What You Have to Know Concerning the US Presidency
Regardless of its repeated and resolute claims to being a thriving democracy, the US has by no means been actually democratic. Whereas the Western superpower does have some options of democracy, so have many authoritarian regimes, reminiscent of Azerbaijan, Chad, Russia and Venezuela to call a number of.
In my earlier article, I mentioned how the 2 domineering political events take pleasure in overweening perks and privileges. This two-party duopoly over energy undermines democratic beliefs. In a supposedly consultant democracy, folks’s elected officers are supposed to contemplate folks’s concepts, pursuits, considerations and welfare. As an alternative, US elected officers are indebted to megadoners who finance their elections. So, they serve those that pay for his or her election campaigns, not the individuals who vote for them.
In my different article, I evaluated the methods wherein the wealthy and the “deep state” have manipulated US elections. They’ve introduced politicians underneath their thumbs, and the American two-party system—which George Washington famously warned in opposition to—is now extra corrupt than ever earlier than. This method is unlikely to final very lengthy and the 2021 rebellion that stormed the US Capitol is proof of the fragility of American democracy.
On this article, I shine the sunshine on the issues with the US presidency and why its choice course of is affront to democracy. The president isn’t elected by the favored votes however chosen by electors whose royalties are to the 2 political events and never the folks.
Through the years, the presidential electoral course of has change into incorrigibly corrupt. The 2010 Supreme Court docket’s ruling in Residents United v. Federal Election Fee has made cash important to campaigns. Since that notorious determination, company entities and rich establishments/folks can donate limitless cash to elections. The presidential marketing campaign has change into so costly that the candidates compete to please the wealthy. With out sufficient finance, no politician can run a marketing campaign and win. Candidates with low moral values prepared to promote their royalty to the wealthy find yourself pursuing the presidency. These with essentially the most cash normally win. That is catastrophic.
It’s clear, the presidency wants main reforms. The general public agrees: in a 2020 Pew survey, two-thirds of American adults took this view.
Do You Perceive Presidential Election Course of
The US president is chosen by the Electoral School (EC) whose members are chosen by the Democratic and Republican political events. All different political events are overlooked. The EC was not within the 1788 US Structure, however the idea was ratified within the 12th Modification underneath “electors” in 1804. To mainly tackle the problems arising from that modification, the twentieth Modification also referred to as “Lame Duck Modification” was ratified 1933. This second modification let the vice president-elect to rise to presidency if the president-elect dies earlier than taking the workplace. In case each president and vp are discovered unfit, it additionally provides the US Congress authority to pick an appearing president till a president or vp may be chosen.
Sadly, the 1804 election course of continues to be persevering with. The mere indisputable fact that Donald Trump turned the US president-elect in 2016 regardless of getting considerably much less well-liked votes than Hillary Clinton has demonstrated that getting the vast majority of the votes doesn’t matter. To win, a candidate wants a majority within the ED. Trump was chosen to be the US president by the EC whose members’ first loyalty is to the 2 political events, which depend upon the assist from the wealthy. What’s true for Trump can also be true for George W. Bush. In 2000, he turned president despite the fact that Al Gore received extra votes.
Given such outcomes, you could even surprise why we’ve presidential elections. The pseudo-elections stay as a result of the wealthy, the “deep state,” need them to legitimize the method within the eye of the voters and delude them into considering they’re taking part in a democratic course of. Nonetheless, the wealthy are selective in selecting and financing candidates. To make sure excessive return on their investments, they search the candidates based mostly on their charisma and crafty to entertain and excite folks. Sadly, they don’t give a lot consideration to the candidates’ {qualifications}, expertise, experience, administration abilities or typically even bodily and psychological well being to guide the nation for a greater future for all People. In recent times, the US has had presidents like George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, none of whom had met these necessities.
More and more, candidates depend upon cash to win elections, notably after the 2010 Supreme Court docket ruling in favor of the wealthy. Within the 2016 elections, Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump spent a mixed sum of over one billion {dollars} on their political campaigns. Candidates don’t spend such a big sum from their private funds. They depend upon donors to again them. Few People donate to political campaigns and fewer than 1% donate over $200. Thus, the candidates are left on the mercy of the wealthy.
Elections Have Turned Sordid
These elections have degenerated into a celeb competitors. They entice narcissistic people who typically lack an ethical compass. There isn’t any course of to filter out undesirable candidates. Actually, the method is so corrupt that political, specifically presidential, candidates really feel determined to win favor from the wealthy. They even forsake their international locations’ pursuits to please the wealthy.
Typically, one wonders if the candidates are operating for elections overseas. In 2007, Joe Biden declared, “I’m a Zionist. You don’t should be a Jew to be a Zionist.” He did so to please the Zionist wealthy after Obama selected Biden as his operating mate. As a presidential candidate in 2020, Biden wooed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) by declaring his loyalty to Israel. As president, Trump made Israel the inspiration of his overseas coverage choices. He bent over backwards to please Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire who backs Israel and Jewish causes. To each Biden and Trump, Israel got here first as a result of they wanted cash from Jewish donors. Like prostitutes, US presidents now serve the best bidders.
Moreover, the wealthy additionally don’t wish to see sure residents take part in these elections. So, they’ve their lackeys to forestall some territories from turning into states, leaving them out of the elections. In response to the U.S. Structure, Article II, Part 1, a lot of its inhabitants residing in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and different US territories should not certified to vote within the presidential election. An instance is Puerto Rico, which has a inhabitants of over 3.2 million, which is larger than any of the 21 states.
One other drawback with the twentieth Modification is that it provides authority to the US Congress to elect president or vp if both of them is discovered unfit for workplace. Moderately, that election ought to be left to the folks.
Fortunately, People are wising up. In 1981, 75% of People favored abolishing the EC system. In 1987, the American Bar Affiliation known as the EC “archaic” and “ambiguous.”
Reform Presidential Elections
The US presidency should be democratized. In any other case, troubles lie forward. In the long run, such a flawed course of to elect presidents will trigger a lack of religion within the workplace and in democracy itself. I like to recommend three key reforms.
First, the favored poll should resolve who turns into president. The EC should go. That requires amending the twelfth Modification and the twentieth Modification.
Second, the media should present free “equal air time” for all presidential candidates. This can take away the benefit candidates with extra money have within the present course of.Third,we should restrict contributions from all sources to any candidate. There needs to be a cap on the quantity people can donate and the quantity any candidate can elevate. That can take away the disproportionate energy of the rich in deciding US elections and hand again energy to the folks.
The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Truthful Observer’s editorial coverage.
