Imperial President Essay, Research Paper

The modern president has many powers the founding fathers did not want it to

have. The presidency has grown in power ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt set up

the New Deal. The great increase in power of the modern presidency since World

War II has produced a variety of responses regarding the balance of power

between congress and the president. The term "Imperial" President is

meant to convey a president that is king-like. He is the authoritarian and may

create war-like activitites. This is good in a sense because when a crisis

arises, a president can make a fast decision to protect American society rather

than wait for congress to make a decision. This is also bad because a president

can make war. This violates the founding fathers’ will of having congress at the

center. Domestically, the president is more checked because if the economy gets

bad the president may not get re-elected. With foreign issues, the president is

more of an imperial person. The rise in power of the modern presidency can be

attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. FDR proposed a social

welfare program that was designed to help decrease unemployment so that the

economy could get better. The years after the New Deal brought tremendous growth

of government as manager. As a result, the president today directs a huge

bureaucracy. Television and the other new media have helped to magnify the

person and the institution of the presidency. The president has many roles

including chief of state, chief executive, commander in chief, chief diplomat,

and chief bureaucrat. Congress has never declared war since December of 1941

when it declared war against Japan, but there have been several wars that have

occurred since Japan. For example, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf were wars the

presidents made although they were approved by congress. I believe that the

separation of powers are still in power today. Although the president has many

powers today including making war and appointing supreme court justices, he is

still checked by the legislature. Legislature is still at the center of the

government although the president is moving closer to the center, but he will

never get there.