![]() ![]() Although largely ceremonial, the role of chief of state makes an important statement to the world and the nation about the president as a leader. Over the last 25 years, American troops have fought in Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Haiti, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.Īcting as chief of state is a president's most visible function, whether meeting the heads of other countries, welcoming astronauts or college football champions to the White House, or opening the Olympic Games. As noted previously, presidents have shown no hesitation in filling this role by sending American forces to trouble spots around the world as an instrument of foreign policy. The president is the highest-ranking officer in the armed services. Ronald Reagan, on the other hand, saw government as the problem, not the solution to the nation's problems. His Great Society, the domestic program that included the War on Poverty and Medicare, reflected this concern. Lyndon Johnson believed the government had a responsibility to help the disadvantaged. Presidents also differ on their conception of the role of the federal government. However, many scholars feel that clerkship presidents such as James Buchanan and Herbert Hoover did not move aggressively enough to deal with crises during their administrations. They are much more careful about exceeding their constitutional authority and often believe in a limited government. "Chief clerk" presidents, on the other hand, take a more passive approach to the job. Both Andrew Jackson and Franklin Roosevelt tried to intimidate the Supreme Court, some say successfully, after a majority of justices ruled against them. For example, Abraham Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus during the Civil War. Of course, when presidents view themselves as policymakers, they sometimes are impatient with constitutional limitations on executive activity. Scholars usually praise presidents who follow this model, because it results in ambitious policy programs that (for good or ill) leave a strong mark on American government. They consider themselves representatives of all the people, put in place to pursue a political agenda by using their inherent powers. Modern presidents usually take a leadership approach to their job. For example, the State of the Union was not delivered as a speech until the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. How a president carries out these functions depends on his personality, as well as on his view of the presidency and the role of government. While the Constitution mentions several of these duties, others have evolved over time. The president is expected to perform a number of duties as part of the office. The First Amendment: Freedom of the Press.The First Amendment: Freedom of Religion.Getting Nominated and Campaigning for Office.The Strengths and Weaknesses of Political Parties.The Structure of the Mass Media and Government Regulation. ![]()
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