The question of whether the current U.S. presidential system is the best way to govern 335 million people is complex and does not have a simple answer. There are valid arguments on both sides, and different systems have their own strengths and weaknesses.
What if the USA Just Had no President for Four Years?
If the USA were without a president for four years, it would lead to significant disruptions in both domestic governance and international relations:
Domestically:
– The executive branch would be severely impaired, halting key functions like signing bills into law, issuing executive orders, and making federal appointments.
– Government operations would face paralysis, with delays in policy implementation, budget approvals, and emergency responses.
– Economic instability would likely ensue due to lack of leadership on fiscal policy, trade agreements, and economic sanctions.
Internationally:
– A power vacuum in global leadership would emerge, potentially destabilizing the international order.
– Adversaries might seek to exploit the perceived weakness of the U.S.
– Allies could look to form new alliances or fill the leadership void themselves.
– The effectiveness of international institutions like NATO and the UN could diminish.
– Regional conflicts might increase as the U.S. role in conflict resolution and deterrence would be absent.
– Major powers like China and Russia would likely attempt to expand their global influence.
– The existing framework of multilateral cooperation could weaken, leading to a more fragmented international system.
Overall, the absence of a U.S. president would likely result in increased global instability, economic uncertainty, and a shift in the balance of power on the world stage.
What About Giving The Head of Each Agency Decision Power and Have them Form A Parlament?
The proposal to grant decision-making power to the heads of each agency as a parliamentary solution raises important considerations regarding governance structure, accountability, and efficiency.
Key Principles of the U.S. Presidential System
1. Checks and Balances: The U.S. system is characterized by a separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, designed to prevent any one branch from dominating the others[17].
2. Strong Executive Leadership: The president holds significant authority, particularly in emergencies, enabling swift decision-making.
3. Fixed Terms: The president serves a defined term, promoting stability and continuity in governance[19].
Drawbacks of the Presidential System
1. Gridlock: Political deadlock can occur when different parties control the executive and legislative branches, hindering effective governance[18].
2. Limited Accountability: Presidents can be difficult to remove before their term ends, which may reduce responsiveness to public sentiment[19].
3. Winner-Take-All Elections: The current electoral system can result in a president winning without a majority of the popular vote, potentially misrepresenting public opinion.
Advantages of Parliamentary Systems
1. Faster Policy Implementation: In parliamentary systems, the executive is often drawn from the legislature, facilitating quicker legislative processes[16].
2. Increased Accountability: Governments can be dissolved through votes of no confidence, enhancing responsiveness to public opinion[16][18].
3. Multi-Party Representation: These systems often accommodate a broader spectrum of political parties, allowing for more diverse viewpoints in governance.
Challenges of Parliamentary Systems
1. Stability: Parliamentary systems may experience less stability, with governments potentially changing frequently due to votes of no confidence[16].
2. Frequent Elections: The need for regular elections can lead to political instability and uncertainty.
Mixed Systems
Mixed systems, such as semi-presidential systems, combine elements of both presidential and parliamentary structures, attempting to balance the strengths and weaknesses of each[17][18].
Shifting decision-making power to agency heads could streamline processes and enhance accountability, akin to parliamentary systems. However, it would require careful consideration of how to maintain checks and balances to prevent the concentration of power and ensure that agency heads remain accountable to elected representatives.
Could the USA Just Elect NO President in 2024?
If no candidate receives a majority of 270 electoral votes, the election would be decided by the House of Representatives in a contingent election[6][8]. Each state delegation would get one vote, with a candidate needing a majority of states (26) to win.
If the House fails to elect a president by Inauguration Day (January 20, 2025), the Vice President-elect would become Acting President until the House resolves the deadlock[6][8].
If no Vice President is elected either, then under the Presidential Succession Act, the Speaker of the House would become Acting President[8].
This scenario could occur if:
– A strong third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. splits the vote enough that no candidate reaches 270 electoral votes[8].
– There are disputed election results or faithless electors that prevent a majority.
– One of the major candidates drops out late in the race, throwing the process into chaos[6][7].
The parties and electoral system have contingency plans for most scenarios, including candidate deaths or withdrawals at various stages[6][7]. These include:
– Replacing candidates before conventions
– National committees selecting replacements after conventions
– Electoral College members potentially voting for alternates
While unprecedented in modern times, experts generally believe the constitutional and party processes would ultimately produce a president, even if through an unconventional path[6]. However, such a scenario would likely cause significant political turmoil and uncertainty.
In summary, the Constitution and electoral laws provide mechanisms to resolve a situation where no president is clearly elected, but it would be a messy and potentially destabilizing process for the country. The system is designed to ultimately produce a president, even if through indirect means.
In other words, currently, the United States does not have the option to simply not elect a president in 2024. The U.S. Constitution and established electoral processes mandate that a president must be elected. If one is not elected, the system goes into autopilot and picks one from a pre-determined hierarchy.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of a system depends not just on its structure, but on how it’s implemented, the political culture of the country, and the engagement of its citizens. While the U.S. system has proven resilient over time, it’s always valuable to critically examine our institutions and consider ways they might be improved to better serve the needs of a large, diverse population in the 21st century.
Reform Needed, But What?
How could you fairly represent and govern 335 million people in an actual democracy using modern technology?
While governing 335 million people in a direct democracy would be challenging, modern technology offers some possibilities for enhancing representation and participation in a large-scale democracy:
1. Digital voting platforms: Secure online voting systems could allow citizens to vote directly on more issues, increasing direct participation[14]. However, ensuring security and accessibility for all would be crucial.
2. E-petitions and crowdsourcing legislation: Online platforms could enable citizens to propose and collaborate on drafting legislation, which representatives could then consider[15].
3. AI-powered constituent engagement: Artificial intelligence could help analyze and summarize large volumes of citizen input, allowing representatives to better understand their constituents’ views[12].
4. Virtual town halls and live-streamed debates: Technology enables more frequent and accessible interactions between citizens and representatives through online forums and live video[14].
5. Blockchain for transparency: Blockchain technology could provide secure, transparent records of votes and government decisions[15].
6. Data analytics for representation: Advanced data analysis could help identify underrepresented groups and issues, allowing for more equitable governance[12].
7. Participatory budgeting platforms: Online tools could allow citizens to have direct input on how portions of government budgets are allocated[15].
8. Social media monitoring: Representatives could use social media analytics to gauge public opinion on various issues more quickly and accurately[14].
Well, any of the above could be manipulated and co-opted as social media already is, but it is still interesting to think about how technological solutions can enhance representation. A purely direct democracy for 335 million people would still face significant challenges[2]. One of the biggest problems with pure democracy is that people are not informed, and with such a big complicated system, it is not reasonable to expect that all decisions could be handled by massive voting. A hybrid system combining elements of representative and direct democracy, leveraging technology to increase participation and transparency, is more feasible[5]. That’s what we have right now, a hybrid system, where people feel that have some say in the political process, which at times is true.
Ultimately, any democratic system must balance efficiency, fairness, and protection of minority rights[2]. Technology can aid in this process, but it cannot entirely replace the need for elected representatives who can dedicate their full attention to complex governance issues[1][4].
Read More
[1] https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/71/what-is-the-difference-between-parliamentary-and-presidential-governments
[2] https://borgenproject.org/parliamentary-system-versus-presidential-system/
[3] https://library.fiveable.me/intro-to-poli-sci/unit-9/2-difference-parliamentary-presidential-systems/study-guide/lD7DiFTccAvxsYSq
[4] https://openstax.org/books/introduction-political-science/pages/9-2-what-is-the-difference-between-parliamentary-and-presidential-systems
[5] https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/glossary_term/presidential-system/
[6] https://abcnews.go.com/538/biden-trump-suddenly-leaves-2024-race/story?id=106136493
[7] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/12/bidens-election-crisis-what-happens-if-the-us-president-loses-support
[8] https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4502438-what-if-no-candidate-wins-270-electoral-votes/
[9] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/14/trump-biden-aging-scenarios-ballot/
[10] https://www.nbcmiami.com/decision-2024/what-would-happen-if-joe-biden-or-donald-trump-leaves-his-partys-ticket/3350132/
[11] https://blog.richmond.edu/introamgov-mcgowen/2017/09/06/can-one-government-encompass-300-million-americans/
[12] https://nebraskalegislature.gov/education/lesson1.php
[13] https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_government/democracy.php
[14] https://www.ushistory.org/gov/5.asp
[15] https://goodparty.org/blog/article/what-is-representative-democracy
[16] https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/legislative-branch
[17] https://bensguide.gpo.gov/j-check-balance
[18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_%28government%29
[19] https://mrsc.org/explore-topics/public-meetings/procedures/parliamentary-procedure
[20] https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government