Is the US Presidency Truly a Highly effective Dictatorship?
The presidency of the US has a surprisingly undemocratic choice course of. In my earlier article on American democracy, I identified that the president is just not elected by fashionable vote, however by the electoral school and the way, over time, the presidential election course of has turn into corrupt.
America’s founding fathers feared the evolution of the presidency into an imperial workplace. In reality, that concern was the driving drive behind the separation of powers into three distinct branches of presidency: the manager, the legislative, and the judiciary.
We historically name this the “checks and balances” system. Every department of presidency can problem the actions of one other department. For instance, the judiciary has the ability to overturn unconstitutional legal guidelines drafted by the legislature or overrule acts contravening the legislation by the manager. This may occur each on the state and the federal ranges.
In Washington, the president can veto laws proposed by the Congress. On the identical time, the Congress has the ability to override presidential vetoes and ensure or reject presidential nominations. At first sight, the checks and balances system seems to be an efficient solution to preserve democracy. Nevertheless, the system doesn’t all the time work out the way in which it was initially meant. Lately, it has led to partisan division and logjam.
The Most Highly effective Man within the World
Even if they aren’t precisely elected immediately by the folks, US presidents have the ability to make vital selections through govt orders. On August 24, 2002, President Joe Biden signed an govt order “to cancel $10,000 of scholar debt for low- to middle-income debtors.” This price of Biden’s plan is estimated to be $400 billion for US taxpayers.
Govt orders are generally referred to as “instantaneous legal guidelines.” They don’t want Congressional approval. The Supreme Court docket has the ability to overturn them if they’re discovered unconstitutional. Nevertheless, this can be a excessive bar and presidents have been usurping the ability of Congress.
Throughout his time within the White Home, Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a file variety of 3,721 govt orders. Solely 5 of them had been overturned by the Supreme Court docket. Extra not too long ago, Donald Trump made govt orders notorious by saying large coverage adjustments with out Congressional approval.
Much more alarming are the president’s nuclear powers. As commander-in-chief of all of the US armed forces, the president has unique entry to the nuclear codes. With the push of a button, he may cause a nuclear holocaust. Ought to a single human being have the ability to destroy the world?
As I’ve identified repeatedly in my previous articles, the US has an aggressive international coverage. It meddles within the affairs of different international locations. This results in tensions and even standoffs with different powers reminiscent of Iran, Russia and China. An American president may blunder into nuclear battle in a disaster. In 1962, the Cuban Missile Disaster demonstrated this hazard.
The Biden-led NATO helps Ukraine in opposition to Russia. That is a part of a longstanding American coverage. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO has expanded east. The “deep state” has taken cost of American international coverage. Presidents must do the bidding of the military-industrial complicated. In 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower warned in opposition to this phenomenon in his parting presidential deal with. Within the context of the Russia-Ukraine Warfare, the US president’s nuclear powers have turn into harmful.
A Quickly Deteriorating System
A key motive why the workplace of the president has turn into all {powerful} is as a result of the Congress has turn into dysfunctional. The incessant squabbling between the 2 political events makes passing of legal guidelines extraordinarily troublesome. The events themselves are more and more divided. It took a historic 15 rounds of voting for Kevin McCarthy to be elected speaker of the Home of Representatives.
Republican lawmakers are so divided proper now that it will likely be troublesome for them to push via any laws regardless of their majority. Even when they do, Democrats have a wafer-thin majority within the Senate and may block them. The Democrats are divided themselves and are unlikely to push via vital payments within the Senate. This leaves the White Home a transparent area for govt orders.
On this means, the US presidential energy and status are the envy of dictators. Presidents get pleasure from unprecedented autocracy and imperial energy underneath the guise of democracy. The president appoints 1000’s of delegates, who usually lack the {qualifications} crucial for the political positions they’re assuming.
The president nominates federal judges, which makes the workplace extraordinarily {powerful}. The nomination course of has turn into more and more political, particularly for the Supreme Court docket. Presidents have been appointing celebration loyalists to high positions. This isn’t a brand new phenomenon. In 1991, George H.W. Bush nominated the notorious Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court docket. The Senate confirmed his nomination, regardless of lawyer Anita Hill’s intensive testimony of Thomas’s sexual misconduct. Now, Thomas is in sizzling water for violating the Court docket’s personal judicial ethics. Trump sparked outrage when he nominated Brett Kavanaugh who was accused of tried rape.
Presidents haven’t solely been appointing shady judges however they’ve additionally been benefiting relations. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, profited immensely from dealings with the Saudis. This may not have been unlawful however was actually immoral. Such is the ability of the president that Trump and Kushner had been by no means held to account.
At this time, the presidency is simply too {powerful} and never accountable to the folks. Reforms to the system are lengthy overdue. In any other case, troubles lie forward. An unrestrained, omnipotent presidency is just not sustainable long run.
[Hannah Gage edited this piece.]
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially replicate Truthful Observer’s editorial coverage.
