The president has significant power; however, this power is not unlimited, as it is controlled by both the judicial and legislative branches. The president is held responsible for passing laws that will improve the lives of ordinary Americans, even though he shares his legislative powers with Congress. Power sharing poses an obstacle to the president's ability to pass laws quickly and in the form originally intended. However, Americans do not take this into account when judging a president because they fully expect him to keep every promise he made during his campaign. By promising to pass monumental legislation once elected without mentioning that Congress poses an obstacle that must first be overcome, the president is creating unrealistic expectations for what he can accomplish during his term (Jenkins-Smith, Silva and Waterman, 2005). . A president is expected to possess the characteristics that will enable him to lead the nation effectively and efficiently and achieve the goals he sets during his campaign (Jenkins-Smith et al., 2005). A handful of presidents have been immortalized as the ideal person to lead the United States, and if a president fails to live up to these lofty expectations, the American public will inevitably be disappointed. Since every president is expected to accomplish great things during his presidency, he is forced to create and project a favorable image through unrealistic promises. The combination of preconceived notions about the perfect president and the various promises made by presidential candidates during their campaigns create unrealistic expectations of the president on the part of the American public. Works CitedJacobs, Lawrence R. and Theda Skocpol. Health Care Reform and American Politics: Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print. Jenkins-Smith, Hank C., Carol L. Silva, and Richard W. Waterman. “Micro- and Macro-Level Models of the Presidential Expectation Gap.” The Journal of Politics 67.03 (2005): 690-715. Print. Rivers, Douglas and Nancy L. Rose. “Adoption of the presidential program: public opinion and presidential influence in Congress.” American Journal of Political Science 29.2 (1985): 183-96. JSTOR. Internet. May 19, 2014. Stephenson, Matthew C. “Does Separation of Powers Promote Stability and Moderation? The Journal of Legal Studies 42.2 (2013): 331-68. JSTOR. Internet. May 19, 2014. Wayne, Stephen J. Personality and Politics: Obama for and Against Himself. Washington, DC: CQ, 2012. Print.