318 CHAPTER 10|THE PRESIDENCY
members of Congress delegate authority to the president or the executive branch
bureaucracy for good reasons—either because it is diffi cult for legislators to pre-
dict how a policy should be implemented, or because they cannot agree among
themselves on an implementation plan.^60 Members of Congress from the presi-
dent’s party may also want him to have the authority because they hold similar
policy goals and would therefore benefi t from the exercise of unilateral power.
In sum, ambiguities in the Constitution create opportunities for unilateral
presidential action. These actions are subject to reversal through legislation,
court decisions, and impeachment, but members of Congress face signifi cant
costs if they undertake any of these options. As long as the president is careful to
limit the exercise of unilateral power to actions that do not generate intense oppo-
sition in Congress, he can implement a wide range of policy goals without offi cial
congressional consent—provided that bureaucrats go along with the president’s
wishes (see Chapter 11). Thus, presidential power has important consequences for
government policy—but it is not unlimited.Conclusion
A president’s power over government policy is derived from constitutional author-
ity, statutory authority, and ambiguities within these offi cial grants of power that
give the president a substantial ability to act unilaterally. Even so, presidential
power is limited. The president shares many powers with Congress, including law-
making, treaty-making, and war-making powers. Moreover, presidents are politi-
cians who need public support, both to win re-election and to persuade members
of Congress to approve their policy initiatives. The public evaluates the president
based on how he handles issues that are a priority for many Americans, such as the
economy, health care, and national security.
These factors suggest a very diff erent explanation for the seemingly expansive
power of President Barack Obama, which we discussed at the beginning of this
chapter. For one thing, Obama’s successes, from fi ghting terrorist groups to the
enactment of health care reform, are not unusual. Many presidents have similar
records of accomplishment. Moreover, although Obama enjoyed notable successes,
he was forced to compromise in many areas in order to win congressional support.
Also, many of Obama’s (and other presidents’) successful unilateral actions con-
cerned policy areas in which members of Congress and the public either favored
their proposals or had no strong feelings about them. Thus, the president remains
an important fi gure in American politics but is clearly not solely responsible for
setting government policy.