Role Of The President As Executive example essay topic

I disagree with Stephen Hess' contention that modern President's are woefully miscast in the role of manager of the Executive Branch. The Office of The President in its infancy acted strictly as a Chief Executive, by enforcing Congressional legislation that had been passed into law. As the government continued to develop, The President took on more responsibility acting in the capacity as Chief Administrator; by initiating legislation through a top-down process. Today, the President has developed into a combination of the aforementioned roles. The President manages his White House staff, as well as the nation, in order to attain a less hectic, more structured, effective leadership. Constitutional empowerment, presidential character, and public expectations have always and will continue to shape the fundamental managerial role of President of The United States.

The blueprint of the Office of The Presidency can be traced back to 1777, when the state of New York passed their Constitution. The Constitution of the state of New York gave only the "Governor" ultimate executive power, stressed the importance of a strong chief executive, granted reprieves and pardons, as well as the establishment of the State of the Union address. The Final aspect of the NY Constitution found in the Constitution today, which clearly is a managerial task, is the power of the Presidential veto. By exercising this power, the President is clearly managing Congress, for if not in the best interest of the nation, it is the President's responsibility to block the legislation, and give constructive feedback to Congress, with hopes of seeing a revised edition before him as soon as possible. All of the aforementioned aspects of the New York state Constitution can be found in Article II of the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution is the building block for the President's role as Chief Executive.

Through the vesting clause of Article II- paragraph one- executive power is placed exclusively in the President's hands. Article II-Section authorizes the President. ".. to give Congress information of the State of The Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient", known commonly as the annual The State of the Union address. Through the State of the Union address the President demonstrates another important aspect of his managerial role: integration. The President has the power and ability to take information, no matter how large or small, from all aspects of the Federal Government and analyze, critique, and disseminate it accordingly. Lastly, Article II provides The President has the power to convene or adjourn both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Chief Executive's main responsibility was to enforce Congressional legislation, and to report back on laws he was enforcing. As the nation grew, so did the ambitions of the President. The election of Andrew Jackson to the Office of the President in 1829 marked the end of the Chief Executive era of the presidency, and the beginning of the Chief Administrator era of the presidency. President Jackson became the first President to appeal to the people. During his campaign some of his supporters voiced their distaste for the Bank of The United States. Once elected to office, President Jackson vetoed a bill to re-charter the national bank.

The veto established a standard that fortified the presidency. .".. A president should reject any bill that he felt would injure the nation". President Jackson rationalized his veto, because he believed the bank was unconstitutional and reckless. President Jackson also considered this action mandated by his party, the Jacksonian's. Therefore, he felt obligated to act on his constituent's behalf.

By firing the current Secretary of The Treasury and hiring a new one in 1832, President Jackson displayed one of the eldest managerial authorities. Also, beginning with the election of President Jackson public expectations became quite prominent in the gradual shifting of the nation's political system. Public expectations drive the President to hold the reigns of the role as manager even tighter. After the shift from Congressional controlled elections to popularly based elections, the voting population began to hold their elected officials at a higher standard than they had previously. Voters began to identify themselves with the growing national parties at this time. Voters identified with either one of two national parties.

The Jacksonian, lead by Andrew Jackson, or the Whig, established out of opposition to the Jacksonian party led by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster party at this time. Here party loyalty was born, and so was patronage. Out of the Chief Administrator era three systems were born; patronage, party allies, and partisan politics. The party-centered shifts within the nation allowed for the creation and interdependence of the three systems. The President was no longer just enforcing rules; he was now taking matters into his own hands, with the consent and support of his party. If the president was not able to get something done at a certain time, he was able to now go to one of the lower members of his party throughout Congress to have them work on the current situation.

In order to use a lower ranked member of his party, typically promises were made. More often than not promises of jobs were the most common, in exchange for the member's cooperation and dedication to his party. This bargaining strategy, which is exactly what it is, is a commonality among managers. Partisan politics allowed the President to start set his own agenda for the country because he could rely on his party allies throughout the various dark alleys of the government, to carry out "their" legislation. Those members of the party in power at that time, who did not play the patronage game eventually, lost their party's support and sometimes their job (s). "Persuasion is the lubricant of government... ". , as clearly evident in regards to favoritism, and patronage.

Even The President could lose his job for not fighting alongside of his party, until Theodore Roosevelt was elected President. The modern presidency was born out of the Progressive reforms of the late 19th century. Long gone was patronage and corrupt elections. Party politics and patronage began to diminish, and the notion of the President as a Manager came full circle. Political parties were no longer able to control elections by threatening and intimidating voters. The Australian ballot of 1888 ensured voter privacy and put an end to party intimidation on Election Day.

With the government printed ballot voters were no longer afraid to vote their conscious. Without their former scare tactics candidates began running on partisan platforms. No longer were campaigns centering round party identification. The Civil Service Reform ended all forms of patronage.

Named after Democratic Senator George Pendleton of Ohio, the Pendleton Act changed the civil service system and made a lasting impression on political parties. The legislation called for a merit based system, which grew as presidents inflated it in order to stop the opposing party dead in their tracks. By the time President T. Roosevelt took office in 1901 workers were more educated. Business's tarted recruiting for their workforces and political allies gave way to business allies. (Thank you capitalism.) To define the era of the President today is to combine the role of the President as Executive and as an Administrator. The authority of the office depends not only on the person in power, but on the person's interpretation of the Constitution.

President Washington managed the nation very specifically. With his strict interpretation of the Constitution, he faithfully executed what had been asked of him, as Commander-in-Chief, Political Leader, and Chief Executive. He left room for interpretation, but saw no need to interrupt the newly free, peaceful nation. He successfully managed, supervised, directed, however you want to phrase it, the nation from 1789-1797.

During his report to Congress on November 19, 1794, President Washington demonstrated his ability to effectively manage the government, as stated by William M. Goldsmith"; [he] clearly understood that a government which cannot enforce its laws is no government at all". Clearly, President Andrew Jackson managed the nation in a differently. By taking control of creating legislation, President Jackson identified problems plaguing the country, and tried to fix them, for example the National Bank. President Jackson clearly and effectively managed the country from 1829-1837, creating a proactive, party-centered legislative initiative. President Jackson, and every President up to President T. Roosevelt, believed their main job was to pass their party's platform. "The White House [became] the center for policy development in the executive...

". The formulation of the modern day presidency started with the election of President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was the first modern President to rely heavily on public appeals. President Roosevelt is well remembered for his personality and his fierce leadership.

He interpreted the Constitution loosely, in order to do "many things not previously done by the president and the heads of departments. I did not usurp power", he said, "but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power". As for the weight personality carried within the voting population, personality has attached to it an individualized style of authority. "But the special problem of the Presidency is that every President must break through the excessive deference whish is shown him by associates and subordinates and make clear that he wants plain speaking". The days of "my party" had vanished. Now Presidential candidates, because of the newest Presidential selection shift, are running on personal campaigns that started promises with "I will".

Presidential candidates were almost forced to make direct promises to the voting population about their platform including the smallest detail, with hopes of being elected to serve and make good on their promises. The public expectations were drastically heightened as they came to rest the hopes of their future on the shoulders of one man rather than on one branch or one government. The people's expectations of the President had finally become overwhelming. As stated in the 1937 Brownlow Committee's report, the President needed help, and quickly. The responsibilities of the Chief Executive had grown so cumbersome that had the President been a boat, it would be springing leaks everywhere. The size of the Cabinet and responsibilities of the Executive Branch over the past 150 years by Congress, were now creating various issues for the President and his ability to manage them all effectively.

The commission's report showed the need for the President to receive more staff to advise and assist him in order to attain a less hectic, more structured, effective leadership. In order to aide the President, Congress came through and provided a White House staff for him. The White House staff is a bureaucratic institution the President relies on, on a daily basis. His closest advisors are part of the White House Staff, and are typically connected on the outside to large blocks of constituents, either through lobbyists or Political Action Committee's (PAC). They help in formulating policy, legislative programs-like school vouchers, aiding in the preparation of the Budget and much more.

The White House staff has direct communication with The President, or at least their head boss does, and with the information given to the President by his staff; he is able to make informed, knowledgeable, and disciplined decisions for the betterment of The United States of America. Stephen Hess was wrong with his contention of The President being woefully miscast as a manager. The President has always been a manager. From the New York state Constitution in 1777, to the creation of the Constitution of The United States in 1787-1788, the President has always managed the nation. Beginning with the President acting as Chief Executive, enforcing Congressional legislation and reporting on it, to Chief Administrator engaging in the creation of legislation through a top-down-process, to finally, a combination of the two roles into known today as: Chief Executive.

Presidential power has always, and will continue to, function beyond the vaguely worded passages written within the Constitution. Today the President's power to veto legislation still serves as a strong influence over the Federal government. Aside from his role in the law-making process, the President exercises even more authority by issuing Executive Orders that are backed by the force of said laws. The President still supervises the implementation of laws by directing administrative agencies, such as the Department of Interior and the Department of Defense.

The President's responsibilities have remained the same since 1788, yet they have been added to with every newly elected President. Although the evolution of the Presidency is an interesting subject and I respect Professor Hess' opinion, it is clear to me that The Office of The President of The United States of America, has since its infancy, and will continue to be in the future, a strong, decisive, informed, position, in which only the most brilliant, motivated, and disciplined are able to manage.

Bibliography

1. The American Presidency Origins and Development. Sidney M. Milk is & Michael Nelson, Congressional Quarterly 1994.
pages 82,263,293.2. Organizing the Presidency, Stephen Hess. Brookings Institute 2002.
3. web 4. The Power of the Modern Presidency, Erwin C. Hargrove. Alfred A. Knopf, INC 1974, pg.