Balance between president and Congress
LEE HAMILTON
February 04, 2002
Once a year, it's hard for Americans, ordinarily absorbed in their
day-to-day activities, to avoid the news from Washington, as every media outlet
covers the president's annual State of the Union address to a joint session of
Congress.
On that night, all eyes are trained on the president as he outlines his
priorities for the coming year. Members of the House and Senate from both
parties applaud respectfully, sometimes enthusiastically. In this annual ritual of
American democracy, the president tries to point the direction for the country,
but in most speeches he also comes across as the nation's "chief legislator,"
giving Congress its "to-do" list for the year.
It is important to remember, however, that the Constitution does
not envision a master-and-servant relationship between the president and Congress.
The framers of the document took care to create a
system of government in which there is a balance of powers and
extensive checks and balances between them. In fact, the framers
actually gave more specific powers to Congress, for they were wary
that a too-powerful president would repeat the wrongs that the king of
England had inflicted on the Colonies.
The president is entitled to recommend legislation, but his success at seeing his agenda enacted depends to a considerable degree on his skill at reaching out to members of Congress and persuading them to follow his lead.
The president often sees Congress as an obstacle to be overcome, and always has to calculate how his proposals will play out with Congress.
He cannot dictate what he wants, and faces a huge task in communicating with Congress because of its size and diversity.
One instrument of persuasion is the presidential veto, and sometimes with an overtly combative stance, a president can bend Congress to his will. But typically, fostering a sense of cooperation and partnership with Congress is the path to presidential success.
These days, we are accustomed to the notion of a president who is active
across a broad front of legislative issues. But until the 20th century, this was not the usual model. Before then, more often than not, Congress was the driving force in government.
In the 19th century, prominent congressmen such as Kentucky's Henry
Clay were titans on the Washington stage for decades, while presidents came and went. For instance, when Indiana' s William Henry Harrison was elected president in 1840, it was widely understood that he would look to Clay for decisions on most important matters.
But in the first half of the 20th century, presidents such as Theodore
Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt created the model of the expansive,
activist modern presidency. To members of Congress, the president now looms large in the legislative process. He sets the national agenda and has behind him the vast knowledge and expertise of the federal bureaucracy.
In this media-driven age, he speaks with one
voice against the many voices of Congress,
making it easier for him to command the attention
of the cameras. Using the bully pulpit,
the president can go over the heads of
Congress and make his case directly to the people.
The relationship between Congress and
the president lies at the very core
of our system of government; under
our Constitution, tension between these rivals
for power is inevitable. The framers did not
set out to promote gridlock between president
and Congress, but they did intend that conflicting
opinions in society should be considered carefully
before government takes action.
It is a dynamic relationship, changing with
every issue and event. Sometimes it is cordial
and cooperative. Sometimes it is hostile and
polarized. And sometimes it is both on the
same day, shifting with the issue under consideration.
Ours is clearly not a system set up for quick, efficient action. Sorting out
who has the real power between the president and Congress in a host of
matters is not easy. But more often than not, Congresses and presidents find a way to work with each other, cooperating where possible, and the nation's business gets done.
The relationship between president and Congress,
while at times tumultuous, in the end safeguards
the people from corruption of power and abuse
of authority by either side. It is a system
that works -- not perfectly, to be sure, but
certainly adequately.
Hamilton is the director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He served as a
U.S. representative from Indiana from 1965 to 1999. |
