In contrast to my previous VSI foray into US politics this short volume (a mere 112 pages) looks primarily at the components of the US political system and how it all fits together. Starting at the top with the Presidency (which of course might not have happened if some people got their way after the Revolution and had placed executive power in the hands of an executive committee rather than a single man), the bicameral Congress – with that sneaky series of divisions (term length and numbers amongst other things) to keep powers separated, the Supreme Court, the Bureaucracy (who everyone loves to hate but could hardly do without), the Press and the power of public opinion, and the inevitable creation and rise of political parties and the follow on partisanship we’re dealing with today (actually across the world).
I suppose the biggest thing that really jumped out at me is that the US government in all its many aspects is very deliberately – by design of the Founders – inefficient. In order to prevent the potential tyranny of one person or one party all of the elements of government are designed not to work well with each other. To me that’s just odd. You would think that if a group of people sat down to create a more perfect union then they’d try to make things more efficient and not less! OK, I get that they had just successfully won a revolutionary war against a defined tyrant but still… it seems a little excessive to me after over 200 years. Is there much evidence that the design of the political system has prevented and tyrannical aspirations since 1789? Has the US ever even started on that road never mind approached that destination? Nixon maybe? I think my American readership might have a better idea than I obviously do!
Despite being a little dry in places this did compliment both the previous VSI book in this ‘blitz’ of mine as well as the next one too – which was the idea after all! I definitely learnt a bit more about how the American system works and intending delving a little deeper into the Revolution and the Founders themselves. As always much more to come.
4 comments:
The debate over power and efficiency of the Federal government goes back to the American Revolution and still rages on. I would say that if ever our institutions were tested against authoritarianism it is now. I think that the jury is still out on how it will work out. For more on the original debates I recamend Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier.
smart cookies, they were, fully aware of the iniquity and incompetence of the human race... if computers had been invented then, the forefathers would have placed the whole government thing in the hands of cybernetic overlords, i'm sure... maybe we'll get there someday anyhow...
Well, your author is correct. I am learning so much from these Presidential biographies about the creaky way our federal government operates and it is enough to freak me out. Somehow though, even if not forever, this country is still pretty much on top of the world.
@ Brian: I think Trump is *trying* to be an authoritarian leader and probably would be more so without the Dems in the House. Hopefully he won't be elected in 2020 and won't have all of Congress on his side. Then you'll see just how authoritarian he can be!
@ Mudpuddle: The government set-up does seem overly convoluted but I can appreciate their thinking. So far it seems to be working. But I think the Trump presidency will be the start of a big rethink of your whole system.
@ Judy: It is interesting what the future holds for the US. I think the coming century will be with China and the other BRIC countries.... but we shall see.
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