![]() The second source of presidential power is a president’s ability to get things out of Congress. One very good example would be Franklin Roosevelt saying, in effect, in 1940: "You may not want to get prepared for a possible war in Europe and Asia, but this is something I’ve thought a lot about, and this is a sacrifice that we may have to make." Another example would be a president’s appeal for a painful tax increase to achieve a balanced budget. The first is the president’s ability to go to the American people and ask them for something, especially sacrifice. Much of the power of the presidency comes not from what is in the Constitution but from two other sources. They made sure that there were checks against presidential power, one of them being impeachment, and they were very worried about the idea of a president who would do too much. They did not want another king of England they did not want a dictator. For most of American history, the presidency has been a weak office, and that was very much in keeping with what the Framers intended. ![]()
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