To what extent is POTUS

able to carry out his

Presidential powers

unimpeded?

Pers

uasio

n

The classic definition of Presidential power in the United

States is that of political scientist Richard Neustadt.

Writing in the 1970s, he described presidential power in

the United States as "not the power to command, but

the power to persuade."

The

powe

r to

conv

ene

Cong

ress

. The President can call both houses of

Congress together in times of national crisis.

Once a year the President speaks to Congress

and the nation directly with his State of the

Union speech. This outlines the President’s

plans for the year ahead. The President can use the State of the Union

address to go over the heads of Congress and,

hopefully, win public support for his plans.

President-elect Barack Obama walks to the podium for his Inauguration as the 44th President at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2009

On the way to his inaugural ball. Many have commented on Obama’s relationship with his wife as a major factor in his retaining public support.

Chec

ks a

nd

Bala

nces

America’s founding fathers were

anxious to prevent any one person

becoming over powerful. This is why they set up a system of

separation of powers between the

Executive (President), the Legislature

(Congress) and Judiciary (Supreme

Court). This is usually referred to as

“checks and balances”.

President Obama meets with the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition in the State Dining Room on Feb. 10, 2009

This is a group of conservative democrats from the House of Representatives. This means that they lean towards the right and could vote against Obama on key economic decisions. It is important for him to keep them on his side.

Aboard Air Force One, a closeup of the President’s signature on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which he had just signed in Denver, on Feb. 17, 2009

On Sunday night, March 29, 2009, aides listen to a speaker phone as the President made calls to alert officials about his plan to set deadlines for General Motors and Chrysler overhauls that were to be announced the next day.

President Obama greets Sonia Sotomayor prior to her Investiture as an Associate Justice at the U.S. Supreme Court, Sept. 8, 2009.

Affor

dabl

e Ca

re

Act

Obama had promised to reform the American healthcare system prior to

his election 2008. This is a controversial and

dividing issue within American politics.

In order to pass legislation

through Congress Obama

would need support from the

House of Representatives,

Congress and also approval

from the Supreme Court.

The President works on his health care speech with his chief speechwriter, Jon Favreau, in the Oval Office, Sept. 9, 2009.

The Healthcare bill itself was amended many times as it passed through the House of Representatives and Congress in order to gain votes for it Congressmen and women who otherwise would vote against it.

This was the night, Jan. 20, 2010, after the special election in Massachusetts, when Republican Scott Brown had unexpectedly won the Senate seat belonging to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Brown's election deprived the Democrats of 60 votes in the Senate, putting in jeopardy the passage of healthcare reform, a sentiment that you can see on the faces of the President and his aides.

After dinner with his family on March 19, 2009, the President works the phone in the Oval Office to continue pressing Congressmen to vote for the health care reform bill.

The Stupak-Pitts amendment was proposed by a Democrat and Republican Senator and proposed to stop any federal

spending on abortions.

Obama needed the votes of the Senators in support of this

amendment in order to pass the ACA.

In the end it was not included in the final Act, however Obama

signed an Executive Order which added this amendment

and so gained the votes needed, but it was also seen that he had

to compromise to get them.

The President, Vice President and senior staff applaud after watching on television the House vote on H.R. 4872 for health care reform, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, March 21, 2010

Celebrating after finding out that the Supreme Court had not declared the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. Had this challenge been successful ‘Obamacare’ would have had to have been repealed.

Budg

et

The President is reponsible

for putting the budget before Congress for approval. Without approval the

system grids to a halt. In 2011 with a Republican

controlled House of Representatives Obama had to work with the Republicans and make concessions in order to pass the budget.

President Obama talks with Rep. Eric Cantor, the Republican Whip, after a meeting with bipartisan Congressional leadership in the Oval Office Private Dining Room, Nov. 30, 2010.

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner talk in the Oval Office following a late night meeting on the budget, April 6, 2011.

After the President and Congress finally agreed on a bill to keep the government from shutting down, the President decided to make an unannounced stop to thank tourists for visiting the Lincoln Memorial the following day, April 9, 2011. The Memorial and other monuments and national parks in Washington and across the country would have been forced to close had they not come to an agreement. Here, the President greets a surprised young girl as other tourists in the background snap pictures of their chance encounter with the President.

Com

man

der i

n Ch

ief

It is perhaps in foreign policy that the President’s powers are strongest. The President becomes the Commander in Chief of the US military, the most powerful force in the world, the moment he is sworn into office.

Only Congress can declare war. But, the “Commander in Chief” can initiate military action abroad without a formal declaration of war.

The President can also make treaties with other countries (subject to 2/3 of the Senate agreeing).

"This was a difficult day for the President, shown here in the Oval Office on June 23, 2010, after he had made the decision to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal with Gen. David Petraeus as the Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.

The President and his national security team were gathered in the Situation Room to discuss the developing events in Egypt on Feb. 1, 2011. An aide rushed in to say that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was making a live televised statement, so the feed was patched in so everyone could watch Mubarak. In the midst of days of protests calling for his ouster, Mubarak in this statement said he would step down at the end of his term

"The President gives the final authorization for the armed forces of the United States to begin a limited military action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians during a conference call in Brazil, March 19, 2011.

President Barack Obama edits his remarks in the Outer Oval Office prior to making a televised statement detailing the mission against Osama bin Laden, May 1, 2011. Vice President Biden, Press Secretary Jay Carney and are also pictured

• The President and First Lady greet troops following remarks to mark the end of America’s war in Iraq, at Pope Army Airfield, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Dec. 14, 2011.

Fore

ign

Affai

rs

The President and First Lady wait for Indian Prime Minister Singh’s motorcade to depart the White House at the conclusion of the first official state dinner for the Obama administration, Nov. 24, 2009.

Obama starts his term of office with a tour around the Middle East in an

attempt to extend a hand of friendship and diplomacy. Here he visits the Blue Mosque in Turkey.

Obama and the US play a key role in improving relations between Israel and Palestine.

Visiting Moscow

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev talk over lunch during an unannounced trip to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Va., June 24, 2010.

President Obama talks with Prime Minster of India Manmohan Singh during a the State Dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, in New Dehli, India, Nov. 8, 2010.

Visiting the Great Buddha of Kamakura, in Japan, the President had a green tea ice cream bar with his hosts, Nov. 14, 2010.

Late at night in the Treaty Room office in the White House residence, Nov. 23, 2010, the President talks on the phone with President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea after North Korea had conducted an artillery attack against the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.

The President, the First Lady and President Hu Jintao of China descend the Grand Staircase of the White House before a formal State Dinner, Jan. 19, 2011.

Visiting the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro

After a meeting with Eurozone leaders adjacent to the G20 Summit in Cannes, France, the President gave encouragement to German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they departed the meeting, Nov. 3, 2011

President Obama meets with Eurozone leaders on the Laurel Cabin patio during the G8 Summit at Camp David, Md., May 19, 2012

Obam

a’s fi

rst

term

of o

ffice

What we do know is that Obama’s

first term has been a historic one:

the first African American to hold

the county’s highest office,

Obama and his Administration

have battled a recession, passed

health care reform and legislation

to end the military’s “Don’t ask,

don’t tell” policy, formally ended

the war in Iraq and brought

Osama bin Laden to justiceRead more: http://lightbox.time.com/2012/10/

08/pete-souza-portrait-of-a-presid

ency/#ixzz2ETZt57C2

Conclusion• The role of the President is undoubtedly an influential and busy role.• Obama has to successfully deal with the expectations of those who voted

for him and also the reality of political life.• In order to successfully govern he must be able to maintain good relations

with the Republican party, particularly when they control the House of Representatives. The stalemates that developed after the 2010 mid-Term elections over the budget showed how easily the system can grind to a halt when there is no consensus. As the leader the President must be able to ‘persuade’ and influence people in order to keep the Federal Government effective. Obama has managed to achieve this to a certain extent. He has managed to pass key legislation to deal with the recession as well as passing Healthcare reform, and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not easy tasks given the many challenges he has faced to do this.