Moreover, if the rise of the Cold War and the age of broadcasting contributed to the growth of the executive branch, they were hardly the only factors. The rise of the regulatory and social-welfare state which began in the Roosevelt Administration has played a major role too. Still, the presidency seems headed toward a different role in American life, though it may take years for that progress to be affected and assessed. The old image of the powerful President wasn't due only to the Cold War. It was the product of a more primitive era.
People today have far more education and exposure to the outside world.
They don't need to attach that importance and responsibility to the office anymore. Indeed, in the new age of fragmentation, when it's tougher to assemble a mass following, virtually all colossal entities and authority figures of the old age have seen their prestige and power recede. It's no coincidence that George Bush was no Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton is no Jack Kennedy. Their successors won't be either. All rights reserved.