1. Chief Legislator
-Veto: Constitutional power of the president to send a bill back to Congress -2/3 vote in each house to override a veto -Pocket veto: type of veto occurring when Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill to President and lets the bill die by not signing and not vetoing it 2. Party Leadership -Leading Party: Work with party leadership in Congress, support other party candidates -Presidential Coattails: Voters cast ballots for congressional candidates of President's party because they support the President 3. Public Support -Public Approval: Source of presidential leadership in Congress, gives the President leverage, not command; doesn't guarantee success -Mandates: Perception that voters strongly support the President's character and policies 4. Chief Diplomat (Non-military) -Negotiate with other countries -Use executive agreements -May negotiate for peace between other countries 5. Commander in Chief -Writers of Constitution wanted civilian control of the military -President's often make important military decisions -Presidents command a standing military and nuclear arsenal -War Powers Resolution - can send troops into harms way but has to get congressional approval within 30 days or he has to take them out 6. Crisis Manager -Crisis: sudden, unpredictable and potentially dangerous event requiring the president to play the role of crisis manager 7. Working with Congress -The President has the lead role in foreign affairs, still must work with Congress for support and funding of foreign plicies 8. Going Public -Public support is the President's greatest source of influence -The President's appearances are staged to get the public's attention -As Head of State the President often perform many ceremonial functions which usually result in favorable press coverage 9. Policy Support -The President frequently attempt to obtain public support for policies with television or radio appearances and speeches 10. Mobilizing the Public -The President wants the public to communicate its views to Congress |
However one man can't do all of this alone, so here's the people who make it their job to help.