Presidentail Power The State of the Union Speech Essays

Overseeing the action of the armed forces, appointing treaties to be drafted, managing national affairs and being a figurehead for a great nation all imply that the individual holding the title of President has a great amount of power at their disposal. There are those indviduals who automatically come to mind talking about the President, people like JFK, FDR and Abraham Lincoln, people who left a profound impact on the nation. Then there are the back burner Presidents who do not come to mind at all, individuals like Franklin Pierce and Benjamin Harrison, who did not seem to have anything significant happen during their time as president. Some Presidents seem to have been incredibly powerful while others appear t be there just a†¦show more content†¦In order to this, the President has to be able to balance the different interests of each group and be able to persuade them, not command them, to do what he wants or else it looks like weakness (Ellington). When FDR created the Works Progress Administration that gave jobs back to Americans, it was agreed upon and funded by Congress (Leuchtenburg). His ability to persuade them into taking that route to help the American public made him look more powerful in the eyes of the people because he was able to get his way and help them. This was in complete contrast to the time when Woodrow Wilson was unable to convince the Majority of Congress to ratify the treaty of Versailles because he was unwilling to compromise (Versailles). This in turn led to the Democrats losing the next election, a clear example of the loss of power. The ability of the President to be able to persuade other members of the government to pass plans that they come up with is one that clearly demonstrates their power and can make them seem even more powerful if they are able to successfully do it. Public opinion of a President affects how powerful they appear at the time. Some Presidents, like Ronald Regan were liked by a good number of people which helps them get more power because they had the support of the public. There is never a guarantee that one hundred percent of the people will like them, but a lot of people did like Regan during his presidency.