Differences: Similarities Between The Presidency And The Constitution

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1. The modern presidency has much more power than the one outlined in the constitution. There is argument as to whether or not this power derives from government itself, or from public perception. The notion is that the president is more powerful than the other branches of government, mainly the congress, and therefore has supremacy. However, in the constitution at least, this is not the case. Congress is the one that has the power to create and pass laws, while the president has no such power. In modern times, the perception is that the president has more power than the congress, and in some ways this is true. This can be seen in the rhetoric during the race for president. Candidates promise to implement many policies, but this all relies on Congress. …show more content…

Candidates still use their rhetoric, and the concept of presidential supremacy, in order to get themselves elected. Because of the public perception of power, once a president is in office, they have some more power than is outlined in the constitution. They can put pressure on congress to pass certain laws, while not having any actual power to do so. The president became the center of political life, and therefore is able to force the congress to follow his lead. Woodrow Wilson believed this, that the president should be the strongest figure in the government. The president being the strongest person in the government was made possible by two world wars and the Great Depression. The citizens of the US turned to the president for leadership to get out of those situations, and therefore gave him the power to impose his will over

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