Comments on: A modest proposal for our Presidential primary system http://andstillipersist.com/2008/06/a-modest-proposal-for-our-presidential-primary-system/ Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:41:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: rdp http://andstillipersist.com/2008/06/a-modest-proposal-for-our-presidential-primary-system/comment-page-1/#comment-358 rdp Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:22:47 +0000 http://and-still-i-persist.com/?p=958#comment-358 Nice! As soon as possible, I'd also like to see more checks and balances coming out of the legislative and judicial branches of government against the executive branch. Checks and balances across branches need to trump party affiliation. How can we afford to allow an executive branch to get to the point where it can play by a totally different set of rules than everyone else, rapidly creating new rules, getting people off the hook for breaking old rules, and arbitrarily buying out or influencing any other branch of government in real time. If that becomes the norm, it really won't matter what tweaks are made to the set of rules voters are playing by. It may be that we are attracting the wrong types of candidates because of what we've historically allowed this position to get away with. However, if we can restore that position (and the vice presidency) to its limited nature, governed by clearly defined constitutional boundaries, we might just start attracting more of the types of candidates we actually want. I believe a visible enforcement of checks and balances starting now could dramatically change the candidate pool in 2012 because it would make the position itself less desirable to those who would abuse it, and more accessible to those who would honor it. Nice! As soon as possible, I’d also like to see more checks and balances coming out of the legislative and judicial branches of government against the executive branch. Checks and balances across branches need to trump party affiliation. How can we afford to allow an executive branch to get to the point where it can play by a totally different set of rules than everyone else, rapidly creating new rules, getting people off the hook for breaking old rules, and arbitrarily buying out or influencing any other branch of government in real time. If that becomes the norm, it really won’t matter what tweaks are made to the set of rules voters are playing by.

It may be that we are attracting the wrong types of candidates because of what we’ve historically allowed this position to get away with. However, if we can restore that position (and the vice presidency) to its limited nature, governed by clearly defined constitutional boundaries, we might just start attracting more of the types of candidates we actually want.

I believe a visible enforcement of checks and balances starting now could dramatically change the candidate pool in 2012 because it would make the position itself less desirable to those who would abuse it, and more accessible to those who would honor it.

]]>