The office of the President of the United States is the highest authority in our government and is considered the most powerful position in the entire world. Our current President Barack Obama is the commander in chief of our military and has many other powers. One of those powers would be the ability to ratify or veto new bills into law. Recently, the president came under fire for exercising his power by signing his executive order on immigration into law.
Our lesson (PSU, 2014) reads that power is the capacity to produce effects on others (House, 1984), or the potential to influence others (Bass, 1990) (PSU, L.7, p.6). The office of the president can be best described under ‘legitimate power’. Legitimate power is a function of the situation. It depends on a person’s role in the organization and can be thought of as one’s formal authority (PSU, L.7, p.6). The president’s power has everything to do with his title. The president has his power because he is the President of the United States, not because he is Barack Obama, or whoever else is the current president.
Many think that Congress are suppose to make laws, not presidents, which explains the anger of many over this new executive order. Many are saying Obama with this order, is more like a king rather than a president. The problem is the precedent was set a long time ago, starting with President Hoover. Obama is far from the first to use an executive order. This shows just how powerful the office of president is and how many people can be affected by their executive decision making.
Written By: Ryan Finley
PSU WC. (2014). PSYCH 485: Lesson 7, Power and Influence. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa14/psych485/001/content/07_lesson/03_page.html
Bass, B. M., (1990). Bass and Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership. 3rd ed. New York: Free Press.
House, R. J. (1984). Power in Organizations: A Social Psychological Perspective. Unpublished manuscript, University of Toronto.
Jesse Richard Blake says
After reading your blog and following the link you provided to the executive orders I came across an executive order that I found to be a bit disturbing. It shows that you were correct in your statement that the President of the United States of America is a legitimate power. However it also means that the President must use that power for the betterment of the nation as a whole. I have included an order that the current President signed that demonstrates that he appears to be trying to separate Americans based on race. It pretty much says that the black community does not have the opportunity to go to school or get a quality education. That could not be further from the truth. Most of the kids in my high school were black Americans and they had every opportunity I had growing up in Metro Detroit. It is all based on what we as individuals choose to do with that opportunity that makes us succeed or fail. Not a hand out from the President.
Executive Order 13621 of July 26, 2012
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African
Americans
The Initiative will help to restore the United States to its role as
the global leader in education; strengthen the Nation by improving educational
outcomes for African Americans of all ages; and help ensure
that African Americans receive a complete and competitive education
that prepares them for college, a satisfying career, and productive citizenship.
(2) The Initiative will complement and reinforce the Historically Black
Colleges and Universities Initiative established by Executive Order 13532
of February 26, 2010, and together, they both will support enhanced
educational outcomes for African Americans at every level of the American
education system, including early childhood education; elementary, secondary,
and postsecondary education; career and technical education; and
adult education.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-08-01/pdf/2012-18868.pdf
Joseph Randall Gonzalez says
I enjoyed reading you post and couldn’t agree more that Obama is using legitimate power. But what kind of motive do you think he is categorized as (rhetorical)? As I read our commentary there are three motives that could be used to identify a leader. I personally believe that depending on who is looking at the leader. The three leader motivates are need for power which according to the commentary is “the motivation to influence or control others” whereas personalized power are “individuals with high need for personalized power” and socialized power “is expressed in the service of higher goals to others or organizations” (PSU WC LC7 pg 5 and 6). I can only imagine what goes through peoples heads when Obama does something while in office. Some may say he is controlling or selfish or one who will sacrifice anything for the world. But it is interesting to see how his power and influence can be broken down further in many ways.