The Presidency of the United States is said to be the most powerful office in the world. Taking a closer look at this statement presents the questions of how and why the president so powerful. It might shock some people to learn that a significant amount of his powers are not prescribed to him or written in the Constitution, but are gained in other ways. I believe that the most significant of the powers at the hands of the President are those that are considered "informal", especially those that allow him to persuade and gain loyalty of many people.

The President is usually more powerful during his "honeymoon period" or first hundred or so days in office. This mostly stems from his recent approval of the voters and serves as a notice to Congress that he deserves to be in office because the citizens like what he has to offer. As an effect, Congress is more accepting of his legislative ideas and proposals. This gives him an edge to get some legislation passed right off the bat and sho

The President's power and approval rating is greatly boosted in times of war or foreign troubles. This is called "rallying around the flag." Citizens feel more loyalty towards their President when he is acting on behalf of the country in a serious matter such as war or other serious foreign policy. The President even gains higher approval, and therefore more power to influence the public, by surviving an assassination attempt.

The close election fiasco that is going on right now will most definitely affect the president-elect, whoever it may be. If George W. Bush wins, their will be a great amount of citizens who refuse to accept him as the legitimate President because of his extremely small margin of victory that may or may not be accurate. If Al Gore turns out to be the winner, most Republican supporters will see him as the guy who stole the Presidency and will refuse to see him as the legitimate winner. Either way, the tight election will probably hurt the elected President's credibility, ability to pass legislation, and use his informal powers. This coming President will be known as the one who won only after weeks of re-counts, legal battles, and a handful of votes. The "honeymoon period" for this President will probably be a time of lower approval depending on the how much longer the re-counts and court cases continue to flood the media and the minds of the voting citizens. The President's rela

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Approximate Word count = 957
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)