482 PART FIVE◆ELECTED RI万PRESENTATIVES CHAPTER 20*THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT:LEADING THE NATION 483 Bureaucratic reorganization on any scale is difficulto accomplish because some bureaucrats,members of Corigress,and organlzed groups will always have a vested interest in keeping an agency as it is As a candidate in 1980, Reagan promised to eliminate the departments of Energy and Education.He tried to do so early In his presidency but was thwarted by oppositionfrom organized interests and Congress. Presidents have been more sucessful in persuading Congress to approve smaller changes in the bureaucracy Between 1939 and 1973 Congress approved 83 of 105 reorganization plans submitted by presidents.The resuts, however,were usually disappointing.#The net effect of minor reorganizations is typically the shifting of people and responsibilities from one agency to another,where the same problem of presidential ono simply resurfaces Ultimately,the problem of presidentialconro is beyond an organizational solution.The president's responsibilities are so broad that he cannot do the job without hundreds of assistants,whom it is impossible for him to supervise directly no matter how he organizes them.The modern presidency is thus a President double-edged sword.Today's president has greater responsibilities than his predecessors,and the increase in his responsibilities expands his opportunities At the same time,the range of these responsibilities isso broad that he must rely on staffers who may or may not act in his best interests.The Top asistents end modern president's recurring problem is to find some way of making sure that leoding cabinet off his aldes serve his interests above all others. secretary of stote) Harpow19 A3219 0 Other ."Or cabinet officers and egercy heads FIGURE德-3 Managing the Unfortunately,this system encourages personal rivalries.As assistants vie for Presidency:The the president's attention and for control of policy areas,their rivalry can Hub-of-the-Wheel (Circular) Form of Orzandzation ndermine the teamffort the presdforMoreover,the presdent In the hub-of-the-wheel form af rmay become so overloaded with stalf opinions that he-loses-sight of larger Sm拉a梦 issues.This criticism was often leveled at Presidenr Carter:it was said that Cerknewthedofvey policy issuebut haddifficulty establishing The presidency has beccme a much stronger office than have placed new and greater demands on the federal priorities and placing policies in the broader context that leads to effective the Founders envisioned.The Constitution grants the government,demands that the president is in some ways acttont.Carter himself came to recogntze that hts hub-of-the-wheel organization better able than Congress to meet. was overloading him with detail and he changed to a more hierarchically The responsibilities of the modern presidency.howev comespondingly doeer access to organized staff,aithough the results were not notably successful. ity has increased measurably.Underlying this change is Tfar exceed any president's personal capacities.To meet the president. the president's position as the one leader chosen by the their obligations,presidents have surrounded themselves whole nation.The public's support and expectations with large staffs of advisers,policy experts,and managers Attempts at Reorganization underlie presidential claims of broad authority. These staff members enable the president to extend Presidents have regularly experimented with the organization of the federal Nstional crises have contributed to the growth o control over the executive branch while.providing him presidential power.The public looks to the president bureaucracy in order to bring it more fully under their control.Congress has the withthenfsryfor policymaking.All recent presidents have disco vered.b e that their power to authorize the creation of new departments and agencies and to poorly suited to the decisive and continuous achon that reorganize the executive branch,but has granted the president the authority to control of staff resources is incomplete and that some emergencies require.Changing world and national condi- things that others do on their behalf actually work against propose reorganizations. tions have also presidency.These changes what they are trying to ccomplish