Question about the president?

Question

What is the President’s main responsibility to Congress and the public?

What power does the President have with regard to Congressional sessions?

Answer 1

It's listed in Article II, of The U.S. Constitution:

Section 2

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

Section 3

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, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

Answer 2

I second with the first answer.

Answer 3

In regards to Congressional relationships, the President can make treaties as long as he has a two thirds Senate approval. The President also appoints ambassadors and Supreme Court Justices, again requiring Senate approval. He must give Congress and the public an update, which is now the "State of the Union" address once a year. Congress may impeach a President and upon conviction of impeachment, Congress may remove a President. The President may veto any law Congress passes, however if Congress can get a two thirds majority, they can override that veto and put the law into effect.

The President doesn't have any power in regards to Congressional sessions. The Congress has their own set of rules as established in Article I of the Constitution (interesting how they put the Legislative rules before the Presidential rules, don't you think? Who do you think they meant to have more power?). The only time the President is present in Congress is during State of the Union, in which he is supposed to be "invited." The only other time would be to be questioned and/or impeached by Congress. The President is responsible to the public, his constituents, to the point where he is supposed to represent us. The consequences for not doing so would either be not being re-elected to a more severe point of conviction of an impeachment and removed from office (which has yet to happen). Another consequence would be to lose influence with Congressional members. For example, a Senator would not want to be aligned or work with an unpopular President so he isn't viewed poorly by his/her own constituents.

Go to the National Archives website and you can read the Constitution. Article I sets forth the Legislative/Congressional guidelines and Article II establishes the Executive/Presidential powers and limitations.