Create a detailed analytic essay discussing the Presidency and its relationship to the other two branches and the people. Describe two changes that need to be made for the people to regain and/or maintain sovereignty over their government and the political system?

Presidency and the Two Branches

According to the US Constitution, the President serves as both the Chief executive and Commander in Chief. However, he/she operates with various boundaries and limits. The President’s authority and ability to lead are subject to scrutiny, according to the US constitution. Congress must approve proposed laws, legislations, and policies before being signed into legislation by the President. To create a balance and health division of power, framers of the Constitution conferred Congress the ultimate power to create rules and table them before both houses for approval. Therefore for the President to pass any legislation, he/she must lobby the Congress to deliberate the bill in both homes and cast their votes. In the event the proposed bill is voted in, the President exercises his executive function. After confirmations members of Parliament and Congress implement these laws into their specific counties and states, during their tenure, presidents appoint judges, cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, diplomats, and other government officials to help them execute their agendas. To avoid political sycophants and infiltration of bureaucrats in the system, Congress and Senate vet all appointed officials and assigns them the position if only they garner two-third votes. Similarly, the President has the power to rule out a bill passed by Congress through the veto power (Heidi).

The Judiciary and the President also interact in matters of legal affairs to maintain a healthy balance of power. For instance, the Supreme Court can refute the President’s actions or laws by ruling it illegal. Although the Judiciary mostly operates within the whim of the President, it can sometimes scrutinize President’s decisions. For example, during the administration of President Harry Truman, the Judiciary overruled the President’s decision on private property acquisition.  At the same time, the President is invested with the pardoning power. The President has the supreme power to rule out the court’s decision through pardons in favor of a person or group of US citizens. In one landmark case, President John Kennedy successfully overruled a Congress and Supreme Court decision by issuing a single release order for Americans convicted for possession of Narcotics (Heidi). According to this blanket pardon, Kennedy stated that the Narcotics Act was discriminatory. The people and the President also have a close-knit relationship. Through voting, people elect their ideal leader to serve for four years. The President, on the other hand, establishes the significant issues ailing the nation and devises policies and laws to alleviate issues affecting the people.

The first step to regain and maintain sovereignty over the Government and the political system is to sensitize people the importance of voting and public participation. Voting gives power to the people as they can elect committed and honest leaders to represent their needs in Congress and the Senate. Furthermore, citizens will be able to hold their leaders accountable for their actions. Activists should work with non-Governmental organizations to promote democracy by helping people participate in free and fair elections.

Secondly, there is a need to mobilize and educate people about their rights. When people know their rights, there is robust mass activism that is vocal on social pathologies engraved in the system, such as racism and corruption. People will not be used as scapegoats by affluent politicians to fulfill their selfish needs. Leaders will exercise equity and conduct all their dealings with honesty and without contempt or disregard for any race or class. All the citizens will enjoy great America that our forefathers had envisioned.

Works Cited

Heidi, Kitrosser. “Secrecy and Separated Powers: Executive Privilege Revisited.” 2007. University of Minnesota Law School. https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/faculty_articles/53/?utm_source=scholarship.law.umn.edu%2Ffaculty_articles%2F53&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages. July 2020.