The three branches of our government, about which we were all taught in grade school (one hopes), consist of 545 people:
Legislative Branch: 435 Representatives & 100 Senators
Executive Branch: 1 President
Judicial Branch: 9 Supreme Court Justices
This coming election day, 470 (or 86%) of these people are up for re-election.
Why are we spending all our time worrying about only one?
Constitutionally, the President is pretty impotent in that he can do very little without the advice and consent of Congress. Sadly, people have forgotten about our representatives in the House and Senate, bypassing them completely and placing all their hopes, praise and blame on the President. But that is not how our government is supposed to work. By design, that was intentional - why do you think the the Legislative Branch (congress) is in Article 1 and it is so long whereas the Executive Branch is discussed second in Article 2 and it is so much shorter? The President is only the leader of our republic - our union of sovereign states. He or She is not directly responsible to us - our Representatives in the House are. The leader of our Democracy is really the Speaker of the House - currently Ms. Nancy Pelosi of California.
Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum. If the President seeks Congress' input, and we haven't been writing or calling our representatives regularly supplying it, then all they have to go on is their own opinions. While that may be appropriate at times for Senators, it is not for representatives. But, how many people even know who their Representative in the House is? If we, as citizens, aren't stepping up to our responsibilities and don't force our government to work the way the Constitution dictates, then we share the blame with our Representatives when abuses occur.
The remedy is clear. First, we must clean house - literally. All 435 members of the House of Representatives should be seriously challenged for their jobs, and many should be replaced. Let's give another meaning to the percentage up for re-election and really think about 86ing the dead wood! Second, we need to make sure the newly elected President and Congressmen, regardless of who they may be, truly understand the Constitutional limits of their jobs. Third, we as a citizenry need to become more vocal and remind those who we elected to represent us for whom they really work and that we are constantly watching.
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