Political Trust & Distrust 4
Framers’ Q: Can we trust a new government strong enough defend us not to also oppress us?
politics
The Presidency 8
The framers decided power was to be divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
The Presidency 7
The framers agreed to establish a strong, flexible presidency that would be constrained against tyrannical behavior.
The Presidency 6
Insulating the President from election politics was a big part of the framer’s strategy.
The Presidency 1
When the framers created the presidency, they were intent on solving two trust-related problems.
HOW TO ENJOY POLITICS
Democracy is all about using free and fair political competition to motivate a contest of the best ideas for solving problems. Politics played as a contest of ideas requires voters and politicians alike to speak for themselves and to listen to others for their ideas.
Connecting the Dots
Pundits haven’t yet fully connected the dots in front of them. Yes, presidential use of national emergency powers to spend money on things that Congress chose not to authorize is against the Article 1 of Constitution. Here is the other dot: the choice of president became more consequential as the Office of the President became more powerful. This trend explains why election campaigns have been fought ever more viciously – by politicians and citizens alike.
Impossible to Be Civil?
Hillary Clinton said this week “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for.” A day later, Eric Holder said that when Republicans “go low, we kick them.” Before that, back in 2016, Donald Trump complained that there were no longer consequences to protesting because “nobody wants to …
Lost in the Outrage
Much of the press coverage about the Supreme Court confirmation process, mainstream and otherwise, has been about the alleged low quality of tactics undertaken by each political party as they maneuver to confirm or obstruct the confirmation of the nominee. Forgotten in all the outrage is the fact that none of this maneuvering would be …
Free Speech: Abuse It and Lose It
The right to free speech is an integral part of modern democracy. Abuse that right and you abuse democracy. Take that abuse too far and you won’t have free speech any more.
These People are Winning
Democracy is not dying everywhere, or even in most places. Here is an example from Slovakia. The action started just a few months ago and the people are winning!
Is it Time to Restore Big Tent Politics?
Another illustration of the definition of insanity: recently the Washington Post published a story on how many voters and party officials in both parties seem to think more party purity would help. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. In times of strained checks and balances, trying for more party …
