A Successful President

A good leader will simply just get the job done. A great leader will go beyond the expectations and set the standards for their successors. George Washington placed a high caliber for the title of president of the United States of America. In George Washington, The American Presidents Series: The 1st President, 1789-1797, James McGregor Burns and Susan Dunn explain Washington’s presidency, what he enforced, and what he had to deal with being the first president of a young nation. Having no predecessor, Washington had no one to look up to for the guidelines and had to set up the government from what he thought would work for the new nation. He would be the one establishing the ideals for a president. Burns and Dunn mediocrely exemplify Washington’s

The president of the United States serves as the symbolic leader of the nation and serves the government in a number of capacities. In addition, the Constitution explicitly grants the president of the United States with

The office of The Presidency, with which the “executive Power (of the State) shall be vested” (Constitutionus), is the highest ranked position in the United States. In addition to the power which resides with The Presidency, the office comes with great responsibility—the responsibility to protect and fight for the rights and life of each individual citizen within the United States. The position is a great burden; ordinary men cannot handle it. Nevertheless, the founders of the Constitution gave limited requirements for the position:

Being the leader of the free world is an accomplishment that citizens of the United States see as job with a vast amount of responsibility. Along with the responsibility comes great scrutiny. Presidents have come and gone, leaving a legacy that either creates a lasting memory of great leadership, or leaves a bad taste in the mouth of American voters. Leading the way in the land of the free is judged by three points: how the president chose to conduct themselves during controversial times, critical situations, and most importantly how they plan to help the citizens of the United States.

This expansion of executive authority represents the rule rather than the exception in American Politics. As a nation, we expect our president to do nothing less than solve all national problems and unite the country. Anything less is a failure. To match that responsibility Presidents must increase the rather limited power granted onto them by the constitution. This relationship forms the crux of the thus vicious cycle that has defined the Presidency: wherein expectation dictates expansion that in turn dictates more expectation. Presidents who refuse to act in this manner are regarded by history as mediocre and prompt the regime change discussed by Skowronek in his theory of Presidential leadership.

Since the Founding Fathers the United States has earned its ability to be called one of the most powerful countries in the world not only through its victories in numerous battles, but through it ability to govern its people and the world. The face of this country lies within its main leader, the president of the United States. Since our first president it has always been known as an honorary position reflecting both prestige and high status that has always been given by the American people because of their respect for the person in charge. It is a job like no other, one that holds an extreme amount of power.

This role is important because it helps represent the people of the United States. I believe this is extremely important because as many people know, information is always kept from citizens and in this role, it is the president’s job to let the people of the United States aware of certain situations through press conferences, broadcasts, and television. This is beneficial to citizens because the president speaks for the citizens and represents them when speaking with other countries and Congress. This role helps put the peoples’ interests first instead of having everyone do things their way and citizens having no say.

One way the President cannot live up to the expectations of Americans is the act of executive orders. Executive orders allow the President to implement policies directly to the agencies in the executive branch of government.

A President’s obligation to his country is to protect the people, by the people, for the people. Envision a nation without a strong and fearless leader, through thick and thin that withstands the nation’s crises beyond belief, whose only objective is to pursue national security. As we reflect on history, James Madison stands out as the antithesis of the attributes of a leader. In the early 19th century, President Washington had proposed a foreign policy of isolationism, abstaining from relations with other countries; in a state of crisis two subsequent President’s—Adams and Jefferson—had wisely pursued his principles. On the contrary, President James Madison (1809-1817) had irrationally shifted the American Foreign Policy from isolationism

Imagine for a moment being put in the president’s shoes and having to make a decision that affects the whole country. Imagine that the decision you made is not very popular and that you get criticized and scoffed at for it. During the term of each president, there are many difficult decisions that must be made. Making these types of decisions may be difficult, but they are necessary to the benefit of the country.

President is not only the representative of his party, but also the head of state. President represents his country and its people. As a chief diplomat of the country, he negotiates treaties with foreign countries, appoint ambassadors, and receive foreign ambassadors. President has also the power to erase the guilt, and restore the right of anyone convicted of a federal crime. Like wise he is also the Commander in chief of the Army and Navy and of the Militia of the several states. This allows

The President is the voice of the nation, defining who we as a people are and who we will become in the eyes of our allies and the rest of world. (Morone and Kersh 2013)Some presidents were loved and still hold much affection by the American people but accomplished very little while in the oval office. Others improved the economy and made the right decisions and are almost forgotten by history. So how does one achieve presidential greatness? I argue that a president must create a new “political order” in order to achieve greatness. In other words, he must create new institutions, interests, and ideas or reform the current institutions, interests and ideas that shape a political era. (Morone and Kersh 2013) .

Presidents look inward and upward to know what to do, and what makes up their inner beings, not their outer, are what really matter to the people they lead. Presidents have powerful motives, both personal and patriotic, that help them to commit to the highest office in our country even when their decisions are not popular. According to Thomas, (2012) we must try to remember that the most important decisions a President makes in a crisis, with the clock ticking, are lonely ones, and a wrong judgment about the enemy could mean destruction of thousands of lives. The Eisenhower and Kennedy presidencies in the mid-twentieth century can be evaluated to compare their effectiveness or ineffectiveness as president, contrast their leadership styles, and explain the importance of direct leadership of the President to the people of the United States.

In modern presidencies, increasing partisanship and political ideologies have become a critical component in a divided government, thus accentuating the hardship of modern presidents in cooperating Congress. In addition, the reforms to congressional powers and the adoption of new laws have bolstered Congress’ influence in the legislative arena, this in turn make it more difficult for the President to govern Congress in an already strained relationship.

President can convince Congress to work toward his policy goals. During your presidency, you must maintain a friendly relationship with congress by personally invite members of Congress to the White House events. You must be willing to compromise as well as cooperate if necessary. You mush develop your bargaining tactics by setting priorities.