Introduction
Many Americans expect the president to fix all their existing problems. This usually happens immediately after elections when everyone is filled with hope that the new presidency would bring about the change they have always anticipated. In his acceptance speech immediately after winning the recent presidential elections, president Barrack Obama talked of the great challenges that Americans had to overcome. He acknowledged that the problems facing Americans would not be solved overnight. Indeed, the nation was very hopeful at that time and Obama may have seen the need to tell his supporters that he required patience and cooperation from all Americans to solve pressing issues prime among them an economic crisis that the nation was facing. While presidents may bring about immediate changes to a country or initiate the same, they do not have the capacity to solve all issues and problems facing a nation.
Discussion
The United States president is the most senior member of the federal government. He is also considered to be the most powerful man in the world. This great power is however formally checked by several institutions, procedures and principles. In his capacity as the most senior member of the cabinet, the president needs to work together with other members of the executive including the cabinet to formulate policies for the nation. Our constitution has separated power among the different branches of the government giving the legislature a role of drafting laws and keeping the executive in check. On the other hand, the Judiciary has the primary role of administering justice and upholding the constitution. These three arms of the government are expected to work together for the well-being of Americans. When formulating policies aimed at tackling the country’s challenges, I find the executive and the legislature to be more responsible for these roles since they fall in their immediate dockets.
In tackling certain issues in a country, the president needs to draft laws together with his cabinet. This draft should then be brought before the congress and senate for debate and approval. This draft automatically dies if it fails to receive the approval of either of the houses. This procedure was designed in good faith to put the executive in check. However, as we have seen in various scenarios, the clause can limit a president’s ability to implement policies that may be good for the nation. This is especially true considering that opposition parties have a tradition of always voting against the government with no valid reasons at times.
During his presidential campaigns, President Obama promised to implement a universal healthcare system for all Americans. This program has however faced stiff opposition from many quarters. According to my opinion, this opposition is funded and promoted by Insurance Companies that make billions of dollars from the current healthcare system. These companies have even funded researches aimed at misleading the public. The fact that there are over 50 million Americans with no healthcare plan and that the number is rising is a worrying trend. Faced with this kind of opposition, the president undertook initiatives to convince the public that the program is good and necessary for America. The other hurdle that this program has to overcome is the fact that it needs to be passed by both houses to proceed to the next phase. In the Congress, the bill is sailed by a slight majority. This clearly shows that the legislature can tie the president’s hands in addressing major issues. As expected, nearly all Republican members voted against the program in congress.
Many people in America and in other countries may have thought that closing down Guantanamo Bay prison was a noble idea. This is considering the fact that America which is a democratic State overboard by imprisoning terrorist suspects without giving them a chance to defend themselves. This is something that President Obama had promised to implement immediately after coming into office. However, his order to close down the prison was put on hold by Congress.
Faced with difficult economic times that deteriorated further during the gulf war, Bush senior appealed to congress to implement a program aimed at reducing the national debt and improve the economic condition. He passionately appealed to the congress members understanding that their failure to pass this program could lead to devastating economic conditions that would be borne by all Americans. It is impossible for the government to implement any major policies that are not supported by the legislature. Apart from checking the executive, this procedure limits the president’s capacity on a large scale to address issues affecting citizens.
The government together with all its institutions does not have the capacity to solve some issues affecting citizens immediately. These are the kind of issues that require time and persistence to fully address. The president’s power may also be limited by a lack of things like economic and human resources among others. Some things may be beyond its capacity to address. As the Head of the government, the president cannot do much either.
Let us consider the current economic crisis currently facing our country. Having had its origin in the mortgage industry, this crisis has affected our financial system and hence our economy as a whole. We have seen government measures to save some important companies fail after the companies collapsed. This in turn led to the mass unemployment of people. The approach taken by the government to deal with such kinds of issues may not even be the best to deal with the problem. This may not be due to its intentions but because so many factors govern our economy that even financial specialists may not understand well. Sometimes, the government may put up measures intended at leading people to develop some habits to solve these kinds of issues but it cannot impose the same on people. This includes things like spending and investment habits which may be necessary to ease the current financial crisis that we are facing.
What about the financial capacity of the government? With so many obligations, the government has never had enough financial recourse to meet all of its demands. This could explain why the government is sinking deeper into debts at a worrying rate. A good example of this is in the government’s commitment to providing a good education for all Americans. This in essence means building more schools and equipping them with all resources for learning that are needed. Besides, these schools need to be provided with education personnel like teachers. All this requires money that is not readily available. As the head of government, the President cannot do much either.1
Immediately or even before he is sworn into office, the United States president realizes that there are a number of traditions that he needs to maintain during his tenure. These are traditions that have defined our policies and outlook besides reflecting the wishes of Americans and the main movers of different issues. Take for example the fact that America has always been a traditional ally and supporter of Israel. It would be very hard if not impossible for any president of the United States to go against this tradition. Interwoven with this particular example is the role played by American Jews in American affairs. These Jews have a big stake in our economy besides facilitating important areas like education and research. Moreover, Israel and America share important relations that have enhanced our technology among other things. This is just one among many other traditions that America will maintain for many years to come.
The United States president has a responsibility of protecting American interests. Protecting American interests means preserving our economy among other things. This may mean protecting our markets and domestic producers. To achieve this requirement we are forced as a nation to fight for limited global resources which will inevitably mean being selfish towards other countries. It was for example interesting to see President Obama introduce a new tax on Chinese tires. Our foreign policy has always been underlain by a desire to protect and expand our interests at all costs. The president is therefore not expected to act from virtuousness but must be seen to guard our interests by any means.4
A new president will inherit problems and difficulties from previous administrations. Effects of decisions made by these previous administrations will be felt by the new administration which will still be required to act on those decisions. When dealing with these problems, a president may find himself in a difficult position. This is a position that may require him to make decisions that go against his beliefs and intentions.
A good example of this is the military conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan that President Obama inherited from the Bush administration. Although Obama had promised to pull all American troops out of Iraq in a specified time period, it is increasingly becoming hard to implement this promise. This is especially difficult considering the possibility of the security situation in Iraq deteriorating further something that could give terrorist groups a chance to establish themselves more strongly. This would pose a security threat to the U.S and its allies besides bringing a bad image to our nation. The same reasons described above have led Obama to actually increase rather than pull U.S troops out of Afghanistan.
Conclusion
Leading the most powerful country in the world is the greatest challenge that one can encounter in a lifetime. On one side, one has to deal with domestic issues including guarding the rights and interests of a very liberal society. On the other hand, there are global issues whose effects will also be felt at home. To govern in this kind of situation, one may stick to principles that contradict his virtues among other difficult decisions. In striking a balance, one cannot address all issues facing people at home and in the global community. One will also realize that there are so many factors that significantly reduce if not reduce the powers of the president to address key issues.
Works cited
Blaustein, Albert. Constitutions of the World, Fred B. Rothman & Company, 1993.
Janda, Kenneth, Berry, M.Jeffrey, & Goldman, Jerry. The challenge of democracy: government in America, (4th Ed). Houghton, 2001.Print.
Mac Donald, Heather. “Straight Talk on Homeland Security”. City Journal, 2003.
Williamson, T.R Problems in American Democracy, Kessinger Publishing, 2004.Print