The modern president has many powers the founding fathers did not wantt 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.
The Term Paper on Politics, Presidents and War
... the Presidency of the United States. The War Powers Act theoretically reserved the right to make war to the U. S. Congress. An ... A formal declaration of war, as they saw it, was unnecessary. As the Commander-in Chief the President is charged with ... defending American interests. A further asserting of Presidential power was the perceived ...
