President Obama's Use Of Informal Power

Executive - Mainly used by the President, this power enforces the law. This power also grants the ability to veto the proposal for a law, appoint federal posts, negotiate foreign treaties, appoint federal judges, and grant pardons for a crime.

The Framers of the Constitution intended Congress to be the most important institution (McKay, 2013:161) thereby “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives” (Article 1, Section 1). The Framers bestowed both houses with significant powers, namely the power of the purse, executive oversight and investigation, and the exclusive power to declare war (Baritono, 2014:4). On the other hand, the President is vested with executive power, responsible for faithfully executing laws (Article II, Section 3). As the chief executive, commander-in-chief, and chief diplomat, the President has the power to make treaties and to nominate and appoint federal positions (Article II, Section 2). With regards to legislative power, presidents are chief legislators. According to the Constitution, presidents have the

The president has the power to sign bills into laws. The president also has the power to veto laws and send them back to the house. If a disagreement between the house and executive branch, the president has the authority. The president may also appoint or remove justices from their seats if needed.

The powers of the president have long been debated in our country, starting at the founding and continuing to now. How much power should the president be given? How much is too much power? All these questions have been explored numerous times by numerous people. In our Constitution, the President is given expressed, inherent, and delegated powers. These powers have been used by Presidents in many different ways. The study of the way Presidents use these powers is explored in the book by Richard Neustadt: “Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan”. Neustadt discusses how modern presidents wield

In the constitution it states that the Presidents purpose is; to be chief of state, chief executive, chief administrator, chief diplomat, commander in chief, chief legislature, party chief, and chief citizen (The presidents job description). As the chief of legislature, one of the presidents duties is to not only review bills being proposed by congress, and occasionally say they must be revised but to also enact laws affecting the people of the United States immediately, rather than wait for them to move up through the many levels and debates of congress. For this, he can use the power of an executive order, a constitutional way to provide laws that relate to national welfare or the good of the citizens. A few good example of this would be executive order 13767, which moves for additional border security on the United States southern border, and executive

Article ll of the United States Constitution gives the executive branch very broad powers. Many Presidents throughout history have interpreted that differently. They may think that they are able to sign bills into law directly, take military action, etc. One example of this use of power was Abraham Lincoln. We see examples of this in the Emancipation Proclamation and the suspension of habeas corpus.

It is ambiguous as to how President Barrack Obama shapes our politics in terms of our political regime, but it can be determined through the present outcomes of his leadership today. In The Politics Presidents Make, by Stephen Skowronek, describes that there is a life-cycle of inaugurated presidents through the history of the United States. A political regime is defined as a full cycle of presidents that induce change in our politics until it is repeated again. Through this, it is possible to determine where President Obama would stand in our political time. Skowronek also mentions four leadership categories in which past presidents are placed in: politics of reconstruction, politics of disjunction, politics of

The President also has the power to appoint about 700 positions in the executive branch. While the Senate must legally concur, it almost never vetoes a presidential appointment. In addition, unofficial, yet very significant, presidential powers include: the power to initiate legislation and the general direction of foreign policy; access to sensitive information and intelligence; and unmatched media coverage, which allows whoever is in the White House to explain his motives and communicate with the public. As a counterweight to the President, Congress has the potentially huge "power of the purse", and must approve all government expenditures. It exercises this power most frequently in matters of foreign trade, and has long been a key

Throughout the course of American history, executive power has grown due to the increasing use of executive orders among presidents. Executive orders, also known as unilateral powers, allow a president to act on their own and overstep the process of a bill passing through the House and the Senate. As an

The president also has the power Veto laws passed by congress. The president has the power to make political appointment and negotiate treaties with foreign countries, however this power also requires the approval of the senate. The President is responsible for making a for appointing his cabinet and federal judges. The president is capable of calling congress in session and the power to adjourn congress.

During his first year of presidency he focused on fixing areas of the government President Bush failed to properly oversee; one being aspects of Bush’s war on terrorism. Obama began his destruction with the CIA; in regards to interrogation tactics, Obama dispelled secret memos hidden by the Bush administration, causing much controversy in the government. This incident brought much attention to other faults that occurred during the previous presidents reign.

The President’s formal powers, as found in Article II of the U.S. Constitution, begins with Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. This was the first power listed, signifying the prominence placed on keeping the country secure and safe, especially from foreign invasion. The next formal power of the President is the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States. An example of said power would be, President Gerald Ford pardoning Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal and the President ordering a reprieve or delay in the case of a person on death row until their case can be heard by a higher court. The President also has the power to make Treaties, with Senate approval, and to appoint Ambassadors and Supreme Court Judges, again, with Senate confirmation.

The president also has the power of assigning the federal judges, and when to call Congress into session. Likewise, the president has the power to either sign or veto a piece of legislation from Congress.

He oversees the idea that all laws must be abided by equally. He appoints all federal judges and he appoints, removes, and supervises all executive officers. The president is limited though because all appointed the Senate must approve officers. The last expressed power the president has is his legislative power. Delivering a "State of Union" falls under this responsibility. He also has the power to veto, or turn down acts of Congress. When a pocket veto comes into play, Congress doesn't have the ability to overrule the veto. This is done when the president doesn’t sign something in a matter of ten days. A part of the legislative power that isn’t listed in the Constitution is the legislative initiative. This is where the president can bring a legislative agenda to the attention of the Congress. The executive order also falls under this power. This is a rule that has the effect and formal status of a legislation but is drawn up by the president.

Another very notable role of the President also outlined in Article II. Section 2. of the Constitution and reads, “He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court(http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html). It essentially gives the President power to make treaties with foreign nations however, two-thirds of Congress must be in agreement with the decision. Although the President, or the Executive Branch can be interpreted as the most authoritative arm of government, its powers are still limited and restricted by the process of checks and balances. Each branch of government has some governance over the other two divisions. For instance, just as it is outlined above, the President can nominate Ambassadors and Judges of the Supreme Court but the decision must be upheld by Congress. In other words, under the "Advice and Consent clause the appointed member must be sworn in by the Senate. Again, this is an example of how the system of checks and balances limits the powers of the President.