Define formal power to influence congressional policy-making

Reference no: EM13802235

Americans expect their presidents to get things done, to solve problems, to govern effectively, and to be strong leaders. The framers of the Constitution did not envision such presidential leadership. A scholar of the presidency points out that Article II of the Constitution gives the president scant formal power to influence congressional policy-making (Simon, n.d.). He also notes that the framers intentionally designed a process for selecting presidents that would minimize their political power - the Electoral College. They hoped this institution would insulate the chief executive from the public because they feared the power of presidents who might be elected by the people. Therefore, the Constitution provides that "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress..." Having state legislatures "appoint" the Electors who select the chief executive would minimize the president's capacity to lead on the basis of his popular support. In a very real sense, the president would not be accountable to the people but rather to the state legislatures who appoint Electors. This procedure was also seen as a way to encourage the selection of statesmen with "characters preeminent for ability and virtue" rather than mere politicians with "talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity" (Hamilton, 1788).

The practice of state legislatures appointing Electors continued for many years. Most American history texts do not report national presidential vote totals before 1824 because 25% of the states were still not holding presidential elections by that year. Even as late as 1876 the state of Colorado's legislature appointed Electors. As states moved away from legislative appointment to the current system of allowing a state's Electors to be chosen by a winner-take-all popular vote, the primary rationale for the Electoral College was forgotten in history. At the same time, public expectations of strong presidential leadership were rising.

This creates a problem well illustrated by the disputed election of 2000. George W. Bush was elected president with 271 electoral votes to Al Gore's 266 electoral votes. However, Gore amassed 543,895 popular votes more than Bush. Also, because some disputed votes in Florida made unclear which candidate should receive the state's electoral votes, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a full recount of the Florida vote. But the U.S. Supreme Court intervened and stopped the recount, thereby in effect awarding Florida's electoral votes to Bush. While arguments continue to this day about the legitimacy of the U.S. Supreme Court's intervention, the 2000 election illustrates a glaring weakness of the Electoral College system - selecting a president whose authority may be diminished by the dubious circumstances of his or her election. The election of 2000 also has fueled a long ongoing debate about whether the Electoral College should be abandoned in favor of method which insures that the candidate elected has the most popular votes. Would this outcome be more consistent with contemporary public expectations about the president's role as a national leader who can get things done?

Before writing your initial post, review the assigned resources. To easily access the resources from the Ashford University Library, please see the table located in the Course Materials section.

In your initial post of at least 200-250 words, briefly summarize how the Electoral College works. Explain some of the main pros and cons in the debate about whether to keep or abolish the current Electoral College process. Also explain one proposal to change how the system works without formally abolishing it. Evaluate the various arguments and the proposal. Include at least two perspectives in your assessment:

Your judgment about the relevance of the Electoral College's underlying rationale to contemporary America.

Your judgment about its impact on presidential leadership capacity.

Reference no: EM13802235

Questions Cloud

Reputation and creating a good image : Choose one celebrity or well known public figure who, in your opinion has been successful in building a good reputation and creating a good image for themselves. What activities and/or circumstances have led to his/her positive image and reputati..

Discuss why risk management is so important : Discuss why risk management is so important to the success of the selected project in a letter to the project sponsor. Describe the steps that will be used to develop the Risk Management Plan.

Obtain an expression for the coefficient of static friction : Obtain an expression for the coefficient of static friction required to ensure the masses do not accelerate, which depends on the angle of the inclined surface.

Define the business research and its purpose : Define the business research and its purpose

Define formal power to influence congressional policy-making : A scholar of the presidency points out that Article II of the Constitution gives the president scant formal power to influence congressional policy-making

The level of saving per person : Country A has real GDP per person of 250,000 while Country B has real GDP per person of 500,000. All else constant, Country A will eventually have a higher standard of living than Country B if

What is the level of private investment in this economy : In a country, private savings equals 600, the government budget surplus equals 200, and the trade surplus equals 100. What is the level of private investment in this economy?

What significant information is omitted : What significant information is omitted? What reasonable conclusions are possible? Which words or phrases do you find ambiguous?

What should your pricing strategy be to maximize profits : You are the manager of a hamburger joint with a marginal cost of $6.00 per hamburger. The hamburger joint is a local monopoly near campus. During the day, only students eat at the joint while in the evening only the faculty members eat there. If stud..

User Account

All Pages