The framers were clear that the President was to be accountable to Congress.
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Civility
Two candidates for governor stand together, calling for civility among voters.
The Presidency 9
Some of the framers wanted an Executive Council to advise and bind the President.
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The framers decided power was to be divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
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The framers agreed to establish a strong, flexible presidency that would be constrained against tyrannical behavior.
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Insulating the President from election politics was a big part of the framer’s strategy.
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The framers wanted a presidency that served the common good.
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The framer’s fear of incapacity was balanced by their fear of tyranny.
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The framers wanted to avoid the tyranny that absolute power brings.
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4. The framers had good reason to fear the tyranny of factions. The period when the thirteen original American colonies were formed overlapped with one of the most violent and…
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When the framers created the presidency, they were intent on solving two trust-related problems.
The Value of Voting
Does voting make any difference? Is it worth the trouble? The answer depends upon you. If you and enough other people vote for someone who has pledged to represent your…
Keeping Our Republic
In general, constitutions are written by people who expect to live and work together for generations to come. It’s when enough people no longer feel this way that Constitutions are…
A Tale of Two Countries
Clashes in Berkeley and Portland bring to mind an interesting story about two countries where people who felt frustrated with each other and their governments. Citizens in Columbia and Venezuela…
Are You Well Served by the USPS?
The U.S. Constitution provides for nearly universal adult access to the ballot. The pandemic is making that difficult. Most voting precincts had historically depended upon retirees to administer the system,…
New Course on Trust & The Presidency
Take this short civics course about trust, distrust, and the presidency.
Declaration of Independence
Consider every citizen in this country to be an American, worthy of your support and help.
Trust and Our Police
To improve trust in our police, fairness and accountability must be more evenly distributed along lines of race and ethnicity.
Divided We Fall
History shows that one of the shortest paths towards dictatorship is to get the people divided against each other.
Our Leaders Don’t Want Us to Know
We get to have leaders who are accountable to us, and we get to choose our leaders peacefully – but only if …
Freedom of the Press
Thomas Jefferson said “Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.” A free press is especially important in the coronavirus pandemic.
Urgent Attention Needed
It is hard to fight the corona virus without a healthy liberal, republican democracy. Urgent attention is needed.
In Need of Vigilant Defense
Liberal, republican democracy is precious for the freedom, peace, and better quality of life it can bring, but those benefits don’t come for free. Citizens need to do more to protect and strengthen their democracies – starting here at home.
Strongmen for Scared People?
Strongmen for scared people leads to failure. Democracies have the edge when it comes to health care. Read on.
Voting During the Pandemic
Interest in voting by mail has increased – because of anxiety over catching the virus from fellow voters. It seems simple but there are important trade-offs to consider.
Emergency COVID-19 Powers
Emergency powers are sometimes necessary, but they should always be temporary, and only Congress should have the authority to renew them.
Corona Virus, Democracy, and Accountability
First, please take a look at the good advice from the CDC. Second, consider also how you might be able to help the people around you. Nextdoor.com and other social…
No, They Are Not All Corrupt
It is really important for any patriots, regardless of affiliation, to never ever excuse misconduct on the false assertion that “they all do it.” They don’t, and we should be working together to keep the number of swamp creatures in Washington as low as we can.
Constitution Day, 2019
The framers came up with a Constitution that allows people who distrust each other to work productively together in pursuit of their own happiness – but only if the principles of accountability, fairness, and constrained power are respected and enforced.
Free to Criticize
Decades ago, when this blogger was a boy, it used to be popular to say “I don’t agree with that, but I will defend to the death your right to…