If the congress controls the money. why does the President always get the blame/praise for the economy?

Question

If the congress controls the money. why does the President always get the blame/praise for the economy?

Answer 1

The President has VETO power and one heck of an influence on the Senate. If you noticed, when the ecomomy was great, Bush got the praise. When it finally sputtered out, he had nothing to do with it.

Answer 2

Because most people don't understand how the government operates and for that matter they can't name their Representatives in Washington but they all know the name of the President so he gets the praise or the blame depending on what is happening.

Answer 3

They have to blame somebody. Easier to pin point out one man than to point fingers at everyone in Congress.  

Answer 4

Because many didn't pay attention in their high school classes or they are a result of the public education system gone bad.... They don't realize that our government was set up in such a way that no leader (whether the President, Congressman, or Judge) has absolute power... :/

As far as Vetoes go:

"If the President approves of the legislation, he signs it (sign into law). If he does not approve, he must return the bill, unsigned, within ten days, excluding Sundays, to the house of the United States Congress in which it originated, while the Congress is in session. The President is constitutionally required to state his objections to the legislation in writing, and the Congress is constitutionally required to consider them, and to reconsider the legislation. This action, in effect, is a veto.

If the Congress overrides the veto by a two-thirds majority in each house, it becomes law without the President's signature. Otherwise, the bill fails to become law unless it is presented to the President again and he chooses to sign it.

A bill can also become law without the President's signature if, after it is presented to him, he simply fails to sign it within the ten days noted. If there are fewer than ten days left in the session before Congress adjourns, and if Congress does so adjourn before the ten days have expired in which the President might sign the bill, then the bill fails to become law. This procedure, when used as a formal device, is called a pocket veto."

Therefore even with Veto power the President doesn't have absolute power... :/

Answer 5

HINT: most people don't understand the basics of how our government operates. Most don't even vote. Most don't understand that Congress has a lower approval rating than G W Bush.

Answer 6

If life were only as simple as you, things would be just fine now wouldn't they.

How many died for the lie?

Answer 7

Lack of leadership, lack of focus, out-of-touch with the people, wages war on the middle class, says nothing about companies outsourcing American jobs to foreign countries...shall I go on? ... oh by the way, you do know that Bush and Cheney are oil barons.

Answer 8

In the same way as a good and competent manager of a very poor baseball team takes the blame and all the heat for the mounting losses does.

Answer 9

Because a lot of people are rather, simple-minded, and think the president is responsible for everything. Most also clearly have no clue how their government functions.  

Answer 10

Neither the congress nor the president controls the money supply.  That is the task of the Federal Reserve, and there is no oversight.

But the President got us into a costly war and refused to accept tax increases to pay for it- so what do you think is going to happen?  We have to borrow, and borrow big.  And who lends us the money? China.  Doesn't that make you a bit nervous?

Especially if you consider what would happen if they decide to cash in their bonds all at once....

Answer 11

Two reasons.

First, the congress has abdicated a lot of its responsibility to the executive branch. They just do not have any backbone to live up to their convictions. This is both parties, by the way. Very few congress people will take real charge of things when it comes to spending.

Second, the president proposes the budget and sets the stage for the spending debate. The budget is seen as the implementation of his agenda.

Answer 12

Congress has abdicated its responsibility to control the purse.  The congress has opted to dump their responsibilities on the Executive branch and has allowed the president to create an Empirical tyranny.  

Answer 13

Good question. Whoever the President is, they cannot destroy the country if one of the other two branches do not help him/her. Checks and balances.

Answer 14

1. Because less than one in five adults has ever read the Constitution.

2. Because, since the Spring of 1933, we have been conditioned to view the President as a Federal Wizard King instead of the official whose job description is contained in Article Two of the Constitution.

Answer 15

Convenient scapegoat. Especially for the party out of power.

Answer 16

everyone needs a scapegoat!