The Presidency: An Impossible Job?
White House photo in public domain
Dr C Harlen, University of Leeds

Recent Presidents Have All Failed in Some Way
• Military problems: Johnson, Nixon,
G.W.Bush
• Economic problems: Nixon, Ford,
Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W.
Bush
• Misconduct in office: Nixon, Clinton
• Lack of policy knowledge: Reagan

Potential Explanations for Failure
• Faulty selection process
• Poor judgment of electorate
• Overly difficult job

Selection Process: Lengthy and
Expensive
• Candidates announce 1 year before primaries
• Increased use of primaries instead of caucuses.
• Frontloading of primaries
• End of reliance on public funding
• These factors restrict who runs

Does the Public Make
Inappropriate Choices?
President’s current roles: foreign policy, work with Congress to pass legislation.
Overall: 25 of 44 presidents had Congress experience (57%) versus 2 out of last six
(33%)
Governors mainly. Qualified to be president?

Powers of the President Alone as Head of State
• Slight similarities with governor’s role
• Commander in chief vs. control of state national guard.
• Represents government.
Government of California photo in public domain

Powers Involving Work with
Legislature
Common
• Powers of appointment.
• Passing legislation with approval of legislature.
Different
• Making treaties as head of state (+ 2/3
Senate approval)
• Governors often control issues public care about most

Powers of President Alone as Head of
Government Not Involving Foreign
Policy
• Granting reprieves and pardons
• Convening State of the Union Address
• Ensuring laws are faithfully executed
• Wielding ‘executive power’
• Appointing officials

Is the Job Too Demanding?

President as Head of State and
Government Creates High Expectations!
Source: U.S. National Portrait Gallery education use allowed

As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain

Head of State Role Creates Great
Expectations
‘The president we get is the country we get...’
Novelist E.L. Doctorow, 2004

As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain

• Less assured support in legislature usually.
• Less unified cabinet.

Presidents’ Party Often Doesn’t Control Both
Branches of Congress
1951 Truman D D D
53, 55 EisenhowerR
1961 Kennedy D
1965 Johnson D
1969 Nixon R
1974 Ford
1977 Carter
R
D
1981 Reagan R
1993 Clinton D
1995 Clinton D
2001 G.W.Bush R
2003 G.W.Bush R
2007 G.W.Bush R
2009 Obama D
11, 13 Obama D
D
D
R
D
R
R
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
D
R
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
R
Varied
R

Challenges of the Presidency:
Managing the Government
• Over 3 million civilian employees, 1.4 million active military.
• 7,000 political appointments alone (a government of strangers).
• No collective responsibility of cabinet.

• Presidents do not necessarily have or need congressional experience
• Inflated expectations of the president problematic.
• President heads large organisation with no guarantees of loyalty.
• Lack of success not surprising.