I think sometimes people forget that this the way our Constitution in the US is constructed. If we “fail” to work together and just become partisan shills, then it’s designed to NOT function. If we put party over country, it is difficult to push legislation through because each side will vote in opposition to the other side even if the idea or legislation is good for the country.
As an example, parliament style governments only function if the ruling party has enough votes to pass legislation. If they fail to have a majority, then new elections are called until a coalition can form or enough party representation is voted in.
Here in the US, electors can basically sit around for 2 years doing nothing until the next election. Plus even if the House passes legislation, a devided Senate can kill it too, or a President vetos it, or a Supreme Court guts it or strikes it down as unconstitutional (even though judicial review is a made-up concept not in the Constitution).
Checks and balances in the Constitution are designed to cause gridlock and dysfunction. When they say “dysfunction in Congress is here to stay”…they should say “dysfunction has always been here, we just noticed it.”
Except there was an expectation by the Founders that each branch would guard its powers jealously and not allow other branches to steal or negate those powers. Instead, we’re seeing people put party over all else and coordinate across the branches to undermine the entire government. Gridlock was never the point, cooperation and negotiation was.
The last time things broke down like this, it wasn’t resolved until more than seven million Americans died in bloody fighting. This is not how the system was intended.
I agree, political parties have taken over. They ruled the day after Washington bid his farewell and went off into the sunset. Federalist v. Dem-Rep, Whigs v. Dems, Rep. v. Dems or whatever political name they call themselves foster a hope for “bipartisanship” but it is clearly lacking.
But I guess I wasn’t clear in the my last post. The system is designed, to cause grid-lock if both sides stop working together. Currently political parties (or at least some) believe sharing power is antitheical to political governance. One party wins the House of Rep., the minority party votes in opposition. This still doesn’t stop bipartisan bills from forming and passing. If it does happen, then the system is working as intended. If we fail to cooperate, then gridlock happens, and dysfunction occurs. The founders I believe intended it to be that way. It just seems as if the news suddenly realized that dysfunction is this new concept. When it’s how’s it’s always been when shit hits the fan.
As for the branches of government, many have failed to jealously guarding their powers. Congress has effectively given up declaring war. Allowing standing orders on military “engagements” to become perpetual. Give up their power by allowing the president to enact executive orders on military operations. They’ve given up their ability of basic governance by allowing the Supreme Court to dictate legislation through “judicial supremacy”. The legislators need to claw all of these powers back. But alas I doubt I’ll see it in my life time.
I think sometimes people forget that this the way our Constitution in the US is constructed. If we “fail” to work together and just become partisan shills, then it’s designed to NOT function. If we put party over country, it is difficult to push legislation through because each side will vote in opposition to the other side even if the idea or legislation is good for the country.
As an example, parliament style governments only function if the ruling party has enough votes to pass legislation. If they fail to have a majority, then new elections are called until a coalition can form or enough party representation is voted in.
Here in the US, electors can basically sit around for 2 years doing nothing until the next election. Plus even if the House passes legislation, a devided Senate can kill it too, or a President vetos it, or a Supreme Court guts it or strikes it down as unconstitutional (even though judicial review is a made-up concept not in the Constitution).
Checks and balances in the Constitution are designed to cause gridlock and dysfunction. When they say “dysfunction in Congress is here to stay”…they should say “dysfunction has always been here, we just noticed it.”
Except there was an expectation by the Founders that each branch would guard its powers jealously and not allow other branches to steal or negate those powers. Instead, we’re seeing people put party over all else and coordinate across the branches to undermine the entire government. Gridlock was never the point, cooperation and negotiation was.
The last time things broke down like this, it wasn’t resolved until more than seven million Americans died in bloody fighting. This is not how the system was intended.
I agree, political parties have taken over. They ruled the day after Washington bid his farewell and went off into the sunset. Federalist v. Dem-Rep, Whigs v. Dems, Rep. v. Dems or whatever political name they call themselves foster a hope for “bipartisanship” but it is clearly lacking.
But I guess I wasn’t clear in the my last post. The system is designed, to cause grid-lock if both sides stop working together. Currently political parties (or at least some) believe sharing power is antitheical to political governance. One party wins the House of Rep., the minority party votes in opposition. This still doesn’t stop bipartisan bills from forming and passing. If it does happen, then the system is working as intended. If we fail to cooperate, then gridlock happens, and dysfunction occurs. The founders I believe intended it to be that way. It just seems as if the news suddenly realized that dysfunction is this new concept. When it’s how’s it’s always been when shit hits the fan.
As for the branches of government, many have failed to jealously guarding their powers. Congress has effectively given up declaring war. Allowing standing orders on military “engagements” to become perpetual. Give up their power by allowing the president to enact executive orders on military operations. They’ve given up their ability of basic governance by allowing the Supreme Court to dictate legislation through “judicial supremacy”. The legislators need to claw all of these powers back. But alas I doubt I’ll see it in my life time.
https://web.archive.org/web/20231002233744/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/supreme-court-power-overrule-congress/661212/