The Strict Constructionist Presidency William Howard Taft President

Strict Constructionist Presidency “The president can exercise no power which cannot be fairly and

Opposing Views Strict Constructionist: Opposing Views An opposing view, which attributes a broader swath

Strict Constructionist Presidency Source of Confusion: Ambiguity of Article II At least part of

Empowered President Activist President Garfield: How presidential power “may be exercised is governed wholly

Taft’s Philosophy: Traditional Conservatism The idea of an activist presidency, “charged with the responsibility

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The Strict Constructionist Presidency William Howard Taft President: 1908 -1912

Strict Constructionist Presidency “The president can exercise no power which cannot be fairly and reasonably traced to some specific grant of power or justly implied…within such grant as proper and necessary to its exercise. ” Section 3: Necessary and Expedient He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses…

Opposing Views Strict Constructionist: Opposing Views An opposing view, which attributes a broader swath of powers to the president had by the late 19 th century gained wider currency among national political figures. An Activist Presidency This view of the presidency assigned a “undefined residuum” of power to the presidency, often with the belief that it would be used to promote the public good.

Strict Constructionist Presidency Source of Confusion: Ambiguity of Article II At least part of the problem, and the source of competing views of the presidency was the ambiguity of Article II. Strict Constructionist Interpretation of Art II “It is impossible to read that instrument, without being struck with the loose and unguarded terms in which the powers and duties of the president is pointed out. ”

Empowered President Activist President Garfield: How presidential power “may be exercised is governed wholly by the discretion of the Executive unless any specific act has been prohibited by the Constitution or the legislature. ”

Taft’s Philosophy: Traditional Conservatism The idea of an activist presidency, “charged with the responsibility for the welfare of all the people in a general way…is an unsafe doctrine…that might lead to under emergencies to results of an arbitrary character. ” Role of Government in Society It is not the responsibility of the president, or the government in general to “set all things right” for the average citizen. “I don’t remember that I ever was President. ” –Taft