With the rise in the professional politician many prefer to remain loyal in order to gain power and move up in the hierarchy as opposed to become a rebel who remains in the back benchers. This can be seen after the vote on tuition fees and the liberal democrats. Despite the fact that they had campaigned for this cause endlessly only 26 (including a few Conservatives) chose to vote against the bill. Whips play an important part in removing efficiency from Parliament. By having whips who ensure that MPs behave in accordance to the decisions of the executive both Parliaments ability to scrutinise and hold the executive to account is diminished, but also their role as representatives of their individual constituency is also compromised.
TERM LIMITS FOR CONGRESS I believe that term limits should be placed on our Congressmen and women because it would allow for a more efficient Congress. The current Congress is in shambles, a dismal failure and is in desperate need of new ideas, procedures, and influence. With term limits in place, Congress will be more responsible toward their constituents because they themselves will soon be constituents. They will have to live under and abide by the laws they created while in office. They’ll have less time in office to develop money ties to lobbyists and other special interest groups, thereby weakening the threat of lobbyists being able to influence legislation.
Presidents use their appointees to cement their legacy, trying to choose individuals who share their ideology. I know that has become a dirty world in how the government uses to interpret the law, but right now, there is a very bright line separating conservative and progressive issues. One should nominate someone who believes in the same causes he or she does. Choosing a nominee who is not, already a judge has the advantage of giving less fodder to the opposition, because she has no opinions available for scrutiny. On the other hand, she could turn out to be something other than the president expected.
Some go so far as to advocate direct democracy, in which the people, not their representatives, vote directly on legislation. However, an educated electorate is necessary for the success of any democracy, and there is a real question as to whether the public is educated or informed enough to vote directly on the nuts and bolts of government policies. What do liberals believe about the constitution? Liberals note that constitutions and their amendments are passed just like other laws: after extensive debate and by a vote of the people's elected representatives. The only difference is that constitutional amendments are much harder to pass than laws, because they require a two-third's majority in Congress and a three-fourth's majority of the
The idea that voters could choose presidential candidates was new because normally only a select number of people would be able to do so. Teddy Roosevelt, in one of his many speeches, supported the idea of direct nominations by the people. Roosevelt did not however just support the direct presidential primary; he also supported the direct election of senators. He believed that the past experiences of elections led way to the idea “that senators should be elected by direct vote of the people” (doc D). The support of the progressive reformers and the president led to an eventual amendment to the constitution.
This was because the government had problems with their policies and mandates, also because voters believed that John Howard had been Prime Minister for too long. The Labour Party also used negative campaigning by labeling Howard as a ‘clever politician,’ implying that he cannot be trusted. Rudd also represented new leadership and a change for the voters, he was also very careful to avoid policy controversies. In the 2007 Federal election, the whole year became a ‘phoney campaign’ meaning that the Labour government maintained a strong polling lead over the incumbent government. When John Howard called the election on 24th November which was the almost last possible date, the incumbent government was trailing 6-8% in the polls, Howard set a longer than average campaign of 39 days in hope of making up lost ground in the campaign
Senator Paine has made an argument that is both extremely immoral and also very smart. He says that in order to run your district well you have to “play ball” and do some dirty work to accomplish your goals. In the movie Paine makes deals with someone in order to get particular votes in his favor. As a member of the senate, Paine is trying to please his people by giving them what they want, and if you must do some immoral tasks to do this then so be it. As Machiavelli said, “The ends justify the means.” As long Senator Paine is doing these things for the good of the state rather than the good of himself, it is necessary to make these compromises of one’s principles.
Brighton Fontenot Ms. Thompson ENGL 1010 – 38 6 October 2012 The Immigration Conflict In this essay I will explain the dispute over immigration between President Barrack Obama and his rivaling political candidate Mitt Romney. Barrack Obama, a member of the Democratic Party and the current President of the United States believes the immigration system is unfair and has made several statements promising to make it more efficient and just. Obama has said “As long as I’m President, I will not give up on immigration… because it’s the right thing to do, period.” To illustrate his obligation to this issue Obama has made a commitment to work alongside Congress in order to pass the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is an act to reform immigration
Lobbying in America Lobbying has long been a topic of controversy since the dawn of our political system. Some see it as a necessary means to petition the government while others claim it is a mere mask for bribery. The former opinion has stood the test of time and proved that despite episodes of scandal, lobbying has promoted vital legislation and is a constitutional right every free individual should be able to practice. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines lobbying as a form of advocacy with the intention of influencing decisions made by the government, by individuals or by specialized lobby groups; it includes all attempts to influence legislators and officials, whether by other legislators, constituents or organized groups. The word
We see this every four years during a Presidential election: politicians first assert their social contract with their party members, as well as those special interest groups that have agreed to support the party. Democrats try to prove who is more in line with their party's platform, and Republicans do the same. Politicians often have to deal with accusations of flip-flopping to demonstrate that they are satisfactorily in line with their own party. However, when it comes to the general election, the nominees are no longer beholden to their contracts with their parties so much as they are to their contract with the American people. After spending the primary season trying to prove they are most in tune with their party, they run for election on the basis of being most in tune with the nation.