Is Constant Obstruction in Congress Putting Our Republic at Risk? | Alternet Quote:
When legislatures stop functioning, executive branches tend to grab power in order to "save the Republic."
|
Something like what happened in the late Roman Republic. The Roman Senate was unwilling or unable to curb the ambitions of military leaders, and after a lot of civil strife, some military leaders ended up taking over, creating the Roman Empire.
As author Catherine Burke notes, many Americans will say "It can't happen here", and indeed, the US has had over 200 years of democratic constitutional government with the closest thing to interruption being the US Civil War.
But it has happened numerous times in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Quote:
We may be seeing the beginnings of such a pattern in the United States. The series of manufactured crises, from the debt ceiling debacle to the sequester are indicators of a failing system.
|
After noting how determined minorities in Congress can obstruct important business, she continues with
Quote:
The legislative gridlock has led to calls for the President to take more executive action to get things done. It was even suggested by a prominent journalist that the President ignore the sequester law and act on the basis of his role as Commander-in-Chief of the military -- in other words, like a dictator.
|
Journalist Bob Woodward making analogies with some recent Presidents' military adventures.
Quote:
The temptation of power is real, and so far we have been lucky to have had presidents who resisted that temptation. Now we have a President being excoriated for obeying the law, even though he has made clear he believes the actions required under the law are wrong and damaging to our country.
|
But will future Presidents continue to resist that temptation? Or might some future President decide to become a latter-day Julius Caesar?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.