Much of the chaos of the last decade has to do with attempts to shift US presidential system to a parliamentary system without admitting it.—
Gerry Canavan (@gerrycanavan) October 02, 2013
…start with Linz’s analysis of Latin America in his two-volume seriesThe Failure of Presidential Democracy. The problem, according to Linz, is right there in the title: too much reliance on presidents. In Linz’s telling, successful democracies are governed by prime ministers who have the support of a majority coalition in parliament. Sometimes, as in the British Commonwealth or Sweden or post-Franco Spain, these prime ministers are formally subordinate to a monarch. Other times, as in Germany or Israel or Ireland, there is a largely ceremonial, nonhereditary president who serves as head of state. But in either case, governing authority vests in a prime minister and a cabinet whose authority derives directly from majority support in parliament. The shutdown is the Constitution’s fault. But don’t despair! A loophole can still save us! Democrats can use this one weird trick to end the government shutdown.
An out-party that is maximally opposed to the in-party is not compatible with the US's veto-point-laden institutions: recipe for crisis.—
Gerry Canavan (@gerrycanavan) October 02, 2013
If you want that kind of party politics you need to strip out veto points so that in-parties can implement their agenda + then face voters.—
Gerry Canavan (@gerrycanavan) October 02, 2013
If you want the status-quo-preserving power of veto points, you need a party politics that isn't maximalist.—
Gerry Canavan (@gerrycanavan) October 02, 2013
