Roles+of+the+President

= Roles of the President =

By Nick Wagner and Dan Byrd (editor)

Commander-in-Chief:
In Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution gives the president authority over "the Army and the Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the United States;" The power the president has as commander-in-chief has played a crucial role in American political history. This power allows the president to mobilize troops in times of war or crisis without Congressional approval to effectively meet a threat. One of the earliest examples of this is the Whiskey Rebellion. When farmers violently protested the new taxes levied on whiskey, President Washington called for state militias to put down the rebellion. However, the use of this power and the power over the military as a whole has greatly expanded under the president. Since World War II, not a single one of America's conflicts have been officially declared as a war. So, to prevent the president from using this role abusively, Congress passed the War Powers Act in 1973, which limited and clearly defined the president's power as commander-in-chief to ensure accountability to Congress.

Chief of Party:
As the most powerful individual in American government, the president has an informal responsibility to use his office to promote his party's political success. If president's party is prominent in the federal government, it will make the job easier for him/her and for successors taking the office afterwards. The president can support congressional candidates by endorsing them in battleground districts and giving campaign donations. The president also has the role of promoting the party ideology through policy and the execution of the office to further advance the party influence.

Chief Executive:
As head of the executive branch, the president must carry out the laws passed by Congress, the court decisions made by federal courts, grant pardons issue executive orders, appoint officials, and oversee the bureaucracy. One example of this was the integration of the schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education in favor of Brown and ordered that the schools in Little Rock be integrated. President Eisenhower didn't support integration, but enforced the integration by sending the National Guard to protect the students.

Chief Legislator:
Each bill that passes through both houses of Congress ends up on the President's desk who either signs or vetoes it. Therefore, he has a crucial role as chief legislator. Not only is every law approved by the president (unless Congress overturns the veto), but he can campaign for legislation and present it to Congress. One example of this was the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act. The Obama administration wrote and presented the bill to Congress, and fought for it until it passed and it became law.

Guardian of the Economy:
The president protects and promotes the welfare of the national economy. He/She protects US interests from foreign businesses with tariffs. The president also spends the budget and collects the taxes.

Head of State:
Head of State is a mainly ceremonial role for the President. This part of the job requires him to the the living representation or symbol of the United States as a whole. In this role he publicly promotes and conveys American values as well as listening to and acknowledging those who do them same. This role can be taken in foreign nations, or in the United States. Examples of duties the President would conduct as head of states would be; This very ceremonial role is very important for the country as a whole. The President is the one person who isthe living representation of the entire country. The President must convey what the United States believes as well as listening to what others have to say.
 * Holding dinners with leaders of foreign countries.
 * Speaking to other countries about the American way of life.
 * Attending ceremonies over seas to be the figurehead representation of the United States such as the Olympics.
 * Awarding medals to soldiers.
 * Recognizing the achievement of outstanding citizens.

Chief Diplomat:
Diplomacy is a very important part of any presidency. It is the role of the president to associate with foreign leaders and, along with the help of advisors and Congress, develop foreign policy. The president is the leader of the country and thus, meets and negotiates with other foreign leaders to form relationships and settle disputes. Some of the roles that the president must perform are; The president cannot only worry about what is happening domestically. He must worry about what is going on throughout the rest of the world. As the leader of the country, it is his duty to engage in diplomacy.
 * Decide what diplomats and ambassadors will say to other countries.
 * Traveling to foreign countries to meet with leaders.
 * Find dipolmatic solutions to problems
 * Communicate directly with leaders of other countries in order to form relationships.
 * Negotiate treaties (with approval of the Senate).

Vocabulary:
Diplomacy: The profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad.

Endorsement: An act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something.

Legislator: A person who makes laws.

Identify which role the president is playing in the following scenarios:
Settling a dispute between a labor union and an auto manufacturer.

Speaking at a UN conference

Giving the SOTU

Sending drones on missions to Yemen.

Endorsing a candidate for Senate in Ohio.

Signing the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994.

Appointing a Supreme Court Justice.

Links: Articles in which Obama carries out his roles.... http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/us/politics/in-state-of-the-union-address-obama-will-lay-out-agenda-focused-on-the-middle-class.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/world/asia/us-disavows-2-drone-strikes-over-pakistan.html?pagewanted=all

Works Cited American Government AP Edition by O'Connor, Sabato, and Yanus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIbkoop4AYE&list=SPqs5ohhass_QZtSkX06DmWOaEaadwmw_D&index=9 http://www.arkansas.com/central-high/history/default.asp [] [|http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/education/lesson_plans/roles_of_the_president/Roles_of_Pres.pdf] https://www.boundless.com/political-science/presidency/president-s-many-roles/chief-diplomat/