checks and balances

The defining characteristic of our political system as structured by the Constitution is the checks and balances that each of the three branches exert upon the other. For example, Congress may seek to impeach the President, and even remove him from office. The decision to impeach President Clinton, for example, while unquestionably an excercise in raw partisan power, still was well within the prerogative of the legislative branch, and so could not be termed an abuse of power per se - it was actually an expression of the functioning of the government and an illustration of how those checks and balances operate.

Today, Senator Boxer (D-CA) joined in the objection to the slate of electors from Ohio, and I feel that while there is unquestionably a partisan element to the action, that partusan element reflectsthe neccessity of a political opposition - especially when one party is so completely dominant over all three branches of government.


This filing of an objection has been characterized as anti-democratic, but the simple truth is that this process exists within the Constitution for precisely the scenario - reasonable doubt about the validity of the electoral procedures in Ohio.

Truth be told, were I suspicious that there was even a chance of this objection actually having enough impact to overturn the ouutcome of the 2004 presidential election, I think I'd be forced to oppose it.

However, by using the established mechanism for objection to a slate of electors, what Boxer is courageously doing with her House counterparts is shining a light on the flaws in our system, which are endemic and far beyond what is tolerable in the leading democracy of the world.

I expect that I have reason to be optimistic to see real election reform in teh coming years. We have the challenge being filed today - which will almost surely not succeed - to thank for it.

Comments

barb said…
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Aziz P. said…
Guys, please remember that these discussion threads are to remain on topic for the post in question only. Your posts were more appropriately posted in an open thread, not here.

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