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Posts: 813
12/29/09 1:53 PM
President Obama is fulfilling his promise of change. Change in this instance means understanding the president's Constitutional role.
Canada and England use the Parliamentary form of government. After voters select members of parliament, parliament selects the prime minister. English Prime Minister Brown was selected by the majority Labor Party, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper by the Conservative Party in Canada.
The parliamentary system can be efficient. If the prime minister's party has a clear majority that party under the leadership of the prime minister can overwhelm its opposition with its legislative agenda.
The American form government was constructed with Montesquieu's notion of checks and balances. The American system was designed to diffuse power.
Only one of our legislative bodies is democratic. Only members of the House of Representatives represent the same number of people. Two senators represent each state regardless of the state's population.
Think of it. In order to pass a law a majority of senators vote in its favor. California has two senators for 36 million residents. Two senators represent Wyoming's 532,000 residents. For every 68 people a California senator represents a Wyoming senator represents 1.
Combine the imbalance of senatorial representation with the rule in the Senate that 60 senators must agree to shut off debate it is a wonder that anything is accomplished.
Americans like to think in terms of sport metaphors. Quarterbacks lead their offense that crush opponents. I sometimes think we think government should act in a similar manner. But the goals of government are more complex. While every football fan agrees that scoring a touchdown is the immediate goal of a team, voters may not agree on the proper goal for their legislators. Should they pass health care or climate legislation?
It is said that there are a couple of things you do not want to witness - sausage and legislation being made. Using a sports metaphor the health care debate has been like watching kids play football for the very first time.
People with political aspirations have thrown garbage from the sidelines. Sara Palin was one of the first to muddy the waters of the discussion.
According to the Wall Street Journal Politicfact.com, a non-partisan, Pulitzer Prize winning website run by the St. Petersburg Times, picked Ms. Palin's death panel lie "The Lie of the Year." She wrote on Facebook that the health care bill would establish death panels to see who would get treatment.
President Obama is not acting like a prime minister and shoving his policy goals down the throats of the legislature. He is letting the legislature do its job. From time to time he uses the bully pulpit to persuade but does not bully.
Both sides of the aisle have blasted Mr. Obama's handling of health care reform. Some Democrats are cranky because the president has not been forceful enough to push a more progressive bill through Congress. On the other side of the aisle they are clamoring that Mr. Obama is trying to hijack the nation's health care.
Republicans are intransigent. They just want to say no. They scare Medicare recipients. Joe Lieberman just wants respect and John McCain is ill tempered.
President Obama is a pragmatist. Bailing out the financial system originated in the Bush II administration and pundits regularly direct blame at President Obama about it.
The president did champion the auto industry bailout. He couldn't watch the destruction of the largest employment sector in the heartland. Loss of that industry would have long term effects on employment and the ability of state and local governments to supply local services as job loss leads to loss of revenue.
President Obama understands that Congress has many constituents to satisfy when passing legislation. With a 24-hour news cycle we all watch the legislative process. It is not orderly nor pretty but it is what the founders designed.
Thoughtful and deliberate President Obama leads by example. He respects the people's representatives, Congress. The question becomes whether others in government will follow his example.