muon2
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« on: June 18, 2017, 02:26:56 PM » |
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« edited: September 11, 2017, 08:57:08 AM by muon2 »
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An interesting twist on this came up during a luncheon in colonial Williamsburg last week. The program had some very well versed reenactors who field questions after their presentation. One question was whether the Constitution was flawed if it allowed a president to win without the support of the majority of the voters.
"George Washington" gave a lengthy answer. In short he argued that each branch of the government had a fundamentally different way to be selected. The legislature was selected popularly, either directly in the case of the House, or indirectly by the popularly elected members of the state legislatures. The judiciary was selected for life by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate to be as far removed from popular vote as possible. The executive was selected by the states through electors that could not be their elected representatives to Congress. He thought it important that the direct public not have sway over more than one branch so that checks on power be maintained.
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