Should the president have less power/influence?

[A18]

Also, what do you think about a line-item veto?

Seems like the executive has become the main branch, whereas Congress was intended to be.

I wonder if this has anything to do with Lincoln kind of "working around" the legislature?

[nomorelies]

Philip - why does it matter to you?

Your voting for bBush because he supports a brutal dictator yet you apporved the removal of saddam and he want consevative spending yet you support bush

[A18]

Uh, we're talking about presidents in general.

[MODU]

I have always been a proponent for Presidential line-item veto.  It would have come in handy this past year with the transportation bill.

[Gabu]

What is a "line-item veto"?

[ATFFL]

What is a "line-item veto"?

The ability to veto a small part of a bill.

The Republican Congress of 1994 passed a Line Item Veto, but it was ruled Unconstitutional.  It gave the President power to veto specific parts of teh budget to help eliminate pork.  

http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/index.html?http://www.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/line-item_veto.html

[A18]

The GOP Congress could have just limited the judicial branch's jurisdiction over the matter.

I never knew they passed one. I can't stand activist judges; it's not unconstitutional at all. Congress has the power to send legislation to the president, and so of course they can decide what a single provision is and what can be considered separate bills.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

IIRC the line-item provision that was found unconstitutional, didn't just treat the lines as a bunch of little bills which would have each required a 2/3 vote in each house to override the veto.  If they had done that  it would have been just procedural as you said, and therefore constitutional, but since it wasn't, it wasn't.

[A18]

What was the difference?

[John Dibble]

Nah. Leave it as is. The power of the president will always be based on his popularity, no matter what. Congress has power with an unpopular president, so it balances out. It's never good for the power to stay in one place, so I prefer it fluctuates between the branches. However, Congress shouldn't give up powers to the president, like it did with Iraq - they should have declared war or not, rather than giving the President the authority to decide the matter.

[Lunar]

Nah. Leave it as is. The power of the president will always be based on his popularity, no matter what. Congress has power with an unpopular president, so it balances out. It's never good for the power to stay in one place, so I prefer it fluctuates between the branches. However, Congress shouldn't give up powers to the president, like it did with Iraq - they should have declared war or not, rather than giving the President the authority to decide the matter.

It was a way for cowards to keep their hands clean of negative consequences.  Rather sad really...