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controversy over electoral college
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Now that the debacle of the 2000 Presidential election has passed through the annals of United States politics, Daniel Lazare has decided to open the wound of this three ring circus and analyze this example of dysfunctional democracy. In an excerpt from his book, "The Velvet Coup"(Voices, 102), Lazare argues that the Constitution of the United States is an obsolete document that is in dire need of a reality series makeover.
From my understanding, Lazare blames the Supreme Court, the Electoral College, and the Republican Party for that awful display of confusion occurring Election Day in November of 2000. He states, ."..Poland and the Czech Republic can accurately tabulate the results for a dozen or more parties at a time, why did the American system have such inordinate trouble tabulating them for just two."(Voices, 104). Seeing that Poland and the Czech Republic's political system is far more inferior to that of the US, he is poking fun at the system that the Framers laid out in the Constitution. Lazare even goes as far as making the Constitution in desperate need of reform by stating; ."..that any device created by fallible beings is itself fallible and hence prone to breakdown and decay." Could he be suggesting that our beloved Constitution is now like a broken down Ford? That it has seen it's most triumphant days blown by like a summer breeze? That's my guess.
Lazare would like to see the Constitution taken to the incinerator, burned and reformulated to reflect modern times. This to me is too drastic, and if the effort was there, it could be solved by using the power of amending the Constitution. The Framers may not have seen the trouble of changing times, and societal evolution to make perfect every aspect of the Constitution. The Framers put forth tools to solve any ambiguous conflicts with the power to amend this document. It is the fault of modern day politicians that the Constitution is prehistoric. The politicians have the power and the know how to change the Constitution to modern day standards. If any body should be blamed, it should be the politicians. Politics and bipartisan bickering makes our political process a joke to outsiders. Politicians get along as well as an older and younger brother. Pride and egos undo the essence of the Framer's philosophy.
For hundreds of years, politicians have searched for the perfect form of government to be the foundation onto which a strong and prosperous nation can be built. A Democracy is a form of government by the people. In a Democracy, a code of law is not required and the majority always rules. Similarly, in a Republic, the power of the government resides with the people. In addition, a Republic requires a code of law, which protects the minority by limiting the majority, and a system of checks and balances. In the New Nation era, the Sedition Act and the Revolution of the 1800s demonstrated the need for a code of law in order to prevent revolts. Furthermore, in the Jacksonian Era, Andrew Jackson’s abuse of power exhibited the importance of checks
Janda, Kenneth. "2 The Constitution." The Challenge of Democracy Government in America. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print.
Bessette, Joseph M., John J. Pitney, and First Jr. American Government And Politics, Deliberation, Democracy, And Citizenship No Seperate Policy Chapters Editions. Boston: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2010. 429. Print.
"American democracy is doomed" the alarming article written for the website VOX by Matthew Yglesias is a critical approach to the many problems that can arise in our current political system. The article, written in October of 2015, is for the online publication VOX founded by Ezra Klein, who has been a prominent figure in our media system. The author argues that because we have a president and a congress that are both elected to their positions separate of one another, that constitutional crises will occur. While the Matthew Yglesias does provide some powerful examples of recent presidential administrations flirting with unconstitutional deeds, and claiming that these actions will lead to "a collapse of the legal and political order". However
The United States of America is often touted as the guiding beacon of democracy for the entirety of the modern world. In spite of this tremendous responsibility the political system of the United States retains some aspects which upon examination appear to be significantly undemocratic. Perhaps the most perplexing and oft misunderstood of these establishments is the process of electing the president and the institution known as the Electoral College. The puzzle of the Electoral College presents the American people with a unique conundrum as the mark of any true democracy is the citizens’ ability to elect their own ruling officials. Unfortunately, the Electoral College system dilutes this essential capacity by introducing an election by
Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America's Future. Washington, DC: CQ, 2010. Print.
How Democratic is the American Constitution? by Robert A. Dahl is an interesting novel questioning the reliability of the American Constitution. Dahl brings up many interesting points and queries in the novel that really strike a chord with anyone who has had similar thoughts before, including me. His main first argument stating that the Constitution is essentially outdated is what caught my attention the most, with his argument that the Constitution needs to be more democratic coming as a close second. These are the two main arguments I’ll be focusing on as they’re ones that I’ve thought about prior to reading this book in previous government related classes.
Democracy in the United States became prominent in the early to mid 19th century. Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, was inaugurated in 1829 and was best known as the person who mainstreamed democracy in America. Because he came from a humble background, he was the “genuine common man.” (Foner, pg. 303) He claimed he recognized the needs of the people and spoke on behalf of the majority [farmers, laborers]. However, critics of Jackson and democracy called him “King Andrew I” because of his apparent abuse of presidential power [vetoing]. These critics believed he favored the majority so much that it violated the U.S. constitution, and they stated he was straying too far away from the plan originally set for the United States. Because of the extreme shift of power to the majority, the limiting of rights of the few [merchants, industrialists] and the abuse of power under Jackson’s democracy, the foundational documents set in the constitution was violated, and the work of the preceding presidents were all but lost.
The United States is run by a democracy. There are many pieces to democracy that must be in good health in order for democracy to be effective and work. In this essay I will critique some of the most important parts of democracy in America and go deeper. I will first focus on the strengths of United States democracy and then I will dive into categories of democracy that I believe to not be thriving. I believe that the current conditions of United States democracy are becoming a hindrance to this nation, because the opinions and freedoms the public possess are being stripped away through poor media, education, and economy.
Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America’s Future – Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2004.
1. Janda, Kenneth. The Challenge of Democracy. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, MA. 1999. (Chapter 3 & 4).
Janda, Kenneth. Berry, Jeffrey. Goldman, Jerry (2008). The Challenge of Democracy (9th ed.). Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Spaeth, Harold J. and Edward Conrad Smith. The Constitution of the United States, 13th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991 (paper). ISBN 0064671054.
Reinventing American Federalism. Issues of Democracy: Electronic Journals of the U.S. Information Agency. April, 1997 Volume 2, Issue 2.
Landy, Marc and Sidney M. Milkis. American Government: Balancing Democracy and Rights. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004.