It's a pretty good question that Josh Marshall's asked today ... what if the Americans had a transition of power overnight and Obama had become President on November 5, the day after the election?
What if did it like they do in the UK? If a Prime Minister loses the election, he or she doesn't hang out for a lame duck session trying to ram through some last minute regulations or appointments. He or she goes to Buckingham Palace, tells the Sovereign that he or she has lost the confidence of the Queen's subjects to govern and resigns as Her Majesty's chief servant right then and there.
While Barack Obama was elected sixteen days ago it will be another sixty-one before he takes the oath of office. Imagine if America had it so that a team was ready to go, the day after the election rather than this interminable vetting and confirmation period?
No more surprise pardons. No more unexpected land management decisions. No executive orders that wind their way through the courts for years and wind up in the outgoing power's favour.
But of course, that's the way the Americans do it. They drag the transition out just like they do the elections; which gives Bush some last extra time to continue to put to waste his MBA and come up with yet another "Bushism" -- those twists of phrase that the press loves to ridicule. And in the current circumstance, two more months to do further damage to the economy when what America desperately needs is leadership.
I just don't get it. Even here in Canada, the transition usually takes about ten days.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
1 comment:
It's the best period for politicians - they still have the power, but don't have the responsibility. I don't know when and where this extremely long transition period appeared in the USA, but I believe once it's there, it will never disappear. Because the only ones who can change it are politicians - and have you ever heard something like that in program of any party?
Take care
Jay
Post a Comment