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

I think that the U.S. Presidency supports the ideals of democracy in many ways. As our book points out, "the presidency is the most powerful institution within American government, but presidents encounter immensely powerful obstacles to the pursuit of their goals within American government and society as well as abroad." (Draper 189) This change in power from the government to the president occurred After "the New Deal and World War II supersized the presidency and the executive branch. Accompanying the growth of the federal government's role was a change in the balance of power among the three branches of government: power tilted decisively toward the president during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency from 1933 to 1945." (Draper 180)

One way that the U.S. Presidency supports the ideals of democracy is by passing bills. The president must sign off on many pieces of legislature before they become "law." In many instances it is up to the president to ensure that any laws represent the best interests of the county. I believe that this is an extremely important example of how the U.S. Presidency supports the ideals of democracy.

One more way that I believe that the U.S. Presidency supports the ideals of democracy is in foreign relations. "Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century's, there were swings between strong and weak presidents, between presidential and congressional supremacy." (Draper 179) These swings in power made it so that the presidency is most often the face of our democracy and way of life to the rest of the world. It is very important that they present the whole countries ideals when they are dealing with the rest of the world. 

 Alternatively, I believe that the U.S. Presidency limits the ideals of democracy is almost in direct contrast of the ways that it supports democracy. Our government has in place a system of checks and balances that are meant to keep each arm of the government in synch and accountable to all of the other arms. It is the executive branch's duty to make sure that the president's actions are in the best interests of our country. If the president uses his veto power neglectfully or if he passes bills that are not in our best interest then he is limiting the formation of an ideal democracy. One recent decision that Obama made that I do not necessarily believe was promoting the ideals of democracy happened when, last summer, he "bypassed Congress and appointed Dr. Donald Berwick to head Medicare and Medicaid -- filling the job while Congress is in recess to get around Republican opposition that threatened to derail Berwick's confirmation." (FoxNews.com) Taking this important decision out of the hands of the Congress was not the right way to show our country or the world that our president fully supports an ideal democracy. 

All of this makes me wonder the critical question: are there any additional checks and balances we could put on place to ensure that the presidency never becomes a dictatorship? 

Draper, Alan. The Politics of Power a Critical Introduction to American Government. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011.

FoxNews.com. "Obama Fills Medicare and Medicaid Post Without Senate Approval." FoxNews. July 07, 2010. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/06/president-medicare-medicaid-post-senate-approval/#ixzz1FrGIA2h8