The president and the American political system

It often surprises people that America, a country with arguably the most dynamic market economy, possesses a politcal system that lends itself towards stasis. Opposing forces push and pull at each other and this is down to the numerous checks and balances the framers designed into the constitution. As one of them said, ambition must be made to counter ambition. Constitutionally the president is granted only limited powers, must since the 1930s especially he is burdened with enormous expectations. The de jure limits on the president’s powers can only be overcome with adroit use of informal powers. As one constitutional scholar put it, the president has only the power to persuade.

With Obama’s stock in the USA declining it is worth bearing in mind what the 44th incumbent of the White House has achieved.

Andrew Sullivan, writing in the Sunday Times, argues that Obama is achieving large change on an incremental basis. This is a useful article to consider when looking at the powers of the president, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the extent to which the constitution is a barrier to good government.

Here is the link.