American Political System: Difference between revisions

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Unofficially, however, the vice president does have more important work to do. In general, there are three kinds of veep: the ticket-balancer, the advisor, and the consolation prize.
Unofficially, however, the vice president does have more important work to do. In general, there are three kinds of veep: the ticket-balancer, the advisor, and the consolation prize.
* The first kind has historically been the most common: the presidential candidate's running mate would be of a different region or ideological orientation from the candidate himself. So if the Democratic presidential candidate was a Northern liberal, you'd expect the running mate to be a Southern or Western moderate or conservative--or any combination of these terms.
* The first kind has historically been the most common: the presidential candidate's running mate would be of a different region or ideological orientation from the candidate himself. So if the Democratic presidential candidate was a Northern liberal, you'd expect the running mate to be a Southern or Western moderate or conservative--or any combination of these terms.
** The classic example is [[Lyndon Johnson]], a pragmatic Protestant Texan specifically chosen to capture the Southern vote that [[John F Kennedy]] as a liberal Catholic Yankee might not have gotten otherwise.
** The classic example is [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], a pragmatic Protestant Texan specifically chosen to capture the Southern vote that [[John F. Kennedy]] as a liberal Catholic Yankee might not have gotten otherwise.
* The second kind has become increasingly common, particularly when the president is a highly-electable populistic type. This sort of VP is effectively chosen to be a Secretary Without Portfolio, providing advice on anything and everything and possibly bringing some other kind of political muscle to the picture.
* The second kind has become increasingly common, particularly when the president is a highly-electable populistic type. This sort of VP is effectively chosen to be a Secretary Without Portfolio, providing advice on anything and everything and possibly bringing some other kind of political muscle to the picture.
** The best examples are probably Dick Cheney and Al Gore. Dubya is well known to have been a bit of a lightweight on some issues, and certainly wasn't a policy wonk. [[Bill Clinton]] actually was quite wonkish, but he wasn't quite as policy-oriented as Gore. Gore also brought political muscle to the table, as he was a confirmed Washington insider (not only had he been in Congress for ten years when he was elected, his father had been a powerful Senator from Tennessee), while Clinton had only ever been Governor of Arkansas. The same can be said of Cheney, who had been a Congressman from Wyoming and House Minority Whip, and had also been [[Gerald Ford]]'s Chief of Staff and Bush Sr.'s Secretary of Defense, while the younger Bush had no direct Washington experience.
** The best examples are probably Dick Cheney and Al Gore. Dubya is well known to have been a bit of a lightweight on some issues, and certainly wasn't a policy wonk. [[Bill Clinton]] actually was quite wonkish, but he wasn't quite as policy-oriented as Gore. Gore also brought political muscle to the table, as he was a confirmed Washington insider (not only had he been in Congress for ten years when he was elected, his father had been a powerful Senator from Tennessee), while Clinton had only ever been Governor of Arkansas. The same can be said of Cheney, who had been a Congressman from Wyoming and House Minority Whip, and had also been [[Gerald Ford]]'s Chief of Staff and Bush Sr.'s Secretary of Defense, while the younger Bush had no direct Washington experience.
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At several points in American history the vice president has been, in effect, the Highest Elected Patsy, and has "taken the fall" for the administration. Since [[World War II]] (where [[Harry Truman]] didn't know about the Manhattan Project until he took office), the Vice-President has gained more influence, but it varies between administrations -- Dick Cheney was seen as [[The Man Behind the Man|very powerful]], Joe Biden [[Lord Error-Prone|less so]].
At several points in American history the vice president has been, in effect, the Highest Elected Patsy, and has "taken the fall" for the administration. Since [[World War II]] (where [[Harry Truman]] didn't know about the Manhattan Project until he took office), the Vice-President has gained more influence, but it varies between administrations -- Dick Cheney was seen as [[The Man Behind the Man|very powerful]], Joe Biden [[Lord Error-Prone|less so]].


A presidential term lasts four years, and an individual President is limited to two terms in office, originally as a tradition and later codified in the Constitution through the 22nd Amendment in 1951, after [[Franklin D Roosevelt]] was elected to four consecutive terms, only leaving office because [[Critical Existence Failure|he died]]. Presidential elections are held every four years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
A presidential term lasts four years, and an individual President is limited to two terms in office, originally as a tradition and later codified in the Constitution through the 22nd Amendment in 1951, after [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] was elected to four consecutive terms, only leaving office because [[Critical Existence Failure|he died]]. Presidential elections are held every four years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.


Actually, ''all'' elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of the election. This has historical reasons: the founding fathers didn't want the election to fall on the first of the month, and (depending on who you ask) they either (a) didn't want elections on Monday because most people would be too hungover from weekend binge drinking to be able to vote properly; or (b) because you had to go to the county seat to vote (which could take a day or two in rural areas), and you couldn't have it be a Monday (because that would entail leaving on Sunday) or Wednesday (which was a market day in many parts of the country and people would be too busy to vote).
Actually, ''all'' elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of the election. This has historical reasons: the founding fathers didn't want the election to fall on the first of the month, and (depending on who you ask) they either (a) didn't want elections on Monday because most people would be too hungover from weekend binge drinking to be able to vote properly; or (b) because you had to go to the county seat to vote (which could take a day or two in rural areas), and you couldn't have it be a Monday (because that would entail leaving on Sunday) or Wednesday (which was a market day in many parts of the country and people would be too busy to vote).


Historically, the president is a White Protestant, though not always. [[John F Kennedy]] was Catholic, which was a big deal, and current president [[Barack Obama]] has an African father, which is an even ''bigger'' deal. Historically, the President has also always been male, though fiction has delighted in depicting female presidents and the possibility is considered more-or-less inevitable by now. Both these generalizations apply equally well to the vice president (twice a woman has been a major party's nomination for veep, the Democrats first picking Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and the Republicans picking Sarah Palin in 2008; Joe Biden is the first Catholic VP; and [[Herbert Hoover]]'s VP Charles Curtis was 3/8ths Native American).
Historically, the president is a White Protestant, though not always. [[John F. Kennedy]] was Catholic, which was a big deal, and current president [[Barack Obama]] has an African father, which is an even ''bigger'' deal. Historically, the President has also always been male, though fiction has delighted in depicting female presidents and the possibility is considered more-or-less inevitable by now. Both these generalizations apply equally well to the vice president (twice a woman has been a major party's nomination for veep, the Democrats first picking Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and the Republicans picking Sarah Palin in 2008; Joe Biden is the first Catholic VP; and [[Herbert Hoover]]'s VP Charles Curtis was 3/8ths Native American).


Article 2, clause 5 of the Constitution doesn't really go into race or gender, probably because in 1787 it was assumed that candidates would always be white men, but it does have some qualifications:
Article 2, clause 5 of the Constitution doesn't really go into race or gender, probably because in 1787 it was assumed that candidates would always be white men, but it does have some qualifications:
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Also, if the sitting President dies and the vice president takes the oath, where do we get a ''new'' veep? Up until the 25th Amendment came around, the office was just left empty. That amendment lets the sitting President just appoint a new Vice President. This led to a man who never received even one electoral vote ascending to the Presidency. In 1973, Spiro Agnew resigned from the vice presidency over income tax evasion, and was replaced by [[Gerald Ford]]. The guy who was president? [[Richard Nixon]]. Even better, when Nixon resigned, Ford promptly pardoned the man who had just made him President, preventing Nixon from being put on trial for his various crimes.<ref> This was later referred by him as [[My Greatest Failure]].</ref>
Also, if the sitting President dies and the vice president takes the oath, where do we get a ''new'' veep? Up until the 25th Amendment came around, the office was just left empty. That amendment lets the sitting President just appoint a new Vice President. This led to a man who never received even one electoral vote ascending to the Presidency. In 1973, Spiro Agnew resigned from the vice presidency over income tax evasion, and was replaced by [[Gerald Ford]]. The guy who was president? [[Richard Nixon]]. Even better, when Nixon resigned, Ford promptly pardoned the man who had just made him President, preventing Nixon from being put on trial for his various crimes.<ref> This was later referred by him as [[My Greatest Failure]].</ref>


The 25th Amendment also allows a President to ''temporarily'' relinquish the office due to incapacitation. This has happened a few times, such as when [[George HW Bush]] had to undergo a routine surgery. The amendment does allow the VP and a majority of the Cabinet to make this declaration for the President; see ''[[Air Force One (film)|Air Force One]]'' or ''[[24]]'' for examples.
The 25th Amendment also allows a President to ''temporarily'' relinquish the office due to incapacitation. This has happened a few times, such as when [[George H. W. Bush]] had to undergo a routine surgery. The amendment does allow the VP and a majority of the Cabinet to make this declaration for the President; see ''[[Air Force One (film)|Air Force One]]'' or ''[[24]]'' for examples.


The Constitution itself lets Congress decide what happens if both POTUS and VPOTUS ([[Fun with Acronyms|(Vice) President of the United States]]) are gone. Currently, this falls under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. It goes from President, to Vice President, to Speaker of the House, to President ''pro tempore'' of the Senate, to the Cabinet members in order of the Cabinet post's longevity. Since the US hasn't gone past 'vice president' yet on the list, the fact that it ends at the Cabinet hasn't been tested.
The Constitution itself lets Congress decide what happens if both POTUS and VPOTUS ([[Fun with Acronyms|(Vice) President of the United States]]) are gone. Currently, this falls under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. It goes from President, to Vice President, to Speaker of the House, to President ''pro tempore'' of the Senate, to the Cabinet members in order of the Cabinet post's longevity. Since the US hasn't gone past 'vice president' yet on the list, the fact that it ends at the Cabinet hasn't been tested.
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Together, these make the Supreme Court very powerful indeed.
Together, these make the Supreme Court very powerful indeed.


The Court is led by the Chief Justice (currently John Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush in 2005), a position that has the duties of chairing any meeting of the Court for both selection of cases to review and ruling on said cases. However, he or she does not have more power in any actual vote, although he DOES have a cooler robe. The Chief Justice also has the Constitutional duty of presiding over any impeachments of the President or Vice President (but not other officers), and traditionally administers the Oath of Office to new presidents and Supreme Court Justices (including his or her successor) unless unavailable (Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a notary public, after learning of [[Warren Harding]]'s death, and [[Lyndon Johnson]] was sworn in by a federal district court judge, on-board [[Air Force One]] in Dallas, shortly after Kennedy's assassination). The Chief Justice is also administrator of the Federal Court system, making his position the technical equivalent of a cabinet secretary. [[William Howard Taft]] is the only person to have ever served both as President and as Chief Justice.
The Court is led by the Chief Justice (currently John Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush in 2005), a position that has the duties of chairing any meeting of the Court for both selection of cases to review and ruling on said cases. However, he or she does not have more power in any actual vote, although he DOES have a cooler robe. The Chief Justice also has the Constitutional duty of presiding over any impeachments of the President or Vice President (but not other officers), and traditionally administers the Oath of Office to new presidents and Supreme Court Justices (including his or her successor) unless unavailable (Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a notary public, after learning of [[Warren Harding]]'s death, and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] was sworn in by a federal district court judge, on-board [[Air Force One]] in Dallas, shortly after Kennedy's assassination). The Chief Justice is also administrator of the Federal Court system, making his position the technical equivalent of a cabinet secretary. [[William Howard Taft]] is the only person to have ever served both as President and as Chief Justice.


"Good behavior" is the only Constitutional requirement for a justice, so the office is theoretically open to anyone who the President may choose to nominate. ''Most'' nominees tend to be federal judges, but approximately one-third of all historical justices (including Chief Justices Warren and Rehnquist, and the most recently confirmed justice Elena Kagan) had never sat on the bench prior to their nomination.
"Good behavior" is the only Constitutional requirement for a justice, so the office is theoretically open to anyone who the President may choose to nominate. ''Most'' nominees tend to be federal judges, but approximately one-third of all historical justices (including Chief Justices Warren and Rehnquist, and the most recently confirmed justice Elena Kagan) had never sat on the bench prior to their nomination.
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Still with us? This is the committee that is meant to simplify things.
Still with us? This is the committee that is meant to simplify things.


The Supreme Court is theoretically an apolitical body, though more often than not presidents will appoint a judge whose political opinions agree with their own. Of course, it's hard to tell how a justice will rule once he's on the bench -- the retired David Souter, a justice appointed by [[George HW Bush]], was commonly considered one of the more liberal-minded justices. At present, five of the nine justices on the bench were appointed by Republican presidents, and the other four by Democratic presidents. Of the nine, four are typically considered "conservative", four "liberal", and one "right-leaning moderate". The fact that Justices serve for life means that they, unlike Congress and the President, are free to issue rulings purely based on their own judgment and conscience, without worrying about the whims of public opinion, party support, or reelection. Supreme Court justices theoretically can be impeached; however, this has only occurred once, and the justice in question was acquitted.
The Supreme Court is theoretically an apolitical body, though more often than not presidents will appoint a judge whose political opinions agree with their own. Of course, it's hard to tell how a justice will rule once he's on the bench -- the retired David Souter, a justice appointed by [[George H. W. Bush]], was commonly considered one of the more liberal-minded justices. At present, five of the nine justices on the bench were appointed by Republican presidents, and the other four by Democratic presidents. Of the nine, four are typically considered "conservative", four "liberal", and one "right-leaning moderate". The fact that Justices serve for life means that they, unlike Congress and the President, are free to issue rulings purely based on their own judgment and conscience, without worrying about the whims of public opinion, party support, or reelection. Supreme Court justices theoretically can be impeached; however, this has only occurred once, and the justice in question was acquitted.


Of some interest is that the vast majority of Supreme Court cases are actually quite boring; to take from three cases in the 2010 term, one case involved whether one state agency could sue another in federal court, another involved whether an employment benefits package summary or the detailed document governed when the two significantly disagreed, and a third involved whether Wyoming violated a water rights compact with Montana by using more efficient irrigation methods. Most fictional works ignore this rather mundane fact.
Of some interest is that the vast majority of Supreme Court cases are actually quite boring; to take from three cases in the 2010 term, one case involved whether one state agency could sue another in federal court, another involved whether an employment benefits package summary or the detailed document governed when the two significantly disagreed, and a third involved whether Wyoming violated a water rights compact with Montana by using more efficient irrigation methods. Most fictional works ignore this rather mundane fact.
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* There have been various groups that have been known as the '''[[wikipedia:Populist Party (United States)|Populist Party]]''' over the decades, but the most famous one is the '''People's Party''', which existed from 1884 to 1908. The Populists were an agrarian movement born out of anger at falling crop prices and rising railroad rates, and called for economic action against the banks, the railroads and the merchants of the cities. The main plank in their platform was bringing an end to the gold standard and replacing it with the free coinage of silver currency, an issue that resonated among struggling farmers (rapid inflation would allow credit to flow more freely in rural areas and make it much easier to pay off debt). The Populists had their greatest success in 1892, when they won over a million votes and four western states. However, the 1896 campaign saw the Democrats co-opting the Populists' support of free silver, which was a stake through the heart for the movement. While the party withered into irrelevance after that, much of their platform, which included an eight-hour work week, civil service reforms, a graduated income tax, and direct election of Senators, would be co-opted by the progressive movement in the early 20th century.
* There have been various groups that have been known as the '''[[wikipedia:Populist Party (United States)|Populist Party]]''' over the decades, but the most famous one is the '''People's Party''', which existed from 1884 to 1908. The Populists were an agrarian movement born out of anger at falling crop prices and rising railroad rates, and called for economic action against the banks, the railroads and the merchants of the cities. The main plank in their platform was bringing an end to the gold standard and replacing it with the free coinage of silver currency, an issue that resonated among struggling farmers (rapid inflation would allow credit to flow more freely in rural areas and make it much easier to pay off debt). The Populists had their greatest success in 1892, when they won over a million votes and four western states. However, the 1896 campaign saw the Democrats co-opting the Populists' support of free silver, which was a stake through the heart for the movement. While the party withered into irrelevance after that, much of their platform, which included an eight-hour work week, civil service reforms, a graduated income tax, and direct election of Senators, would be co-opted by the progressive movement in the early 20th century.
* There have been three '''[[wikipedia:Progressive Party#North America|Progressive Parties]]''', of which the most-well known is the [[wikipedia:Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|1912 edition]], also known as the '''Bull Moose Party''', a vehicle for former President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s 1912 Presidential run.<ref>The other two were also candidate-driven; the 1924 edition was an electoral vehicle for Wisconsin Governor Robert M. La Follette, and continued for some time afterwards, primarily in Wisconsin and the Great Plains. The 1948 edition, meanwhile, was created by Henry Wallace as a left-wing challenge to Democratic President [[Harry Truman]].</ref> The Progressive Party was the culmination of the progressive movement, which called for broad-reaching social reforms for America's working classes, including a pension system, income taxes, women's suffrage, farm relief, the right of labor to organize, and expanded access to health care. Despite its short life, the Progressive Party is notable for being the only third party to beat one of the major parties in an election.
* There have been three '''[[wikipedia:Progressive Party#North America|Progressive Parties]]''', of which the most-well known is the [[wikipedia:Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|1912 edition]], also known as the '''Bull Moose Party''', a vehicle for former President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]'s 1912 Presidential run.<ref>The other two were also candidate-driven; the 1924 edition was an electoral vehicle for Wisconsin Governor Robert M. La Follette, and continued for some time afterwards, primarily in Wisconsin and the Great Plains. The 1948 edition, meanwhile, was created by Henry Wallace as a left-wing challenge to Democratic President [[Harry Truman]].</ref> The Progressive Party was the culmination of the progressive movement, which called for broad-reaching social reforms for America's working classes, including a pension system, income taxes, women's suffrage, farm relief, the right of labor to organize, and expanded access to health care. Despite its short life, the Progressive Party is notable for being the only third party to beat one of the major parties in an election.
* The '''[[wikipedia:Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]]''' existed from 1901 until 1972, and enjoyed its greatest success in the early 20th century, proving that, no, socialism was ''not'' always a four-letter word in the US. In the elections of 1912 and 1920, the Socialists won over 900,000 votes with their candidate Eugene V. Debs (keeping in mind that, in the latter case, he was ''[[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|in prison]]''). They had particular success in local government, electing several mayors; [[Milwaukee]] in particular elected three Socialist mayors over the course of fifty years, the last one only leaving office in 1960. They endorsed Robert La Follette in 1924 and continued to build support in the 1920s, but their support was undercut by [[Franklin D Roosevelt|FDR's]] New Deal during [[The Great Depression]]. After [[World War II|the war]], [[Red Scare|anti-Communist fears]] caused the Socialist Party to fade away, and they finally broke into three parties in 1972 over the issue of [[The Vietnam War]].
* The '''[[wikipedia:Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]]''' existed from 1901 until 1972, and enjoyed its greatest success in the early 20th century, proving that, no, socialism was ''not'' always a four-letter word in the US. In the elections of 1912 and 1920, the Socialists won over 900,000 votes with their candidate Eugene V. Debs (keeping in mind that, in the latter case, he was ''[[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|in prison]]''). They had particular success in local government, electing several mayors; [[Milwaukee]] in particular elected three Socialist mayors over the course of fifty years, the last one only leaving office in 1960. They endorsed Robert La Follette in 1924 and continued to build support in the 1920s, but their support was undercut by [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|FDR's]] New Deal during [[The Great Depression]]. After [[World War II|the war]], [[Red Scare|anti-Communist fears]] caused the Socialist Party to fade away, and they finally broke into three parties in 1972 over the issue of [[The Vietnam War]].
* The '''[[wikipedia:Communist Party USA|Communist Party USA]]''' was a Stalinist political party that was influential from the 1920s through the 1940s. It supported the Soviet Union and sought to bring its economic system to the United States, and sought to unite American leftists during [[The Great Depression]]. It was crushed by the second [[Red Scare]] in [[The Fifties]], and it was left out of the "New Left" of [[The Sixties]] due to its uncritical support of Leonid Brezhnev and Soviet militarism, which alienated liberals. It remains active to this day as a more democratic socialist third party (as opposed to its past militancy), but it has failed to regain its past influence.
* The '''[[wikipedia:Communist Party USA|Communist Party USA]]''' was a Stalinist political party that was influential from the 1920s through the 1940s. It supported the Soviet Union and sought to bring its economic system to the United States, and sought to unite American leftists during [[The Great Depression]]. It was crushed by the second [[Red Scare]] in [[The Fifties]], and it was left out of the "New Left" of [[The Sixties]] due to its uncritical support of Leonid Brezhnev and Soviet militarism, which alienated liberals. It remains active to this day as a more democratic socialist third party (as opposed to its past militancy), but it has failed to regain its past influence.
* The '''[[wikipedia:Dixiecrat|States' Rights Democratic Party]]''', or simply the '''Dixiecrats''', were a faction that broke off from the Democratic Party in 1948 in protest of the Democrats' support for [[Civil Rights Movement]]. The Dixiecrats, running on a segregationist platform, nominated Senator Strom Thurmond and managed to win over 1.1 million votes, 39 electoral votes and [[Deep South|four Southern states]]. The Dixiecrats faded away as a party after 1948, but the split between Northern and Southern Democrats continued to linger, leading to...
* The '''[[wikipedia:Dixiecrat|States' Rights Democratic Party]]''', or simply the '''Dixiecrats''', were a faction that broke off from the Democratic Party in 1948 in protest of the Democrats' support for [[Civil Rights Movement]]. The Dixiecrats, running on a segregationist platform, nominated Senator Strom Thurmond and managed to win over 1.1 million votes, 39 electoral votes and [[Deep South|four Southern states]]. The Dixiecrats faded away as a party after 1948, but the split between Northern and Southern Democrats continued to linger, leading to...
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