StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Increasing Power of the President - Admission/Application Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In the paper “The Increasing Power of the President” the author discusses the lack of capability and willingness of Congress members to assist constituents in addressing the various challenges they are facing. Congress members are usually elected by their constituents…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.4% of users find it useful
The Increasing Power of the President
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Increasing Power of the President"

The Increasing Power of the President Elected officials have the power to act on behalf of the majority of the general public however citizens hold the capability to frequently approve or disapprove of their actions. In subtle the main institutions including congress and the presidency have responsibilities of representing the views of the citizens (Polsby 256-257). Political representation is the action of ensuring that the views grievances, interests and opinions of the citizens are aired and attended to by the concerned parties that entitled in establishing public policies and regulations. Political representation usually entails all politicians who are powered to speak, advocate and even take measures on behalf of the society (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Opinion polls show that majority of the Americans are losing faith in their elected officials in congress. According to the polls, most Americans are disappointed in the lack of capability and willingness of congress members to assist constituents in addressing the various challenges they are facing. Even though congress members are usually elected by their constituents so as to represent their interests and opinions in the public making policy this has not been the case. Instead of acting at the best interests of the majority of the constituents, the congress members have leaned toward acting to serve their selfish interests by both protecting and representing the interests of the few rich elite thus aggravating the already worse situation. Most Americans strongly support the idea of ensuring that democracy is applicable and practical in the United States by rallying behind the enforcement of term limits on both state and federal elected officials, particularly members of Congress. Ideally, congress members are either supposed to act as delegates and directly represent the views, interests or opinions or either act as trustees of their constituents and through their own judgment ensure that the laws passed serve the interests of their constituents (Kernell 212-227). The Trustee model maintains that representatives should be allowed to use their own judgment when making decisions on whether should support a particular bill or not irrespective of the view held by a majority of the voters. This therefore indicates that democracy is not essential here because democracy dictates that majority always wins. Therefore, this is a delicate situation especially because in most cases, the interests of the majority of the people are not represented and in addition, the elected officials may sometimes at their own selfish interests. On the other hand the Delegate model deem that elected officials are not given the option of using their own best judgment and are to vote strictly in line with the wishes and interests of majority of the voters. This therefore is likely to ensure that congress act as per the wishes of the voters or else they stand a chance of being kicked out during the election. In this case, there is usually constant communication between the constituents and their representatives therefore ensuring that the issues affecting the public are steadily addressed (Ritchie 136-271). Considering the fact that elections to elect congress members are done more frequently this helps in keeping congress in check. Congress therefore tends to work to present the best interests of their constituents by directly acting as their mouthpiece and representing their needs because they believe if they fail to do so then they have no chance in being reelected. This is contrary to the president who is usually elected once in every four years hence may consider not to represent the interests of the voters. Therefore giving the president more powers may plunge the country into crisis and result in dictatorship if people try to question his actions. Term limits help ensure serving congress members are held accountable by their actions when they face the electorate for reelection. However, the main challenge is to ensure that the people’s representatives unite and ensure that the right and effective policies are enacted. Supporters see Congress as a forum in which many interests compete for a spot on the policy agenda and over the form of a particular policy. Some observers feel that Congress is so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems. In a large democracy, the success of democratic government depends on the quality of representation. Congress usually bring into attention the needs and views of the constituents to ensure that they are attended to by the relevant authorities. These varying needs sometimes pit different sections of the country against each other, whether industrial versus agricultural, energy producing versus energy-consuming (Grant & Keohane 29-44). Congress provides the forum where the people's elected representatives can debate these conflicting positions and come up with solutions addressing the various challenges. There is also evidence to support the view that Congress is representative: Congress does try to listen to the American people; the election does make a difference in how votes turn out; which party are in power affects policies; linkage institutions do link voters to policymakers. If Congress is responsive to a multitude of interests and those interests desire government policies to aid them in some way, does the nature of Congress predispose it to continually increase the scope of the public sector Also, members of Congress often appear self-serving as they pursue their political careers and represent interests and reflect values that are controversial. Scandals, even when they involve a single member, add to the public's frustration with Congress and have contributed to the institution's low ratings in opinion polls. It is obvious that American people cannot govern themselves and therefore there is need to find a suitable way of electing their representatives who can do a decent job of governing on their behalf. This will mean that giving the people's representatives space, time, and freedom in which to take decisions, knowing that if they get them wrong, they will be punished by the voters. In twentieth-century America, the airy myths of agency democracy are precise. (Roberts et al. 22-26). To be precise the main responsibility of the congress is to serve their constituents by representing their needs and interests so that they can be addressed. Better service to constituents is therefore the key to reelection of the congress members. However the president does not usually represent the views and needs of the voters firstly because there are no term limits to reelection and secondly because in most cases the president is likely to represent the government rather than the voters. Therefore, his or her interests will most likely reflect the views of the government even if the public may have a different opinion. Therefore, I conclude by stating that even though currently the congress has not successfully represented the interests of constituents, it is better placed at representing the voters in public policy making than the president. This is because congress members are elected more regularly and therefore in order to be re-elected, then they have no choice other than acting to the best interests of their constituents. Indeed, I conquer with the supporters of delegate model that elected officials should always work to represent the interests and views of the majority of those that elected them. This is because, at a number of times some politicians have acted in protecting their self-interests and when questioned they defend their actions by arguing that they did what they believed what was right (Kernell 251-303). Works cited Grant, Ruth, and Robert Keohane. “Accountability and Abuses of Power in World Politics,” Published in. American Political Science Review. 2005, Pp.29–44. Kernell, Samuel et al. The Logic of American Politics 5th edition. San Diego: CQ press. 2011. Print. Polsby, Nelson. How Congress Evolves: Social Bases of Institutional Change. Oxford University Press. 2004. Print. Ritchie, Donald. The Congress of the United States: A Student Companion. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.Print. Roberts, Jason et al. The American Congress.. (4th edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. pp. 25–26. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. First published Mon Jan 2, 2006; substantive revision Mon Oct 17, 2011 . Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Increasing Power of the President Admission/Application Essay”, n.d.)
The Increasing Power of the President Admission/Application Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1585479-choose-one-from-two-topics-in-the-attached-instructions
(The Increasing Power of the President Admission/Application Essay)
The Increasing Power of the President Admission/Application Essay. https://studentshare.org/history/1585479-choose-one-from-two-topics-in-the-attached-instructions.
“The Increasing Power of the President Admission/Application Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1585479-choose-one-from-two-topics-in-the-attached-instructions.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Increasing Power of the President

What Led to the Deterioration of Congress Legislative and Oversight Processes

Congress is said to have become exemplary of a parliamentary system with parties either rooting for the president's agenda or they are in the opposition, and the suppression of minority input is rampant.... Mann and Ornstein cite the disappearance of effective Congressional oversight in the event the president and the Congressional majorities are of the same party, which is a serious weakening of the checks and balances of the system.... These are described as a subordinate distribution of power with the constant aim to divide and arrange administrative agencies in such a way each serves as a check and balance to one another....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment

The War Powers Act of 1973

Constitution clearly states that only Congress may declare war but it also gives the president the title of Commander-in-Chief of the military forces.... The Act allows the president to deploy troops to a country for 60-90 days without the consent of Congress (War Powers Resolution, 1973).... It is intended to first allow the president to deploy troops in an emergency situation but secondly to strictly enforce Congressional authority to declare war, to adhere to the framers of the Constitution's intention for the people's representatives in Congress to decide if military action was in the nation's best interest....
6 Pages (1500 words) Article

The Presidency of James Polk

Stockton's plan was supported by President Polk, but failed to go through because Anson Jones, who was the president of the Texan Republic, rejected it.... Bergeron's book has also detailed the American war in Mexico and president Polk's role in American acquisition of territories in the southwest.... Bergeron has discussed covert operations undertaken by president Polk, notably the annexation of new Texas territory....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Inaugural addresses by U. S. Presidents

the president requests the adversaries “.... ?? The words of the presidents are indicative of the increasing threat of arm race which shadows the concept of balance of power, especially after the two world wars and Vietnam War.... The former president Ronald Regan reveals America's plan to reduce the number of nuclear weapons concurrently with Soviet Union (Regan, 1985).... The words of former president, George W.... ormulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations” (Kennedy, 1961)....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

African Americans and the Executive Power

Nonetheless, the Emancipation Proclamation remains an important milestone for black civil rights, and one of the few which was granted exclusively by the president through an executive order.... It was into this context that president Lincoln introduced the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, an executive order which was more symbolic than effective: the Proclamation stated that slaves in the Confederate States of America were to be set free, an area over which Lincoln had no practical power at the time....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework

Should there be any specific limitations on the powers of the president

In this paper, the writer will discuss the dynamics involved in presidential powers and argue Module Should there be any Specific Limitations on the Powers of the president?... hesis Statement: There should be a specific limit on the powers of the president.... Nixon clearly violated the law and ethical standards of the office of the president of the United States by ordering domestic espionage, which is illegal in the United States.... There should be a specific limit on the powers of the president; especially concerning military activities....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Healthcare in America and Other Countries

The issue of healthcare and the president's desire to transform healthcare in America is important because it will affect all Americans as well as set an important precedent with respect to how health care is delivered.... The attempts by president Obama to overhaul and reform the health care system of the United States has been controversial from the outset and healthcare remains a heated issue in the United States.... Although it is still early on in his term, president Obamas attempts to transform the American health care system have arguably been the most controversial aspects of his presidency (Healthcare for All, 2009)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study

Constitutional Powers of the US President

The paper "Constitutional Powers of the US President" focuses on the predefined constitutional powers of the president in the USA and what are the limitations in the constitutional power of the US President in the modern time.... These are Military power, under which the President is considered as the head of the military power of the nation; Judicial power, which allows the President of USA to “grant representative and pardons for offenses against the USA” (Benjamin; 311); Diplomatic power, which enables him or her to sign or formulate treaties; Executive power, to execute various laws and appoint, remove transfer or replace various government officials; and Legislative process, which gives them power to take part in the various legislative process in the country....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us