When the framers created the presidency, they were intent on solving two trust-related problems. One problem was how to harness political competition for the public good without the polarizing consequences they observed in England and Europe. The other problem was how to balance the need for an empowered executive to get things done against the …
Populist or partisan presidents sometimes feel motivated to weaken constitutional constraints.
Free course on the presidency. One paragraph per day. Which statements about American political parties are true? They have to be pre-approved by the government. They help candidates mobilize and organize people. They help voters by showing how their candidates and policies are different and superior. They can help sitting presidents build support for their …
Presidents can use their connection to the voters to bypass reluctant party leaders.
Extracted from our course Trust and the Presidency. 2.14 Money is power. A president’s political assets can sometimes extend beyond leadership to include money. Under today’s campaign laws, presidential candidates with sufficient excess campaign committee funds can influence federal and state elections. They can do so by directing some of their campaign committee funds to …
Political parties became more important as state legislatures directed their electors to follow the popular vote in their states.
The framers decided power was to be divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
The framers agreed to establish a strong, flexible presidency that would be constrained against tyrannical behavior.
Insulating the President from election politics was a big part of the framer’s strategy.
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 deadly times in English and European history. Memories of the Thirty Year’s War (1618-1648) which involved most of the European states of the time, the …
When the framers created the presidency, they were intent on solving two trust-related problems.
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.
