Blog #8: Bush's Waning Power

In the government of the United States, three major factor's that affect the President's power in legislative battles are whether the President is a strong persuader, whether the President has a good approval rating, and whether the President is a "winner." Unfortunately for President Bush, all of these factors go against our current President. This article from the Washington Post depicts our President's waning power, which is portrayed in the current legislative battle over the bailout bill. The failure of the bailout bill to pass through the House shows Bush's waning political power and influence because the bill failed to pass due to a large number of defectors in the House of Representatives from his own party. Since Bush has not been successful as President, since he is not very persuasive, and since his approval rating is extremely low, it is hard for Congressmen, especially from his own party, to believe in the words he is saying and to jump on his bandwagon. Also, since the Congressmen need the public's votes to be reelected, it is not wise to side with a person who is not well liked/approved by the public. Therefore, Bush's power and influence in the government is nearly fully diminished.

Article: http://www.newser.com/story/38733/bailout-vote-shows-bushs-power-waning.html

Blog #7: Gridlock

Congressional stalemates, or gridlocks, that describe legislative inaction occur for many reasons, especially over important issues. One reason for the occurrences of gridlocks is the division of government. The division of government allows for numerous checks and balances that a bill must go through before becoming a law. Even though having a strong system of checks and balances can make sure a bill is fool-proof before it becomes a law, having too many checks and balances can severely delay the passing of a bill, and it simultaneously allows for more areas where the bill can be defeated and die, which does not resolve the issue the bill is being passed for. For example, a bill can pass through both houses of Congress and still be defeated due to the President's veto power. Another reason for gridlocks is a bicameral legislature, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A bill must be passed in both houses to remain eligible to be made into a law, which is a major reason why so many gridlocks occur. For example, a bill may pass in the House of Representatives due to having a majority of Democrats, but when the bill is sent to the Senate, it is defeated because the Republicans still hold a majority in the Senate due to having longer terms in the Senate (6 years) than in the House (2 years). Also, with filibusters in the Senate needing a 3/5 vote to bring about the filibuster's cloture, bills often die on the floor of the Senate. Also, the party system used today in politics is a primary reason for gridlocks occuring. The rivaling Democratic and Republican parties oppose each other on most major issues, which causes a still widening gap to form between the parties, which in turn makes compromise less likely. A gridlock causes a bill to be delayed in becoming a law, which makes the issue, which is most likely progressively worsening, that the bill is being passed for to remain unresolved. The delayed response to the issue may be too late to solve the issue by the time the bill is ultimately passed. Gridlock is somewhat an appropriate representation of the will of the people, for earmarks can be added on to the bill that wins the vote of individual Congressman because it "brings the pork back home" to the Congressman's constituency, which makes him more liked by the people he represents and which gives him more of a chance to be reelected. However, the true will of the people is probably to pass the bill that resolves the critical issue for the welfare of the nation as a whole. Congress can be effective, but it would be very difficult with the current setup of government and with party politics.