No

He was talking about doing some sort of decree to get healthcare back on track but does he really have the power to back that up?

I heard that he cares about jobs. and, um, the American people.



...



as if these things weren't an empty gesture anyway, it wouldn't kill him to say something new.

There's a checks and balances system that keeps the president from exercising too much power and congress from doing the same.

checks and balances



that's why we have a triumvirate of corruption. ERRRRR, of power.

we have the three headed dog government



that way satan always wins

errrrrr

you're so flirty lately, liz



is it my new cologne?

I dont know why you guys dont get an NHS despite all its flaws it does work.



we have one and were still one of the richest countries in the world, infact we've been becoming far more popular as the world finanical capitals because our money is worth more.



The way fox talks about healthcare it will bring down your country.

but what does the president actually do?

lately?

well, he can order people to murder other people in foreign countries...





so that's pretty powerful.

So he's the queen then?



Because thats the only thing the queen can do.

I realsie I might of offended several or many americans sorry.



I was kind of looking for a real explanation.



Also I wish I lived in America but its a pain in the arse to get in,

prez can get bills passed

prez is chief in command of army





prez isn't the queen/king meaning, any power he/she has will ultimately be kept in check by the legislative and judicial branches of government.



i meant lately towards me, liz. or have i just not been noticing?

anyone who is even mildly offended by what you said stubbs is a grade a pussydick

you mean you didn't get the dozen roses and huge chocolate filled condom i had sent to your house?

choc filled condom? goddamn that is rank

But the queen only has two powers, to go to war and to make laws offical.



Only the queen can declare war and a law only becomes offical if she signs the bill. She tends to go along with parliament but technically speaking she has the final word.

what does one do with a chocolate filled condom?

diva cup?

it had a marshmellow tip.





....too far?

oh that was unfortunate timing

that's the same as the president, he can say we need to go to war but congress is supposed to give the final go. bush changed that.



let's be honest stubbs, they're both ornamental figures.

But thats the thing, in the UK its assumed the queen is an ornamental figure, but the rest of the world see's the president as having real power and being able to change the world.



Thats probably why he's more popular outside of the states.

the whole gov. is full of shit.

yeah, the whole "leader of the free world" title is a wayyyyy misleading

i voted for bush both times because he seemed like a good drinking buddy and i was in college

i didn't know he was a 'recovered' alcoholic.



oh well...



wait, does that sentence even apply here?

The President does have real power.



If by power you mean the ability to create laws, then no - the President does not make laws - Congress does. The President does make policy, though, and he/she executes and oversees the laws of the US.

heh. thanks, Chris. Likewise, mostly. winkface.

With the way the republicans are blocking everything, no he has no power.

Yes, if only the Democrats had real power. Clearly they're doing all they can to bring about great change in the world.

US politics...ugh.

In the UK, or in the Commonwealth realms such as Canada and Australia, the Queen is the head of state while the prime minister is the head of government. Most of the Queen's powers are largely ceremonial.



Likewise, the president of America's powers as head of state are largely ceremonial, but unlike here, the president is also the head of government. So in America, a lot of the powers that here or in the UK would rest with the prime minister or with Cabinet are in the hands of the president. Sorry, but I don't really know exactly what these are.



But when it comes to passing laws it's pretty much the same here as there. The president like the prime minister sets the agenda of the laws he wants to pass, he'll hopefully have the support of his own party on that law so that part is easy, but the law has to be voted on in Congress/Parliament so if the opposition have the numbers, they can stop it going through.



The president can make executive orders that don't need to be approved, but they have too be legal and based in law and can only affect federal matters. So Barack Obama made one about not torturing people and also to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. But he can't just make healthcare an order.



The president probably has more powers when it coes to not passing laws because he can exercise a veto. If a law comes up that he doesn't like, he can send it back to Congress.



The Queen may technically have these powers too, but she performs her duties on advice of the government or the prime minister so they haven't been exercised for hundreds of years. The president of America would veto laws quite commonly. George Bush vetoed a lot of stem cell bills.



It's like just recently, the Queen opened parliament and each time she does, she makes a speech outlining the government's agenda for the year. But the Queen is just reading a speech prepared by Cabinet outlining what the government hopes to achieve. The Queen does not set any kind of political agenda. The government may achieve these things, or they may be blocked by the opposition. But in America, if the president were to make a similar speech, he would be expressing his own views of what he hopes to achieve, rather than performing a ceremonial funnction on behalf of the government, because he is also the head of the government. But just like the British government, he may not be able to make these hopes a reality if he's blocked by the opposition in Congress.

well said

The president also, as commander-in-chief, controls the military, a not-insignificant responsibility considering we have two wars going on right now.



Aside from that though, most real power rests with the Shadow Government, a secretive group of industrial tycoons, Freemasons, and Skull and Bones members operating out of a bunker deep in the Rocky Mountains.

hell yeah he does! he can shoot flames and fly and shit!

Thanks for the amazing reply, that makes a lot more sense now.