lead, and to protect the nation through honor and loyalty. Along with this position comes immense trust and confidence of the nations' citizens. While voting, citizens take into consideration the amount of power the executive branch possesses, and must make their decision according to this condition. Power is required in order to attain the high standards of their position: "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats"(216). To accomplish these responsibilities, presidents should follow the stewardship model. Although power should be restricted by the forbidden actions of the U.S. Constitution, all other power should be accessible to the president.

Anonymous said...

The United States government consists of three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. With the system of checks and balances limiting the power of a particular branch, a president assuming too much power could not pose a threat to the nation. The judicial and legislative branches would simply limit the power of the president in the executive branch. Therefore, I think that the Stewardship Model is entirely appropriate. A President, like Theodore Roosevelt, that acts "...for the well-being of our people... in whatever manner was necessary..." (215) is a president that is not merely seeking a political agenda for a party, but rather forced to improve the nation successfully under the pressure of satisfying the populous in return for reelection. "Presidents have no choice but to lead - or else stand condemned as failures" (216).

Anonymous said...

Yeah I one hundred percent agree that the modern institutional presidency has attained way too much power. Don’t get me wrong, the president definitely should be the one who holds the power but there is a line that if crossed could be very tempting to abuse and we the people would suffer the effects. We have seen in several different cases how the corruption of power can easily transform a man into a greedy arrogant individual. Teddy Roosevelt boasted, "I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power... I acted for the common well-being of our people"(215). Once a man is certain of his power he starts to believe nothing he does is wrong due to his high status. The people should have majority say in what happens since it is the people who will be affected by the decisions. With stewardship the people only have say in who shall be the head decision maker. +

Anonymous said...

Expansion of presidential powers has been healthy because new challenges today didn't exist when the Constitution was written. While our founding fathers may not have envisioned our future presidents to have this much power, the modern president must strive to make a mark on this country for the better. If not, they will not have the full respect of the nation. Modern-day challenges such as issues with technology persist today and if the president does not act with enthusiasm and take some risks along the way without going against the Constitution, they will not be successful or fully respected. In other words, this leaves the presidents with "no choice but to lead- or else stand condemned as failures" (pg. 216) as so well put in our textbook.

Anonymous said...

No, the modern President is not too powerful. In a changing world, laws cannot be set in stone, but they must be flexible. Without willingness to change, the Founders' vision would be crushed. The key to America’s democracy is the fact that it is indeed fluid and not set in stone. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats"(216). Presidents face challenges today that the Founders could not imagine when they first created America’s democracy. The Founders knew this so this is why they created 3 branches of government. The system of checks and balances was created so that no branch (the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch) could become too powerful. - Kianna S

Lauren C said...

In our society today, the president's power continues to increase and change from what the Founders desired. Power is growing from what is initially stated throughout the Consitution. "They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort American citizens in time of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). The president lives a high position of many responsibilities and decisions. However, even though the President is full of duties, his power does not need to be heightened. The restrictions given to the President by the Consitution need to be enforced as they lead to a full democracy, as the Framers once intended.

michael mann said...

"Today there no longer seems to be any question about the proactive role of the executive branch. Presidents are expected to lead the nation" (216)I believe that the president has not obtained an excessive amount of power because it is necessary for the president to have a great amount of power so that he can effectively lead and make decisions for our country

Anonymous said...

In today’s modern institutional Presidency the President defiantly a little bit to powerful he calls all of the shots concerning things with policies and the military. “Understanding his mandate, Roosevelt took the lead in redirecting the federal Government.” Meaning that no matter what ha did what HE thought was best and didn’t in fact listen to what majority of the population wanted or even his council advised him on him doing meaning that is not in fact what our founding fathers had in mind for us. In a way it does endanger America because one day it could lead to the President doing things that aren’t necessarily right for America he just does it because its what he thinks is best.
Jeff D.

Anonymous said...

The institutional presidency in modern society is not becoming too powerful. Today
leaders need to have the ability to veer away from the Constitution in order to keep our country’s policies up to date. “They must come up with innovative with solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need” (216). In order for our president to come up with “innovative solutions” the president must create their own policies, which in turn allows in the country to be more productive. In conclusion, if the president did not have this power, the United States would not be able to thrive the way it has in the past decades.
-Cate Crowe

Michael Murph said...

I believe that the currents Presidents power does not endanger the Founders’ vision for our country. The modern presidency has without a doubt changed the American democracy. But yet, these changes were for the betterment of Americans. As leaders of our nation, “Presidents have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemned as failures.” (216). The circumstances that surround the presidency are vastly different. However, it is still a position that is representing the American people. The ultimate goal of the President is to represent and protect the people of our great nation, which is the same as our founding fathers.

Anonymous said...

The modern presidency is not too powerful, and I believe that nowadays, the increased power by the president is necessary and that they should not be held back by the Constitution. As times are changing, our needs are changing as well. Modifications may need to be made in order to adapt to the increasing complexity and fast pace of politics and government today. The expanded power of the President is acting in the best interest of the American people. President Roosevelt, a very successful president who ruled under the stewardship model stated, “"I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power...I acted for the common well-being of our people...in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition" (215). Although we have strayed a bit from the model set up by our founding fathers, it has not been detrimental to society, and has actually strengthened our country.
-Christina B.

Upper School Government and Economics said...

Not only do you say you like Ron Paul, Luke, but you also sound as though you've embraced his liberterian conservative philosophy of limited government - I hear this theme when you suggest that the Whig Model of Presidential power is preferable b/c it forces President to work within Constitutional limits...

... good thinking!

Upper School Government and Economics said...

Good thinking, Jack Leo! I appreciate you for mentioning the role of the Supreme Court to "check" executive power and make sure that Presidents work within Constitutional limits

Upper School Government and Economics said...

"Presidents have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemed as failures" (216).

I like the quotation you've chosen, Miranda M. - it speaks to the extraordinarily high expectations Americans have for their Presidents... the American people expect President to LEAD and ACT effectively on a variety of issues - all at the same time.

Upper School Government and Economics said...

"The presidency has learned how to adjust to the changing times while keeping the pillars of our country stable."

I like the way you've phrased this idea, Larson - nice job! I agree that an effective presidency is all about constant adjustments to changing times... all within the bounds of Constitutional "pillars"

Anonymous said...

I do not believe that the institutional presidency in modern society is becoming too powerful. America is not the same as it once was when the Constitution was created over 200 years ago. With our ever-changing economy, the President must be in charge and make executive decisions when need be. When faced with new challenges, "They must come up innovative solutions to our problems.." (216) in order to assess the issues in the best way possible. America must grow as time goes on and as a President, he or she must not be restricted and be able to change laws and policies in order to benefit our nation while at the same time maintaining the restrictions of the Constitution.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the presidency is becoming too powerful. I say this because now our presidents need to be a strong leader so we as a nation do not seem weak to all the other nations. There has been a shift from the president powers from not being at the center to the powers being the center of the government. This shift happen when, "the presidency was not at the center of the nineteenth-century American government: the national economy still centered on agriculture" (214). The presidency became the central part of government when the nation started industrialization and urbanization. Many presidents in the agricultural times thought that the presidents were not to be the center of government and this model of presidency is known as the Whig Model. After industrialization and urbanization the presidents needed to become more involved with the affairs in the nation. The president should use all the powers that they can to make the nation better within their powers of the Constitution, Stewardship Model.

Anonymous said...

The Founder’s vision was not a clear statement because of the fear of tyranny they had but the Constitution holds most of what the Founders wanted to happen. I believe it does not change this vision because the presidency has a cabinet that allows its advisers to suggest what to do. If it were a presidency where only one man was to make a decision then it would obstruct the vision the Founders had about their country. Though it was rejected to have a cabinet, it is essential to help the cabinet because even Washington, “realized that specific executive departments should handle the responsibilities of the federal government” (Pg. 216). To have an institutional presidency is better than to have a tyrant king who mandates every law they may want and if the people do not agree with the President’s outcome, there can always be another re-election or if the president did something illegally barbarous then, according to the Constitution, an impeachment can occur. The fact of the matter is that the modern, institutional presidency is not changing the vision of the Founders, it is revolutionizing into the modern era of the increase in population and policies important to the people such as the economy, homeland security, education, etc.

Paxton S said...

The modern, institutional presidency does not have too much power. Given the amount of detail put into the constitution in all other areas, the framers obviously made the deliberate decision to leave room for interpretation of the amount of power that the president possesses. Any argument that asserts that there is more need for a stewardship-model president now than in the past is false because the need for a strong leader is equal among every generation thus far, and it will continue to be equal. The more power that an individual who represents the goals of the people is given, the better. America has not grown to need a stewardship model presidency, it has simply always needed one. A president who is only bound by what is explicitly restriced in the constitution is a useful tool to a nation, especially when, "the good of the nation was at stake."(pg. 215).

Photography said...

I personally do not believe that the President has too much power in the government today. Although more recent Presidents have adopted the stewardship model, which there are no restrictions on Presidential authority except that which is strictly forbidden in the constitution, this has come about because of a more complicated society. “Presidents are expected to lead the nation.” (pg 216) The founding fathers created a system of checks and balances between the three branches of the government which still exists today. It has not been compromised by the President assuming more direct responsibility for leading the nation.

Preston K

Sara MacDowell said...

In my opinion, the modern, institutional presidency is not too powerful. Times have changed, therefore, the powers of the presidency should broaden and increase as well. "This view of executive power (Whig Model), however, had begun to erode by the end of the nineteenth century, in part due to changing economic and geopolitical conditions" (216). The leaders of our country should be allowed to deviate from the limitations of the Constitution if necessary. In many situations, under the consent of the citizens and his counsel, the President must stray from the Constitution and make decisions that benefit the nation. Even though the Constitution was created to be the foundation of our country, the President must adapt the changes of modern America in order to lead in an efficient and successful manner.

Anonymous said...

I believe that in today’s political system, the president does not have too much or too little power. When the constitution was originally written, the founders wanted to be sure that one person could not hold too much power in office. This idea is still held today, but the president does have more power than in previous times, this is not to say that he is not limited in what he can do. In modern politics, the president is never alone when making major decisions, “presidents have surrounded themselves with White House staff, who were essentially political experts…” (219). It is also important to remember that the president is limited by the checks and balance system of our government, where congress always has the ability to override the president’s decisions. In conclusion, I think that the president is still limited in a way that keeps the ideals of the founding fathers intact, but he is more able to influence the nation than they intended, all the while keeping a happy balance of power.

Anonymous said...

The presidency does not have too much power in my opinion. Our founding fathers intentionally made room for interpretation with regards to the powers granted and restricted to the amounts of the president. Any thought that the president should be able to obtain more power not granted in the constitution would make the president more of a dictator. There will always be an equal amount of power from president to president to prevent the president from obtaining too much power and becoming a dictator, because of the restrictions that are written in the constitution. I do believe that presidents are more of stewardship-model presidents than before, but this is constitutional and useful to have a very active president rather than one bound by what is specifically granted and not working until restricted.
-Chris M

Anonymous said...

When our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they had in mind that America would gradually develop and change as time passed. They summarized all of the roles and responsibilities of the President as clearly and simply as possible. Although the Constitution is the foundation of America, times have changed as has the government and the expectations of citizens. American citizens place modern presidents on an incredibly high pedestal, and "Presidents have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemed as failures" (216). While we place the President as the central figure of American government, we must accept that he will try to meet our wants and needs and by doing this, will naturally gain more power. It is important, however, that the President does not become too powerful, and other branches of the government, especially the judicial branch, must hold him accountable for any direct violations of the Constitution.

Anonymous said...

The modern day president is not becoming too powerful, but more active instead. The stewardship model has allowed the president to do so. The whig model involves using only the powers expressly granted in the Constitution. Roosevelt believed that, "all was possible except what was prohibited" (215) It is also easier to know what not to do than all that you can do. The addition of more presidential advisors and the expanded role of the vice president is another reason why the president is not becoming too powerful. These people help him improve the quality of the country and make better decisions for the future.

Dillon S.

Anonymous said...

The modern day president is not becoming too powerful, but more active instead. The stewardship model has allowed the president to do so. The whig model involves using only the powers expressly granted in the Constitution. Roosevelt believed that, "all was possible except what was prohibited" (215) It is also easier to know what not to do than all that you can do. The addition of more presidential advisors and the expanded role of the vice president is another reason why the president is not becoming too powerful. These people help him improve the quality of the country and make better decisions for the future.

Dillon S.

Anonymous said...

I believe that the way the president's role has changed, lies in tune with the way society has grown since its founding in 1776. The Constitution and the way it has been interpreted have changed since it was written. New problems have arisen that are not addressed in the Constitution, and presidents need to be able to solve these problems by what ever means necessary. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “I acted for the common well-being of our people…in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition.” (215) If the constitution is holding back actions of the president that are necessary to fix political issues, then that president should be able to compose a piece of legislation that will help his or her cause. Our Founding Fathers created the Constitution to ensure that no president could dictate or change American Democracy. With our government's checks and balances, no president could ever become that powerful. However, if the Constitution is limiting the President's rights to protect the people, then he should have the right to change it. Updating the Founder's beliefs to fit our society now, would only make America stronger.

Blake Ransom said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Blake Ransom said...

The Modern president today is not too powerful. The modern president has been changing our country in a very good way. He has been in charge of the army and so was the founding fathers like in George Washington was very big in the army "Presidents have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemned as failures." (216). Today the president has more pressure than ever before, but for this country to succeed it must have one good leader to be the country face just like the Founders vision. It is up for the president to protect and lead, and that the same as it was for our founding fathers.

Anonymous said...

The current president has far to much power today. Our founding fathers intentionally wanted to reduce this power with the seperation of power. Presidents today need to realize "all (is) possible except what (is) prohibited" (215). Presidents come in wanting to change everything about our government because they say it is a flawed system that needs to be more modernized. Presidents must remember that we have intentionally created our government this way and it has lasted for over 230 years.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion, the constitution has fully served its purpose in the fact that is places limitations on the President’s powers. Certain presidencies have endangered our founders’ vision, forgetting that the constitution is the deciding factor in any president’s decision. The constitution may not be referred to on a day to day basis; but, it has done a great job of limiting the Presidents government powers. With the obligation to better our country, it is vital that the President do so without overstepping his rights and powers. Essentially, “Presidents are expected to lead the nation” (216), with that role, The President is the overall leader in our country.
Cassidy H

Cameron said...

Although the Stewardship model of presidency, which is applied today, may seem that it is threatening to the principles which America was founded upon and may seem too powerful, it benefits the people greatly and is virtuous for our country. Theodore Roosevelt even states,” " I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power ... I acted for the common well-being of our people ... in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition."(215) The president is not doing anything to wrong our country nor going against the explicit laws of our founding fathers, he is merely trying to better, and strengthen it; if that means to push someone outside the normal boundaries. I believe that the founding fathers wanted the best environment for its people. If the president must push outside his normal bounds, I believe it is in the best interest of the people, the country, and the vision of our country by the founding fathers to do so.

Upper School Government and Economics said...

Sam writes: ..."if the Constitution is limiting the President's rights to protect the people, then he should have the right to change it"...

I would suggest editing this comment to say that "the people" should retain the right to change the Constitution - which recalls the notion of a social contract and the ideals of the Declaration of Independence: "that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men DERIVING THEIR JUST POWERS FROM THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED." And also, interestingly, the President has zero role in the Constitutional process for proposing and ratifying admendments.

I appreciate your post, Sam - it made me think!

Anonymous said...

Alex.W

The President comes with a variety of power which today he utilizes in all aspect except in areas that are prohibited by the constitution. Now the President also has the power model of Stewardship in his arsenal, and the view of this is that one is too powerful to fit within the ramifications of democracy and is a threat to the ideals set by our nation’s founders. In whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition" (215) A alternate direction of power which would keep the democracy of America intact is the Whig model which the president uses power granted by the constitution instead of powers prohibited.

Dananzpw said...

I believe that the modern,institutional presidency is not too powerful because with the nation as a major power in the world it needs a strong leader. "Presidents have no choice choice but to lead- or else stand to be condemned as failures." Presidents have a lot of pressure on them to change and reform the nation as promised in their campaigns. Also, with the presidency being such a coveted and prestigious office every President would like to make their mark on history by being proactive with reforms and laws.

Steven Hammett said...

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Anonymous said...

The President today is definitely a central figure in American government, but the power credited to him is slowly rising to a dictatorial point. Some changes past presidents have made were specifically to control a certain problem or period of time. For instance, Franklin Delano Roosevelt used "public anger, frustration, and fear" to win the presidency during the Great Depression (page 215). He demanded "action- and action now!" and put in place the New Deal to address problems during the 1930's, but many of the reforms are still part of our culture today. When there isn't a specific problem to be addressed, the President should not have absolute power in decision making.

Sophia Rankin said...

The expansion of Presidential powers is meant to be good, but it's scary because a President is not supposed to have total power. The mindset of the Stewardship Model allows way to much power and is gradually turning away from the original ideas of our Founding Fathers. Democracy is fading away because Presidents can do what they wish "...in whatever manner necessary,unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition" (215). This can leave a lot of room for the President to do what he wants rather than letting the other branches control the government for him.

Anonymous said...

The duty of the president is very well stated in this quotation,"They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats.(216)" This quote gives the basic outlines of being an American President. A President's job is to guide the country in the direction it wants to go, no more and no less

Sadie R said...

In my opinion, I think that the President at the time, should be able to do what he/she thinks is best for our country. As one of our past presidents, "Theodore Roosevelt believed that presidents should use their position to articulate values...That is to say, presidents should lead public opinion rather than simply follow it." (214). When Theodore Roosevelt believes is what I believe, because to have a great/successful president, they need to be able to listen to the people they are serving, but also know what is right. Because sometimes the people do not know what is best for our country and thats where the president needs to hold power. If the president does not have enough power, then America would be more of a monarchy then what we are already. In the end of the nineteenth century, "the nation's economy shifted from farming to industry, and it's position in global affairs expanded" (215). With that the White House "transformed the job of the president" (215). The transformation that our country encountered with, is what required our need for a presidential power. What Theodore roosevelt did correctly is that he did "...not usurp power, but greatly broaden the use of executive power..." (215). In the end the President must be a leader in the country and do whatever he/she can do to make this country better than before.

Anonymous said...

I believe our current President has the right amount of power as of right now. The modern presidency does not have too much power. The White House is like one big team. The President “relies on a broad range of advisors, and these groups shift with different policy questions”, therefore he is not alone in his decision-making. (217) Barack Obama consults different people in varieties of departments and in Congress. The United States can still be seen as a democracy with Obama and his current power, because the People do receive freedom under a governed country. However, I do not believe the President is necessarily the core of the government; he shouldn’t be center. Instead the President has the ultimate power, with the help of his allies in the White House. Regarding the economy, if Obama does receive too much power, the United States could go into a recession with the fiscal cliff.

Anonymous said...

I believe the president should have almost unlimited powers, besides the laws that state what he cannot do in the constitution. America holds an election to appoint a president that would hopefully take us to the best position in economy, healthcare, etc. The president already has to go through the Congress to pass any certain treaty. The president needs freedom to reveal to us his plans to make America the best to its ability. Teddy Roosevelt stated, "I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power. . . I acted for the common well-beingof our people. . . in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition.", which is what the President is elected for (Choice 215). If we expect the president to endeavor his policies in America, he needs the freedom. It will not turn into a tyranny. We must let him experiment his thoughts to make this country a stronger one.

Anonymous said...

Tori Chitwood –
The modern Institutional Presidency has become slightly too powerful. Presidents should have some limits; bounds other than what are stated in the constitution. Otherwise it would cease to be a democracy with a sharing of powers. In later times the stewardship model, which allows for “no restrictions on presidential authority except what was…forbidden in the constitution,” was a new look on the presidency (Shea 215). This new look with an enormous amount of power is no problem if the right people are put into office. Theodore Roosevelt and FDR are two such men. Their new presidential models didn’t use enormous power and worked perfectly with their “visions.” They never actually used all the power their model allowed and never went over the amount of what they needed (Shea 215). Nowadays, presidents expect to have this large amount of power and take it all for granted. Now, many people say that the presidents “must come up with innovative solutions,” protect, and comfort and all that are true. But the presidents should never expect to have expansive power. The presidency should never return to the Whig model because of our changed society but should not have the scope of powers that presidents do now.

Maria I. said...

I believe that the president has the right amount of power without endangering the Founders’ vision for our country. Having the president go out of the box, such as a Stewardship Model, is not a bad thing. In fact, going out of the box shows that the president wants to find policies that will benefit us rather than hurt us. Sometimes these policies will require being “limited by explicit restrictions in the Constitution” (215). Presidents of our time should have ideas that stand out because those ideas are going to be able to help the U.S. in the long run. A president’s power may become too much and what causes that is the period in which they are president. By period I mean, is the president’s term in the period of recession? These sorts of things can sometimes make a president seem too powerful in the sense that the president is making too many policy changes. But sometimes these policy changes are for the better.

Anonymous said...

The recent increase in presidential power gives the president the right to adjust to modern situations, which will benefit America in the long run. According to Choices, "the framers of our system believed that Congress would be the primary branch of government" (page 214). This is obviously not the case in today's government. The textbook then names some of the most famous presidents in history who adjusted to their environment for the betterment of the country. Also, the balancing of powers should keep America away from tyranny. American presidents have been successful with the stewardship model and should continue to follow its ways.

Nicole :) said...

I believe the modern, institutional presidency is not too powerful. The Stewardship Model of presidencies describes a president who believes they have the power to do everything except what limits him/her by the Constitution. Because the Constitution is vague in it's outline of what is or isn't legal for a President to do, only saying the President will be impeached for "Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors", not a very descriptive outline. Because of this, the President needs to be cautious of his/her actions, considering what the Public might conclude of their actions. The newer institutions of the EOP, NSC, OMB and CEA provide the means for a President to not get too out of his power range. They help to limit the President's actions, along with the Congress and Senate, who must pass the President's proposed laws before they go into effect. I believe our system has enough reliance on other branches to keep the President and our government in check and not endanger our Founder's vision of America as a free country.

Nicole H

Anonymous said...

I feel like the President should be a stewardship model. I feel as the Founding Fathers knew exactly what they didn't want done. For example, in the Constitution, Amendment 9 implies that some rights the people have aren't listed here but they still should be protected. In this case i feel like they left it "vague" for this to happen if needed. As long as they aren't doing something "stictly forbidden" it would be fine (215). The President also has checks and balances to control him or her so it wouldn't be bad for him or her to "[do] all [that is] possible expect what is [is] prohibited" (215). He or she also has the Cabinet, EOP, NSC, OMB, CEA to help and advise him or her.

Anonymous said...

The power of the president needs to be able to adapt and think of things outside of just what exactly the Constitution says, that is why I believe that we need a mix between the stewardship model and a modern presidency. As a nation it would be hard for a president to have the powers such as the Whig model which, “that presidents are limited to the powers explicitly stated in the Constitution..” (214 Shea). The president needs to be able to respond to different circumstances, and be able to think of modern ideas. However, the president needs to keep to the “explicit restrictions in the Constitution” (215 Shea). The president still should remain steadfast with most of the Constitution. There is also the EOP that has a staff that helps aids the president with advice and help. I believe that with the advice of the EOP, NSC, OMB, CEA, and the cabinet members the president will not gain too much power.

Abby J

Morgan W. said...

Institutional presidency based on the Stewardship Model, does have too much power. Given the power of lobbyists today and their influence on opinions and laws, allowing one person to have so much power is dangerous. “The lobbying pathway involves attempting to influence the activities, actors, and institutions of government by supplying information, persuasion, or political pressure”. (12) There is just too much opportunity for abusive power and corruption. I don’t think our founding fathers anticipated the scope of pressure and influence a president in today’s world would be subject to.

Sarah Velvin said...

Today, I do not think our president has too much power, he has the right amount of power. That is why I think the Stewardship Model is the best model of presidential power. Theodore Roosevelt had a new view of presidential powers in which he says, “…no restrictions on presidential authority except what is strictly forbidden in the Constitution” (215). The president can do what he wants unless he is not allowed to according to the Constitution. This does not change the vision the Founding Father’s, they did not say what the president has to do they just said what he is not allowed to do. Also, by the system of checks and balances the president is checked on by the other branches. The Stewardship Model will be the best for our country if the president does not take advantage of it and keeps the nation a democracy. The president should listen to the people’s words and do whatever he feels is best for the country.

Meagan F said...

The President has a fair amount of power but does not often exercise it. Through out time, the President has gained more power but not in a bad way. Presidents because people like the direction they have in mind for the country. “Presidents are expected to lead the nation” (216) in the way that is best for the country via the Stewardship Model. The checks and balances will keep his authority within a good boundary. The President does not have too mush power.

Anonymous said...

As presidential powers have grown, the Founder’s vision for our country has been changed. “The framers of our system believed that Congress would be the primary branch of government…Presidents seemed quite willing to follow Congress…There were, of course, strong presidents…They were exceptions to the rule, however, and their powers sprang from extraordinary circumstances.” Congress is no longer the primary branch of our government and presidents are becoming stronger and stronger and are no longer considered “exceptions to the rule.” These strong presidents no longer derive their powers from extraordinary circumstances, they are just granted these powers and that is not how our Founder’s excepted our country to be.

Chandler N.

Anonymous said...

*“The framers of our system believed that Congress would be the primary branch of government…Presidents seemed quite willing to follow Congress…There were, of course, strong presidents…They were exceptions to the rule, however, and their powers sprang from extraordinary circumstances" (214).

Chandler N.

Anonymous said...

I feel that there is a certain amount of power that Presidents should be able to hold/use. However they do need to know when to be assertive in this power, in a great crisis such as a World War or in economic downturns. When the country is not going through these problems Presidents need to be more of a Whig model president, where they only use powers granted to them in the constitution. Our founding fathers vision for the country could be damaged if the President is wielding too much power when the country does not need a President making radical decisions.

Anonymous said...

The modern, institutional presidency is too powerful. The nature of American democracy that was first envisioned by the Founders' vision has been stretched and corrupted slowly over time in the course of our nation's history. Daniel Shea states, "On top of this was the general belief among presidents themselves that they should not be at the center of government" (214). Presidents in the last few decades have chosen to focus their time and energy on themselves and their own powers, rather than acknowledging that some things should be left to American citizens themselves or other branches of government. The result of the Stewardship model being implicated in presidencies today is that the government's power has grown so much that they are involved in almost every aspect of the average American citizen's day-to-day life. In order to be restored to the vision that the Founders had in mind for the nature of the United States of America, the role of the president and their powers needs to be significantly decreased, allowing the American people more individual freedoms.

Erika I

Anonymous said...

The stewardship model of presidential power allows for the President to interpret the Constitution however they see fit. In modern times, the President is faced with increasingly difficult problems that only the modern world can throw at us. The Constitution can be outdated on some issues, and therefore the "President has no choice but to lead- or else be condemned to failures." (216) President Obama has to have a vision for the country, then chase after it, and if the Constitution restricts him, then the problems of society can not be fixed. The President has to "give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats," but cannot do so fully if restricted. The stewardship model, firmly enacted by Theodore Roosevelt, has proven itself to be the bold and sensible in the modern world.

-Meredith T.

Anonymous said...

I do not believe that the modern, institutional presidency is too powerful. According to the Stewardship Model, the idea is that "the president is only limited by the explicit restrictions in the Constitution" (215). This model also allows for a broad range of presidential powers; as long as Obama does not abuse this right, he will not become corrupted with power. As long as the the president keeps his power in control, American democracy will not be in danger.

Anonymous said...

The Presidency has not become too powerful unless he tries to become too much of a tyrant. The first example of an assertive president are Theodore Roosevelt, he was what is called a stewardship model of a president. The means that he does anything “except what was strictly forbidden in the Constitution” (215), so he had much more power than any past presidents. The reason he did this was because he was trying to do what was best for the people. The President can have assertive power but only if the country is in need for a leader with power.

Maya S said...

In my opinion, the powers held by the modern president are necessary due to the ever-changing nature of American society since the drafting of the Constitution. Although the Founders explicitly granted or denied certain powers to the president, cultural and economical changes give way to issues that are not addressed by the Constitution. As more Americans began to rely on industry rather than farming as their source of income, the economy experienced a transformation. This change was illustrated during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. According to Daniel Shea, FDR “ushered in what many historians would describe as the modern presidency,” a title given to describe his utilization of presidential authority. (215) By taking action to improve the nation’s economic situation, Roosevelt used the Stewardship Model to his advantage by passing several reforms in his New Deal program and setting a precedent for those that followed him. FDR’s actions demonstrate the necessity of the president’s ability to use powers not explicitly granted in the Constitution to address the problems of modern America.

Bryce H. said...

Until the 20th century, most Presidents led through a Whig model of power, in which their power was constrained to only what the Constitution permitted. However, several Presidents, like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt reshaped the Presidency into a much more powerful office, that was only constrained by what the Constitution specifically permitted. Especially after FDR, the President is now expected to "lead the nation... come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (Changes, 216).
The expanded role of the President brings both advantages and problems. In an increasingly partisan America, a strong executive is necessary to get things done in the best interest of the populace when Congress is unable or unwilling to pass legislation. However, several Presidential actions such as the Patriot Act debatably infringe upon American's rights and are dangerous to the Founders' vision. The Presidential power must be kept in check and watched so that one tyrant is not able to garner too much power or take actions that are against the best interest of America.

Anonymous said...

The President must always lead our country in any condition. If we do not change presidential powers to fit the citizen's need, then the Executive Office becomes less and less important. If the President is less needed, then this will be against the Founder's vision for our country. This is exactly why the Whig Model (or why following exactly what the Constitution says the President is allowed to do) "had begun to erode by the end of the nineteenth century." Changes to presidential power must occur in order to better protect citizens.
-Sabeeh K.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

The powers of the president have not become too powerful, and just the opposite, have helped the country to reach feats that have benefited the country in a positive manner. According to Choices, “ Presidents are expected to lead the nation” (Shea 216). Our Founder’s vision for the country was to succeed, and with the president leading the country, this gets the country closer to this vision. With the Stewardship model in action gives the president, “ broad presidential powers” (Shea 215). This allows the president to complete the vision of our Founders, which must be lead by our president. Only when the president becomes abusive with his power, and a tyrant, must his powers be revoked. Our democracy makes sure this does not happen, and keeps the citizens and the president on the same page. The power that the president is given is a connection between the president and the
American democracy. As the president leads with his powers, the citizens of the United States benefit socially and economically. As leadership is a crucial quality, “Presidents have no choice but to lead—or else stand condemned as failures” (Shea 216). This leadership serves as a foundation on which our country runs, and continues to improve towards our Founder’s vision

Paige H said...

Although the president's power has expanded beyond that which was originally bestowed upon him in the Constitution, the democracy intended by the Founding Fathers is still maintainted in today's society. To begin, the President's actions often require review by bodies such as Congress and the Supreme Court. In addition, the President must work to maintain popular support and, therefore, has to make decisions that satisfy not only himself, but the people. Finally, the time in which a President can exercise his power is limited. There is a two-term limit on holding the office. Overall, the President's power may be increasing, but his limitations hold strong.

Paige H said...

Although the president's power has expanded beyond that which was originally bestowed upon him in the Constitution, the democracy intended by the Founding Fathers is still maintainted in today's society. To begin, the President's actions often require review by bodies such as Congress and the Supreme Court. In addition, the President must work to maintain popular support and, therefore, has to make decisions that "give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need" (216). Finally, the time in which a President can exercise his power is limited. There is a two-term limit on holding the office. Overall, the President's power may be increasing, but his limitations hold strong.

LeoA said...

In my opinion, the modern institutional presidency can be too powerful however it is only a theory. Presidents are still restricted when it comes to their growing power, and modern presidents needs the support of the people to grow this power in the first place. Also the Constitution has the "separation of powers" and "checks and balances" that makes sure the President can pursue in tyrannical activities/actions. In conclusion, yes the increase in power can be dangerous, but it will most likely not happen in modern day with the development in technology and education that helps makes sure the average person know about government and their rights as a citizen.

Greg I said...

I think that the president has just the right amount of power; however, their party has too much power. The country has separated into two main parties. These parties can dominate the country based on which party they belong to and what position they hold. If the president has the majority of the senate and the house, then he could pass any law his party wants. So the president has a lot of power, but I don’t think he has too much power.

Thomas N said...

I believe the President's power is getting too powerful based on the principals of the founding fathers. The reason the writers of the Constitution put limits on the president was to prevent the president from making somewhat tyrannical decisions. If the president is acquiring more power as the days go by, then what could this power end up doing? This excessive power could cause the president to have more than he can handle which could lead to bad decision making. The founding fathers would advise us to restrict his power before restricting his power becomes impossible to do so.

Anonymous said...

I do not think the modern presidency is too powerful. The different branches of government have an impartial system for dividing up the powers in the government, so no branch have more control than the other. The president may have to make some hard decisions but he always does it for the good of the country. "Presidents have no choice but to lead-or else stand condemned as failures" (pg.216) The president along with the other branches of the government have a fair method of leading the nation and should not have it changed.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely not. The constitution is dynamic for a reason. It has gaps that encourage interpretation to adapt to changing societal needs. Our current political landscape requires a strong executive office founded on the ideals of the stewardship model that has the ability to be decisive when “the good of the nation [is] at stake.” (215) Gridlock has brought the legislative branch to a screeching halt, and in our current decidedly negative situation, it becomes important for the president to take charge and represent the United States and its government both at home and abroad.

BrentF said...

I don’t believe the presidency is becoming too powerful. The president is still required to go through congress in order to get a majority of things passed. There is also the checks and balance system which restricts any particular branch of government from becoming too powerful. Presidents have the power to create plans, but in the end, they don’t have the power of enforcing them, "They must come up innovative solutions to our problems…" (216). The president’s main goal is to lead our nation for the better, not completely run the country.

Anonymous said...

I do not believe that the modern, institutional presidency is too powerful. I think it has the perfect balance and that the powers granted to the president are necessary for him to make any significant changes to better our country. The expansion of the support staff is a good thing because as the president’s powers grow, he needs more people and voices helping out. A problem though might be that “the battle for the president’s ear has become intense”, and I believe that the president should hear many different points of view and advice to help him, not just “policy wonks” (Scott,219). Modern, institutional presidency might have changed the founders vision for our country in some ways, but “as the role of the president in developing and carrying out federal programs expanded, however, so did the number of his personal advisors”, which was necessary in order to have a more powerful president, or else things would not get done (Scott,217).

Anonymous said...

The limitations of the modern President have expanded to a point where he is too powerful. "The Constitution allows for a powerful president, but does not mandate one" (214). Our founding fathers laid out a framework that allowed for a reasonable amount of power. Their rules and regulations limited his abilities though allowed him the powers to all that which is necessary in order to keep our nation aligned. The Presidents powers NOW have evolved to a point where his decisions can be seen from a somewhat tyrannical standpoint. Thus, I believe that our President should side with the Constitution and our foundation of powers, rather than straying from the framework and becoming slightly tyrannical

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

In my opinion the current presidential system has not become too powerful. The core values and policies of the constitution are still in todays society. Also the president must go through congress to get laws passed. The checks and balance system controls the presidents power as well, so no one branch of governmentstarts to dominate over the others. Presidents are "expected to lead our nation,"but without any power they would not be able to lead. I believe that the president does not have too much power in modern day society.

Sarah Co. said...

No, the modern, institutional presidency is not too powerful. It does not change the nature of American democracy in ways that endanger the Founders' vision or our country. The president sets a model for society and is supposed to play a large role in society. The president is a huge leader in our country. It is the president's job to make decisions for our country. "They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems" (216). It is the president's duty to lead our country, not to be confined by the Founders' point of view.

GriffinL said...

I dont think that the president has become too powerful. It says in the Constitution that we are allowed to have a powerful president. "The Constitution alows for a powerful president," means that we need a president, who has power, to lead or nation. The president can not lead the nation when he does not have enough power to do so. Since we can regulate, and prevent us from having a tyrant, the president can do anything in the constitution that will benefit the nation. He can't become to powerful because he has restrictions in the constitution.

GriffinL said...

Sorry didnt cite page number "The Constitution alows for a powerful president," (214)

Davis D said...

I don't believe that the presidency has become too powerful. I believe that the balance between too much and too little power is at a perfect point, as he is granted enough power to change any significant changes that will better our country. If the president was able to generate and pass his own laws, then too much power may become an issue. But as of now, the president must go through congress to get things passed. As it states in our reader, the President "relies on a broad range of advisors, and these groups shift with different policy questions" (217). This quote shows how the President is unable to pass and create these laws without the consent of congress and other members of the house. I speak for myself and many other Americans when I say it is frightening to think that it is possible for the President to receive too much power, and would eventually cause us to go into a recession. And with a recession comes less jobs, and with less jobs comes less monthly income. All in all, the job of the President is to lead our country in the right direction, it's as simple as that.

Davis D said...

I don't believe that the presidency has become too powerful. I believe that the balance between too much and too little power is at a perfect point, as he is granted enough power to change any significant changes that will better our country. If the president was able to generate and pass his own laws, then too much power may become an issue. But as of now, the president must go through congress to get things passed. As it states in our reader, the President "relies on a broad range of advisors, and these groups shift with different policy questions" (217). This quote shows how the President is unable to pass and create these laws without the consent of congress and other members of the house. I speak for myself and many other Americans when I say it is frightening to think that it is possible for the President to receive too much power, and would eventually cause us to go into a recession. And with a recession comes less jobs, and with less jobs comes less monthly income. All in all, the job of the President is to lead our country in the right direction, it's as simple as that.

EricH said...


I don’t believe that the modern presidency has become too powerful. "Since the very beggnning, presidents have relied on their staff."(216) This quote shows that the president does not do it all on his own the president hires a staff of people to help him and give him advice on what he should do. The president has restrictions and limits on what he can do and can’t do. The three different branches of government have a system that divides up the powers of the government between the three branches. If the president wants to pass a new law or policy he is required to go through congress in order to get it approved then passed. Many of the presidents actions and doings are first advised by congress and the executive branch.

Anonymous said...

The expansion of presidential power is necessary. Due to the recent recession and deficit, the people of the United States turn to our president for resolve; without ample authority, our president simply cannot contend with the needs of his people. The institution of Checks and Balances as well as laws “[limiting the president] by explicit restrictions in the Constitution” (215), keep the president in line with the Constitutional principles established by our founding fathers. However, a presidency can become dangerous when a single party holds the majority of offices; potentially bypassing the system of Checks and Balances. By being 'checked and balanced' by the other branches and limited by the laws set in the Constitution, the President of the United States cannot endanger the vision of our Founding Fathers.

Anonymous said...

The President is elected to lead our nation...lead. So it only makes sense for him to do everything he or she can in order to maintain the well being of the United States and its citizens. As times have evolved it is necessary for the President to play a new role in his or her position. They have to be an active part of our changing culture, economy, foreign affairs and problems. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation," (216)our textbook says, and I completely agree. We all look up to the President in times of crisis and also times of content. We expect answers to our problems and solutions from the President. The Presidency of today has shown how the Stewardship Model of Power has helped our nation and how it is necessary for modern day. A President cannot sit behind a document that was written for a President of only 13 states, they now need the power to lead 50. It is only necessary for him or her to follow the Stewardship Model of Power in order to maintain their position and lead our nation. The book says that, "Presidents have no choice but to lead-- or else stand condemned as failures" (216). We need a President that is strong in opinion, and will do what he or she believes is morally right, or else who are we to look up to? The United States has evolved so much over time, it is only crucial that the idea of leading a nation evolves too.

LeoA said...

In my opinion, the modern institutional presidency can be too powerful however it is only a theory. Presidents are still restricted when it comes to their growing power, and modern presidents needs the support of the people to grow this power in the first place. Also the Constitution has the "separation of powers" and "checks and balances" that makes sure the President can pursue in tyrannical activities/actions. On another note, Truman quotes his own job as, "I will sit here all day trying to persuade people to do things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them....That's all the powers of the President amount to (Reader 218)." The same page also states, "despite his "powers" he does not obtain results by giving orders-or not, at ant rate, merely by giving orders. These two quotes are important to note since the the first shows Former President Truman admitting that being President isn't the same as being a king whereas persuading the people is unnecessary. The second quote talks about how even though we the people gave the President more power in order to be our leader, the President can still not makes commands and expect results from them without following our democratic system. In conclusion, yes the increase in power can be dangerous (in theory), but it will most likely not happen as long as the "the checks and balances" and "separation of powers" are present and also having a fair government.

LeoA said...

In my opinion, the modern institutional presidency can be too powerful however it is only a theory. Presidents are still restricted when it comes to their growing power, and modern presidents need the support of the people to grow this power in the first place. Also the Constitution has the "separation of powers" and "checks and balances" that makes sure the President can't pursue in tyrannical activities/actions. On another note, Truman quotes his own job as, "I will sit here all day trying to persuade people to do things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them....That's all the powers of the President amount to (Reader 218)." The same page also states, "despite his "powers" he does not obtain results by giving orders-or not, at ant rate, merely by giving orders. These two quotes are important to note since the the first shows Former President Truman admitting that being President isn't the same as being a king whereas persuading the people is unnecessary. The second quote talks about how even though we the people gave the President more power in order to be our leader, the President can still not makes commands and expect results from them without following our democratic system. In conclusion, yes the increase in power can be dangerous (in theory), but it will most likely not happen as long as the "the checks and balances" and "separation of powers" are present and also having a fair government.

P.S. ignore the two previous posts.

Connor Hahn said...

Whether powers of the President of the United States is too strong or weak can be a little hard to decipher. I believe that the President has too much power, and that more decisions should rest in the power of the states. In this way, different states can have different policies and the President wouldn't have such a significant role in how citizen's lives are effected. Regardless of the fact that this one person can drastically alter a citizen's life, it seems that for the President, "all was possible except what was prohibited" (Page 215). Essentially that means that the POTUS has total power over anything that is not specifically mentioned against in the Constitution. The United States has changed over the years and the Constitution has to be changed, which is incredibly hard. The checks and balance system of our government is not fool proof. In the end, I feel like it is unresting that one person, a single being, has so much control on what can happen to my life. Even though he has a Cabinet it is ultimately his decision on who is in that cabinet and the President has the final decision. The Presidency is not designed to be an absolute ruler but to "give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need" (216). In the end, the President has too much power and the division and spread of power of more than one person is better because it prevents a totalitarian regime.

Anonymous said...

I believe the current role the president has is not too powerful. It is pertinent that our president has as much power as he needs to change or create policies based on current situations. According to the text, "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). There are many situation in which the president needs his powers in order to better our country. While regular civilians do not know near the amount of decisions made by the president today, it would not be possible for him to better our country off his decisions if he did not have the power he has.

Corbin C. said...

It is not about how much power the President has currently it is about how much he can gain. It is when the President starts to gain power that this nation as a republic slowly starts to slip away. The president should be held to the powers that the constitution gives him "the idea that presidents are limited to powers excplictly granted to the executive branch by the Congress in the years since the Constitution was written."(214)

Will A said...

While the framers focused on Congress being the primary branch of government, because they did not want to have a single authoritative person running the country, like a king, they did not account for changing times, and America would need strong single leaders. Back in its infancy, America needed a government to help "the national economy still centered on agriculture," like congress (214). However, today America needs a strong president who has the drive and passion to keep America's industrial business centered economy. In drastic situations, a single president is needed, especially "when the good of the nation is at stake" (215). There cannot be a large amount of people debating over what to do, there needs to be one President who knows what needs to be done, and will do it. While the power of the President has changed from the founder's vision, it has needed to change with modern times.

Tristan C said...

The President today does not have too much power. His job is essentially to lead our nation, which requires a lot of authority. The model the president should follow is the Stewardship Model. It is “a view of presidential powers with no restrictions on the president’s authority except what was strictly forbidden in the constitution”(216). The founding fathers of the United States would not have of agreed with the amount authority that the president has, but the country has changed drastically since the constitution was first created. For the country and the citizens to be protected the President’s authority should be kept.

Anonymous said...

With each new Presidency, the needs of the country evolve and the expectations of the new President change. How a President should lead our nation directly reflects the times and the current state of the world and the United States. If Theodore Roosevelt ruled the country today exactly how he did back when he was in office he would be doing it wrong. Because every move the President makes should not be guided by a certain 'model' of Presidency or past President they admire, but the current needs of the nation, it's a great thing that different 'models' of Presidency have been born over the years. As long as the President keeps his powers within his Constitution rights, what his style of Presidency is is simply irrelevant. The President should rule "...in whatever manner...necessary..."(215) in order to leave the Office with America in better shape than it was before, setting it up for success in the future. The only way a President could have 'too much power' is if they exceed the bounds of the Constitution.
Catherine G

Alienor R said...

I believe that the modern role of the president is too powerful. Currently in office is President Obama. He personifies the concept of the stewardship model with his power. The stewardship model is "a theory of robust, broad presidential powers; the idea that the president is only limited by explicit restriction in the Constitution" (pg 215). This mindset of power, I believe can be dangerous. It strays from the original ideals of the founders. With too much power, a the concept of a democratic republic diminishes.

Anonymous said...

I believe the current role the president has is not too powerful. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). Many of the core values and policies are still in today’s community. With the responsibility of the whole United States in his hands he would have to have a lot of power but nothing to be considered to powerful.

Anonymous said...

Given the period in time in which we are today, the president has not gained too much power. As the role of the United States has changed, as well as the expectations of the presidency, the roles of the president and therefore his powers should have changed as well. The United States has changed dramatically since when the constitution was written. It has grown into a superpower that other nations have come to rely on when a crisis develops, one that gives financial and defensive aid to those who deserve it. The president also has more expected of him. He is expected to provide care for those who need it (though lately it has come to those who ask for it), and still provide protection from foreign and domestic enemies. Of course the president does not have too much power, given what is expected of him, these are powers he should have.

Anonymous said...

Since the constitution was written america has developed into one of the strongest nations in the world. america is always the first one looked upon when a global issue arises. it has been that way for quite some time now. the presidents role is to keep americans happy and keep the nation running correctly(obviously). The president power however has reached further than just a political point of view. The presidents power and influence has reached television and internet which can change the views of americans so much more(especially uneducated ones). The president power is always in a fine balance between overbearing and too soft, which keeps him on his toes most of the time which is good. In the end i think the president’s power isn’t too much and he keeps a good balance for america.

Brian G

Anonymous said...

The Presidential model is not too powerful, nor is it harming the original beliefs that this country was found on. In fact, with all of the developments to the Office of President, the foundations of the country have become even stronger and more apparent. The additions of political advisors and expanded role of the vice president allow the president to make rational decisions with the utmost support and advice. Also, by accepting more opinions, the people of the nation have a better chance of having their ideas voiced. The stewardship has uplifted and improved this nation by providing a stronger base to make decisions that will benefit the citizens of the United States. It opens new opportunities to find ways to polish our systems and beliefs, and as Theodore Roosevelt said, “all [is] possible except what [is] prohibited.” This quotation displays the stewardship model’s mentality that pushes our nation to excel and always look for ways to improve.

Anonymous said...

I believe that modern presidential power is not too powerful, nor is it changing the nature of American democracy. The president is heavily restricted by congress, needing their help to do almost everything. Also, America has changed since the first president and the constitution. In order to maintain our stature as one of the world's leading superpowers, we need a strong, authoritative leader to make executive decisions. The president's power is in no way endangering the Founders' vision for our country because in today's world he must be powerful to be an effective leader.

Anonymous said...

The President does not have too power unless he asserts himself as a tyrant. An example of an assertive president is Theodore Roosevelt, he was what is called a stewardship model of a president. This means that he does anything “except what was strictly forbidden in the Constitution” (215), so he has much more power than any past presidents. The reason he he was able to do that was because he had the peoples best interest at heart. The President can have assertive power but only if the country is in need of a leader with this kind of power.

Kenzie B said...

According to our textbook, "Theodore Roosevelt held firmly to a new view of presidential powers, one with no restrictions on presidential authority except what was strictly forbidden in the constitution." This idea is referred to as a Stewrdship model of presidential power. I agree with Theodore Roosevelt. I believe that a president should only be restricted by what is strictly stated in the constitution. A president should try to make leave their mark in whatever way they can.

Anonymous said...

Presidential power needs to be expanded. Because of the recent recession and deficit, many expect the President to fix it all with one move. The President, however, does not have enough authority to make any kind of decision alone that can get the country to a safer place. The President is not allowed enough authority to make his own decisions. "Since the very beginning, presidents have relied on their staff" (216). I think that the President needs to gain more authority and stop depending on his staff.

Anonymous said...

The President does not have too much power because he is extremely restricted by the Congress while in Office. There are different attitudes that Presidents take towards this restriction, for example, Theodore Roosevelt was known to be a very agressive President and therefore did everything except what was "strictly forbidden in the Constitution. If he ruled today, he would be doing it very wrong, because nowadays models are somewhat irrelevant. Because the intention of the President should be to serve and improve the country and its people.

Christian H

Anonymous said...

As American culture has changed and evolved, so should our views of the Executive Office. The President should not be limited by documents made in the 1800’s because our society is constantly developing and getting better. "Presidents are expected to lead the nation. They must come up with innovative solutions to our problems, give aid and comfort to American citizens in times of need, maintain a healthy and growing economy, and protect our nation from foreign and domestic threats" (216). As one of the leaders in growing technology, the United States needs to keep up to date with how our government runs and how we can improve our flaws. That being said, I believe that the President shouldn’t be limited by our Founding Fathers vision of the country, because they would have never imagined America becoming what it is today.

-Reeve Reinsborough