Power of the First Lady

A detailed Summary of Power of the First Lady

The constitution grants no powers to the family of the president. There has not been bills passed, nor powers granted the first lady. The spouse of the president however has a very powerful position. The first lady has always had the president's ear. She has had a close intimate relationship with the president, hopefully, as she is his wife. She has visibility and name recognition. Some of the major sources of political power other than those officially granted are who you know, the connections you have, and being famous. It is easy to see how some of the first ladies have used their position and recognition as sources of power, mostly in recent history. This is much easier to see than any influence that might have happened from the first lady talking to the president. In recent times this has been a concern of some people who have begun to notice how powerful a political position this is. There is power derived from the ability to have a meal with a powerful person, living with them has got to be an even more powerful position. Seen from the lives of the first ladies we can see how some have used the power of their position and others have supported their husbands rise to power. From examining the lives of those who have serv

The question then becomes one of which way is the influence going. One possible explanation is that the presidents of recent times are rounding out their images with feminine issues as part of their package balancing their own stereotype of being able to handle masculine issues well. This strategy is often thought of when trying to choose who will be vice president, someone who will balance out the president's image. Since the wife probably isn't chosen for this task she could be made to fit that image. The influence could go the other way as well. These stereotypical women's issues may actually be the issues that the women wanted to focus on and they got their husbands to pay attention. This isn't far fetched at all. I've often seen my mother influence a decision that my father was making. It's part of being married from what I hear. In this case the decision is simply a bigger one. Even President Truman referred to his wife as "the boss". Neither one would be a good thing politically to admit, but either may be a good explanation of what is happening.

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Other first ladies were even more able to use their positions of power, probably because it became more acceptable to do so. Nancy Reagan Gave up her own acting career to devote herself to her husband. Supporting her husband became her main focus, still she was able to influence certain issues such as the " say no to drugs " campaign.

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Approximate Word count = 2209
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History