Nicole Cerniglia

Is Barack Obama an Imperial President?

1. Some people claim that President Obama has been acting like an imperial
president because he has been acting boldly in his use of his executive
power. The claim President Obama has willfully violated the constitution
to further his goals.
2. Four specific examples of actions that President Obama has taken that
critics cite as actions of an imperial president are: a) unilaterally changing
the elements of the Affordable Care Act, b) lifting the threat of deportation
for illegal immigrants, c) bypassing Senate confirmation of controversial
nominees, and d) altering the work requirements under welfare reform.
3. Defenders of President Obama respond to claims of him being an imperial
president by claiming he is exercising legitimate executive authority to
keep up with past presidents and to get his agenda through with a
stubborn congress.
4. Left-leaning Obama critics say the president is abusing his executive
power. They claim that he is taking the role as policymaker away from
congress; and that he is not interpreting, but changing the law.
5. An executive order is a proclamation used to yield power, they allow the
executive branch to control the federal government and allow the
president to take action without having to go through Congress.
6. a. Presidents sometimes use executive orders to shape policy because
they do not have to receive approval from the legislative branch to carry
out their actions. In President Obamas case, it is easier for him to pass
his agenda through using executive orders because congress is not ruled
by democrats, making it difficult for his plans to be approved.
b. Advantages of executive orders are that the President does not have to
wait for congressional approval for him to take action, making it easier for
him to get things done.
6c. Disadvantages to policymaking through executive order include: they
often further the presidents relations with congress, they eventually bring
the opposing party into power during election time, and these orders are
not long lasting and can be easily undone.

7. The explanation for why critics of Bush approve Obamas actions and why
critics of Obama approve Bushs actions can be attributed to each partys
differences. Bush was a Republican and Obama a democrat, which
explains why supporters of one president critique the other. Parties only
want to see their own members exercising high power, and for this reason
they do not support powerful presidents from the opposing party.