Most Americans seem to think that the President of the United States initiates all policies, writes all laws and generally decides what’s going to happen in our country on a day-to-day basis! But according to the Constitution, that is far from the truth. Without doubt, the president has gained more power than what our nation’s founders envisioned. Fortunately, other branches of the Federal government keep the president in check. Let’s examine presidential power and its limitations.
INSTRUCTIONS
For this 3-to-5-page (double spaced) paper, focus on how you think the president could use his or her powers to address a public policy issue — either the issue you wrote about for your first paper, or another one. What do you think should change with regards to your issue? Make sure to refer directly to Chap. 5 in the Barbour book, especially for definitions and explanations of key ideas and concepts.
Structure your paper this way:
Use chapter 5 in the AmGov book to first establish what is presidential power by addressing the following:
Pick 2 or 3 of the presidential powers listed in Chapter 5 of the book. How could the president could use those powers to bring about change your issue area?
Also, select at least 2 of the president’s political resources as discussed in Chapter 5, and explain how they may give a president more power to bring about the change you’re interested in.
Research articles and/or find 4 sources to use in addition to the AmGov book to answer the following questions:
How could the president use his or her powers to make a change in the policy area you are writing about? How does the president make use of the Federal
Bureaucracy? (Think: cabinet appointments and Executive Orders.)
What would it take for the president to lead the Legislative Branch towards making change regarding your issue?
Could the president use any of his or her powers to influence the Judicial Branch in order to bring about the changes you seek?
Conclude by answering this question using the book and/or articles from your research:
What do you think limits presidential power? Think about how the powers of the other branches limit the powers of the president, or how the public reacts to a president’s ideas. What about the media?
Notes: You’ll be citing the textbook and 4 or more articles that you choose to help you develop your paper. Look for articles about the presidency that can
help you to support the claims you make. Be sure to give full citations for all sources other than Barbour.
Sample Solution