Presidential power has changed dramatically throughout the history of the United States. Now days there are so many factors when one looks to analyze the growth or decline of the power of the executive. In recent history from approximately 1981 to present day the power of the president has been affected by the role of Congress, the media, domestic and foreign affairs. The President consistently has to adjust to what is going on specifically during the term they are in office. The overall power of the president took a huge decline after the Watergate scandal. Public opinion of the president fell greatly as well as public trust for the government in general. The office of the president during the era of 1981 to present day have faced challenges
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Carter just was not successful at doing much as a president, before him was Ford and Nixon whose involvement in the Watergate scandal really discredited the role of the president of the United States. Reagan though was able to start off his presidency by increasing the power of the president. He was able to do this by a military means first with the military order of the invasion of Grenada. Reagan authorized this order as a means of protecting national interests and preventing the spread of Communism in the Carribean. While Reagan was able to enforce small time government as part of what is known as Reaganomics its not quite clear if that necessarily increased the power of the President. His trickle down approach to the economy stressed reducing government 's role in the economy. Reagan was favored by the media and while he was in office during his first term. It was not until his second term in which things really went south. The Iran-Contra was a scandal in which the adminstration under Reagan used the money from selling weapons to Iran to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. Reagan claimed he did not know that this situation was going on. This really damaged the Presidency as a position of power. If the head man in charge is ignorant on such a huge political scandal like this then he is really out of touch with his
Carter just was not successful at doing much as a president, before him was Ford and Nixon whose involvement in the Watergate scandal really discredited the role of the president of the United States. Reagan though was able to start off his presidency by increasing the power of the president. He was able to do this by a military means first with the military order of the invasion of Grenada. Reagan authorized this order as a means of protecting national interests and preventing the spread of Communism in the Carribean. While Reagan was able to enforce small time government as part of what is known as Reaganomics its not quite clear if that necessarily increased the power of the President. His trickle down approach to the economy stressed reducing government 's role in the economy. Reagan was favored by the media and while he was in office during his first term. It was not until his second term in which things really went south. The Iran-Contra was a scandal in which the adminstration under Reagan used the money from selling weapons to Iran to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. Reagan claimed he did not know that this situation was going on. This really damaged the Presidency as a position of power. If the head man in charge is ignorant on such a huge political scandal like this then he is really out of touch with his