Jeison Whipple: The Presidency

Many Presidents over the years have shown greatness through their leadership. Each has shown this in their individual way. It takes the ability to deal with whatever may come up, as far as politics are concerned, and handle it with care. Also it takes making a difference in society instead of just settling for the United States being ok as it is. The extra step that some take, separates the normal from the great. Lyndon B. Johnson was one of the Presidents who stood out by taking the extra step. LBJ showed presidential greatness through passing groundbreaking legislation and improving society.

When considering the options for leadership today, it is easy to wish that more intelligent and educated people would attempt to run instead. However, getting into politics is and should be a choice. When one looks at photos of an American president before his term began and compares it to photos of the president after his term ended, there are almost always far more gray hairs and wrinkles on his face at the end of the term. Leading a country cannot be an easy job, and if one is to run, one should be aware of the repercussions. A scholar could

     Through out the course of history, America has seen great Presidents. These men all exhibited characteristics which helped them to be successful in their endeavor to become the nations leader. Among those characteristics are traits such as being a good spokesperson or leader and being fair towards all which makes for a good President.

What makes a great president? Being the President of the United States is one of the most difficult positions to be in. And throughout history there has been presidents who faced crisis and made society a better place, and then there were some who did not live up to their greatest opportunities. Gerald R. Ford was the 38th President of the United States of America and was considered below average in all aspects of his presidency including relations with foreign affairs, the economy and social/political cases in our country. In fact, according to scores based on Fields of History, Law and Politics, he was ranked as below average. This proves that he was not worthy compared to the levels of presidents before his time.

Presidential Leadership and the Electoral College. Americans expect their presidents to get things done, to

Being in charge of a nation is never easy no matter how much experience or prepared one is, issues are always going to arise whether it be political,

Any American president should not just stay languid to the job s/he is assigned to do. The American system may be fine but it is not perfect in any way. So the key role of the President is to try and fix this. Talking about which, I would like to point out some of the key sectors like education, health, energy and safety where the country needs a lot of

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

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.

The presidency of the United Sates of America has been an evolving office since the term of our first president, George Washington. This evolution has occurred because of the changing times and the evolution of society itself, but also because of the actions of the men who have become president. Starting in the 20th century, most have referred to the presidency as the modern presidency due to changes in both a president's power and the way that the office itself is viewed. As the office of the president has evolved so has who can become president evolved. Yet, even today there are certain individuals who because of their gender or race have yet to hold the office of the presidency. The men that

“Of all the qualities required of a president of the United States – vision, character, charisma, credentials, leadership, political skill, and so on – the one indispensable trait is a relentless hunger for the job. Phil Gramm has it” (Burka). As shown by his campaign and the results therefrom, this did not prove true.

Because of their positions in the government and their resulting influential abilities, presidents are either praised for advancing the nation, criticized for not doing anything to help the country, or even making the country’s situation worse. Their success as president is dependent on the success of the country. People don’t take into consideration the attempts presidents make, but only those things that help or hurt the country. This leaves room for there to be a good president who may not accomplish much and a bad president who may accomplish a lot.

It takes more to being a president than simply smiling for photos and signing executive orders that get struck down in court almost immediately afterwards.

I wouldn’t say the president is set up in most situations for failure however there are many instances in which the president makes a tough choice or find himself in a lose lose kind of situation so to speak. There are the 10 paradoxes that I will refer to in this essay that state some of the wants and needs of the citizen however, complaining about too much power instilled in one person. The first paradox that I will refer to is number eight on the list and number one in my opinion of importance. For example, number eight on the list states “What it takes to become president may not be what is needed to govern the nation.” By this I mean charming United States, winning certain states, or telling the people what they want to hear. Charm does not run the

They have to learn all the letters, the sounds of those letters, and how those letters form words. These skills take president over other skills like making the letters out of other