320 Years of History
Gold Member
Take a look at the results of following poll questions on Real Clear Politics (RCP):
This should come as no surprise. In The Federalist #51, James Madison wrote, "In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates." Yet time and again, we hear folks gripe about the state in which we find the nation and ascribe the blame to the President, be it Mr. Obama or one of his predecessors.
It's vastly easier to lampoon one individual than it is to discern which of some 500+ individuals is to blame or which of them are most blameworthy. After all, how many folks know what role Congressperson has in "mucking up" things, unless, of course, the Congressperson is especially vocal and visible? Even if one wants to find out just what impact a given Congressperson had or has had in making things better or worse, it's not a mean feat. One must track votes, not all of which are roll call votes. One must review debate and discussion on the floor and in committee. And that's just for starters.
The simple fact is that the President is little but a convenient target. The President, in contrast, is highly visible. One need not do much but watch the news or read papers to find out what a President is doing. One need not even be particularly curious about what a President is doing, finding out is almost as certain an outcome as breathing.
In light of the preceding, most especially the two of three disparate metrics obtained from RCP, it makes more sense, assuming one genuinely wants political and legislative change, to replace one's Congresspeople -- be it with a new person from the same party or with a new person of a different party -- than it does to vote for a President of an opposing or similar party. In light of that, I have to wonder, just how sincerely do voters (as a whole) want the types of change they claim to want during election season?
- President Obama's job approval --> consistently above 50%
- Direction of the country --> consistently in the wrong direction
- Generic Congressional vote --> consistently favoring Democrat control
This should come as no surprise. In The Federalist #51, James Madison wrote, "In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates." Yet time and again, we hear folks gripe about the state in which we find the nation and ascribe the blame to the President, be it Mr. Obama or one of his predecessors.
It's vastly easier to lampoon one individual than it is to discern which of some 500+ individuals is to blame or which of them are most blameworthy. After all, how many folks know what role Congressperson has in "mucking up" things, unless, of course, the Congressperson is especially vocal and visible? Even if one wants to find out just what impact a given Congressperson had or has had in making things better or worse, it's not a mean feat. One must track votes, not all of which are roll call votes. One must review debate and discussion on the floor and in committee. And that's just for starters.
The simple fact is that the President is little but a convenient target. The President, in contrast, is highly visible. One need not do much but watch the news or read papers to find out what a President is doing. One need not even be particularly curious about what a President is doing, finding out is almost as certain an outcome as breathing.
In light of the preceding, most especially the two of three disparate metrics obtained from RCP, it makes more sense, assuming one genuinely wants political and legislative change, to replace one's Congresspeople -- be it with a new person from the same party or with a new person of a different party -- than it does to vote for a President of an opposing or similar party. In light of that, I have to wonder, just how sincerely do voters (as a whole) want the types of change they claim to want during election season?
