Constraints on presidential power

Because of the vast array of presiden­tial roles and responsibilities, cou­pled with a conspicuous presence on the national and international scene, political analysts have tended to place great emphasis on the presi­dent's powers. Some have even spo­ken of the "the imperial presidency," referring to the expanded role of the office that Franklin D. Roosevelt maintained during his term.

One of the first sobering realities a new president discovers is an inherit­ed bureaucratic structure that can be difficult to manage and slow to change direction. The president's power to appoint extends only to some 3,000 people out of a civilian government work force of about 3 million.

The president finds that the machin­ery of government often operates independently of presidential interventions, has done so through earlier administrations, and will continue to do so in the future. New presidents are immediately confronted with a backlog of decisions from the outgo­ing administration. They inherit abudget formulated and enacted into law long before they came to office, as well as major spending programs (such as veterans' benefits, Social Security payments, and Medicare health insurance for the elderly), which are mandated by law. In for­eign affairs, presidents must conform with treaties and informal agree­ments negotiated by their predeces­sors in office.

As the happy euphoria of the post­election "honeymoon" dissipates, the new president discovers that Congress has become less coopera­tive and the media more critical. The president is forced to build at least temporary alliances among diverse, often antagonistic interests—eco­nomic, geographic, ethnic, and ideo­logical. Compromises with Congress must be struck if any legislation is to be adopted. "It is very easy to defeat a bill in Congress," lamented Presi­dent John F. Kennedy. "It is much more difficult to pass one."

Despite these constraints, every president achieves at least some of his legislative goals and prevents by veto the enactment of other laws he believes not to be in the nation's best interests. The president's authority in the conduct of war and peace, including the negotiation of treaties, is substantial. Moreover, the presi­dent can use his unique position to articulate ideas and advocate poli­cies, which then have a better chance of entering the public con­sciousness than those held by his political rivals. President Theodore Roosevelt called this aspect of the presidency "the bully pulpit," for when a president raises an issue, it inevitably becomes subject to public debate. A president's power and influence may be limited, but they are also greater than those of any other American, in or out of office.