Chapter Overview

The Constitutional Basis of the Presidency

• What were the conflicting views over presidential power of the framers of the Constitution?
• What factors led to the growth of a more powerful presidency?

The Constitutional Powers of the Presidency

• What powers does the Constitution provide to the president as head of state? Have presidents used these powers to make the presidency too powerful or even imperial?
• What powers does the Constitution provide to the president as head of government?

Institutional and Political Resources of Presidential Power

• What institutional resources does the president use to manage the executive branch?

Political Resources of Presidential Power

• What political resources can the president draw on in exercising the powers of the presidency? Which of these resources is a potential liability? Why?

The Presidency and Democracy

• Did the presidency develop into a truly democratic institution?
• Did the development of a mass presidential constituency make the institution more democratic? More powerful?