Jon Chait has a good piece showing just how broken our system of government is. In it, he notes that most presidential systems fail but that ours has succeeded, because we have norms that allow it to function. And now those norms are being destroyed - and almost entirely by the GOP.
It's worth noting that when we have had the opportunity to start a government from scratch - as we did in Japan and Iraq - we chose a parliamentary system.
Presidential systems have too many choke points - the vaunted checks and balances - that prevent government from actually governing. This works fine for a party that doesn't want government to work at all, but it's very frustrating for the majority of Americans who want it to work.
Of course, the problem of how we apportion congressional representation is another reason why this system fails. If the House was determined by proportional representation and the Senate by geography, we might reach a point where the system worked.
Anyone think that will happen?
2 comments:
I saw your posts on SB nation and really liked your writing. I am currently looking for a Braves writer to write for my blog. I have a Hawks writer and a Falcons writer so getting you would complete the Atlanta package. Please let me know if you are interested. Thank You!
You would also be able to write about the Falcons too :)
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