The Roles of the President
The formal powers and duties of the executive branch are outlined in Article II of the
Constitution. Compared to the legislative branch, the president’s role is laid out very
briefly in the Constitution; however, the era of the modern presidency – since the 1930s
– has greatly expanded the breadth of the office, thereby creating a new set of informal
tools of power that have evolved through history and tradition. As a result, the
constitutional, ideological, and political elements of the presidency have made the office
vastly more powerful than its historical predecessors. Among the most important powers
of the presidency are the following.
Chief of the Federal Bureaucracy
One of the constitutional powers of the president is to manage the wide variety of
departments and agencies that comprise the modern bureaucracy, including nearly
three million civilian employees who enforce federal laws. The president also has the
power, with the approval of the Senate, to appoint individuals for federal judgeships and
senior-level executive posts. This process can often be highly political and controversial,
particularly concerning department secretary and Supreme Court nominees.
Chief Diplomat
Although the Constitution does not explicitly grant presidents the power to recognize
foreign governments, it is generally accepted that they have this power through their
ability to “send and receive ambassadors.” Because the acts of sending an ambassador
to a country and receiving its representative imply recognition of the legitimacy of the
foreign government involved, presidents have successfully claimed exclusive authority
to decide which foreign governments will be recognized by the United States. It follows,
then, that they have the power to terminate diplomatic relations with nations as well.
Chief of Party
The president is automatically the chief of his party—the leader of the political party that
controls the executive branch. Political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution, but
they are an important part of presidential governing. Presidents help members of their
party get elected or appointed to office, make campaign speeches for members’
reelections, oversee fundraising for the party, and select the party’s national
chairperson. The president can also exercise political patronage by rewarding those
who support him and his party during the election.
Commander in Chief
Reflecting the Founding Fathers’ consensus that the nation's highest civilian officer
should lead the military, the Constitution states that the president “shall be Commander
in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several
States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.” However, the
Constitution does not give the president complete domination over the war-making
function. The power to declare war is reserved for Congress, as is the ability to raise
and maintain an army. Nevertheless, presidential use of the power to order U.S. forces
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into combat without a congressional declaration of war increased greatly during the
twentieth century.
Chief Legislator
As chief legislator, the president shapes public policy. The Constitution says little about
the president's role in legislating (by deferring this duty to Congress), yet the
relationship between Congress and the executive is one of the most critical aspects of
making public policy. The president can gather information from the bureaucracy,
present a legislative agenda to Congress in his annual State of the Union address, and
appeal directly to the American public for support of his programs. The president may
suggest, request, and insist that Congress enact laws he believes are needed. He can
attempt to influence Congress through promises of patronage and favors. Presidents
formally and informally communicate with members through private meetings, parties,
and phone calls. And, of course, when the president receives legislation from Congress
he can decide whether to sign or veto it.
Instructions
For this assessment, you will provide examples of presidents who have exercised their
authority in each of the roles described above. For each role you will need to describe:
1) the president and the role, 2) how successful or unsuccessful the president was, 3)
what the consequences of his actions were, and 4) how the decisions he made in this
particular role impacted (or may impact) his legacy. Be sure to select a different
president for each role.
To provide some clarity on the concept of legacy, the ways in which a president carries
out a particular role or roles affect how he will be viewed in the history books; hence, a
president’s legacy is largely a measure of how scholars (and the public) perceive his
most decisive and/or controversial actions, often years after he has left office. For
example, most believe that President George W. Bush’s legacy will be shaped in large
part by the decisions he made as commander in chief after the terrorist attacks on
September 11, 2001, and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.
There are numerous websites focusing on the presidency that can assist you in
completing this assessment. One helpful site can be found on the White House’s
“Presidents” website, which provides comprehensive information on the backgrounds,
tenures, and policies of the nation’s forty-four presidents.
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