US Government

The Electoral College has 538 electors; each state gets the total number of electors according to the number of senators and representatives they have serving in congress. The District of Columbia has 3 votes despite the fact that it has no reps in congress. To win, the candidate must have 270 or half the amount. The arguments for it are many states benefit from the system because of the influence they wield in the presidential election. Another argument for the college is states have a say in national politics because of the electoral system. Arguments for the college is some states are over represented and candidate who win the most popular vote do not always win the most electoral votes. Another argument is if the college is abolished, then the winner take all result will skewered, as a result, third parties will spring up and there will be a multi party government as in France and Italy.

Before Andrew Jackson, neither institution was dominant because the pragmatic powers of the president were unknown. But during the term of Jackson, the power of the presidency was augmented greatly because of his idea of democracy. Jackson vetoed twelve times and stood firmly for his constitutional beliefs as a “tribune of the people.” He enlarged the powers of the president. After Jackson, congress regained power during the sectionalism and slavery crises. Then the next person to make the presidency more powerful was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln over used the “implied” powers of the constitution and justified it by the current situation. He spent money, raised an army and suspended habeas corpus under the pretext of civil war, making him the second president to dominate the government.

After him congress quickly regained power during reconstruction until Teddy Roosevelt with his Big Stick policy and Woodrow Wilson with world war one. Then the congress regained power until FDR, where he dominated the presidency for a long time because the national government took a much larger role in the lives of people. It had become abundantly clear that a national emergency could equip the president with great power and that a popular and strong-willed president could expand his powers even without an emergency.

Powers of the President Alone

• Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces
• Commission officers of the armed forces
• Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment)
• Convene Congress in special sessions
• Receive ambassadors
• Take care that the laws be faithfully executed
• Wield the “executive power”
• Appoint officials to lesser offices
• Powers of the President that are shared with the Congress
• Make treaties
• Appoint ambassadors, judges, and high official
• Approve legislation

The structures that a president uses to organize his staff are pyramid, circular and ad hoc structures. In pyramid, there is definite hierarchy; in a circular system, cabinet secretaries and assistants inform the president; in an ad hoc system everyone including committees and groups deal directly with the president. Pyramid structure can be orderly but the president can be isolated or misinformed. Circular structure can be very informative but can create chaos and confusion among secretaries and assistants. Ad hoc limits bureaucracies and increases flexibility, but it cuts off the president from the officials who are actually responsible for making decisions that have to be reported to the president.

President can control many of the bureaucratic organizations because the heads and major top positions within these agencies and organizations are appointed by him (many of the positions are given to his long time associates or people that he knows or agrees with in policy), unchecked by the congress. This gives the president enough power to push through any agenda he wants as well as use his executive orders.