Why are some presidents more powerful than others?

Why are some presidents more powerful than others?
Some president in the Unites States are more powerful than others for many reasons. The most prominent reason for this is due to current events which occur during their time in office, these maybe disasters, economic problems or even just the current views of congress. In this essay I will explore why some presidents are more powerful than others. The first reason for why some presidents gain more power than others during their time in
An additional reason for why some presidents are more powerful than others is down to what period of their presidency they are currently in. During the latter half of a presidents second term presidents are seen as 'Lame Ducks' due to the fact they cannot stand for re-election. The reasoning for why they are seen in this light is because both legislators and the public are looking ahead to the next president resulting in the incumbent losing both influence and prestige while they wait for their time as president to come to an end. President Obama knew about the second term perils so devised a second-term strategy upon re-election intending to avoid the pitfalls of his predecessors (such as Nixon who resigned during his second term) with a robust agenda focused on the economy, gun control, immigration and energy. Additionally Obama's policy has come under fire in his second term with him finding it increasingly difficult to pass legislation this was highlighted in the Affordable Care Act, is now threatening to undermine his second term.
The president's power can be seen to increase and decrease depending on the current presidential popularity seen through results of approval ratings. If a president's approval ratings are high then the president will gain more power as high approval ratings will highlight that the president in office is doing a good job in adhering to the people's views therefore is trusted. Current approval ratings release by 'realclearpolitics' show Obama's