PSC-1010: In what ways does the U.S. Presidency support and limit the formation of an ideal democracy?

Firstly, I find it hard to define what exactly a ideal democracy might be. The various definitions I find explain that a democracy is a form of government where ALL of the people cast votes in fair elections to decide who in their government will represent them and make decisions that will influence them. The presidency doesn’t necessarily support or limit the formation of the aforementioned. In many ways the president is more “the peoples candidate” than other elected officials because of the hype and popularity the position attracts. The unit rule which directs the electoral college’s votes to the state’s cumulative popular vote is proof that normally the person elected as president is the voting majority’s favorite as well.

In contrast the very existence of the position of president in American government undermines some peoples perceptions of an ideal democracy because of the overwhelming power the position wields in comparison to other elected offices. The power the president has may seem overtly abundant but the original purpose of the position was to be an executive power that can help the progression of government, legislation and law making. The famous historical American revolutionary Alexander Hamilton sited that” a strong executive was necessary to provide leadership and decisiveness to a government that could otherwise drift and be stalemated in a system of checks and balances.”[1] I sincerely agree with Hamilton because I find that contemporary politics are driven by bi-partisan squabbles and our elected representatives very rarely agree enough on legitimate issues to make positive changes.

Another aspect that may seem like the president undermines democracy is when his or her personal politics interfere with the majority of what our congress might vote for. That scenario could be for the good or detriment to our country and government but the fact that a final veto could keep us out of war or prohibit irrational decision making from a majority ran congress is a positive to me. I find it amazing that as the text book describes,” The constitution empowers the president to approve or veto legislation passed by congress, act as commander in chief of the armed forces, faithfully execute the laws, pardon criminals, make treaties call congress into special sessions, appoint government officials, and recognize foreign governments.”[2]

Lastly, I believe that even though the position of American president may seem to many to be nothing more than an American Monarchal figurehead, historically American presidents have helped shape or world.