Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (And How We the People Can Correct It)

By Sanford Levinson

Levinson argues that too lots of our Constitution's provisions advertise both unjust or useless executive. less than the prevailing blueprint, we will be able to neither rid ourselves of incompetent presidents nor guarantee continuity of presidency following catastrophic assaults. less significant, possibly, yet definitely problematical, is the appointment of ideally suited court docket judges for all times. including insult to harm, the us structure is the main tricky to amend or replace of any structure at the moment present on this planet at the present time. Democratic debate leaves few stones unturned, yet we have a tendency to take our simple constitutional buildings without any consideration. Levinson boldly demanding situations the yankee humans to adopt a protracted late public dialogue on how they could top reform this such a lot hallowed record and build a structure enough to our democratic values.

"Admirably gutsy and unfashionable."
--Michael Kinsley, The ny Times

"Bold, bracingly unromantic, and full of illuminating insights. He accomplishes an not going feat, that is to make a truly critical argument for a brand new constitutional conference, person who is based squarely on democratic ideals."
--Cass R. Sunstein, The New Republic

"Everyone who cares approximately how our executive works should still learn this considerate book."
--Washington Lawyer

Show description

Preview of Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (And How We the People Can Correct It) PDF

Similar Democracy books

The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature

“Ferris is a grasp analogist who conveys his insights at the historical past of cosmology with a lyrical aptitude. ” —The manhattan occasions e-book overview within the technology of Liberty, award-winning writer Timothy Ferris—called “the most sensible well known technology author within the English language this day” via the Christian technological know-how visual display unit and “the most sensible technology author of his iteration” by way of the Washington Post—makes a passionate case for technology because the concept at the back of the increase of liberalism and democracy.

Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 (Oxford History of the United States)

The Oxford background of the us is by means of a ways the main revered multi-volume heritage of our country. The sequence comprises 3 Pulitzer Prize winners, manhattan instances bestsellers, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. Now, within the most up-to-date quantity within the sequence, one among America's so much esteemed historians, Gordon S.

In Praise of Reason: Why Rationality Matters for Democracy (MIT Press)

Why does cause subject, if (as many of us appear to imagine) finally every little thing comes all the way down to blind religion or intestine intuition? Why not only decide on what you suspect no matter if it contradicts the facts? Why trouble with rational clarification whilst name-calling, manipulation, and strength are much more powerful in our present cultural and political panorama?

Extra info for Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong (And How We the People Can Correct It)

Show sample text content

And the president has taken at the overtones of a monarch as the very buildings of the structure serve to infantilize “We the (adult) humans. ” AND WHAT concerning the vp? As tempting because it is to finish this bankruptcy with the final paragraph, i need to run the chance of anticlimax via devoting at the very least a web page to the vice chairman. the unique assumption used to be that the individual chosen for that place of work may be the second-most-qualified individual within the state. that specific imaginative and prescient was once one more casualty of the increase of the get together approach that did within the complete cogency of the Electoral collage (and a lot else besides). by way of 1800, virtually not anyone may heavily argue that Aaron Burr used to be the second-most-qualified individual at the back of Thomas Jefferson. The Jefferson-Burr price tag used to be the 1st instance of a presidential candidate selecting a working mate on concerns of geography or another characteristic having invaluable little to do with the true trust that he could be the top individual within the nation to take over may still whatever occur to the president. There have, in fact, been occasional vice presidents and vice-presidential applicants of excessive quality, in particular within the post–World warfare II interval. yet even nowa days, there were really inexplicable offerings, the obvious instance 121 122 OUR UNDEMOCRATIC structure definitely being J. Danforth Quayle, who for 4 years stood a heartbeat clear of succeeding George H. W. Bush as president. extra lately, even dependable Democrats like myself can wonder whether John Edwards, for all of his actual strengths, was once rather definitely the right option to develop into president, may still something have occurred to a President John Kerry, on condition that Edwards, as of 2004, was once absolutely with out education or adventure in overseas or army affairs. it could even be worthy stating that, on the finish of February 2006, vp Dick Cheney used to be, in response to at the least one revered ballot, licensed through in basic terms 18 percentage of the yank public. firstly of 2002, he was once licensed by means of 39 percentage, notwithstanding a whole forty nine percentage “ha[d]n’t heard sufficient” to have an opinion, that's itself an illuminating discovering. sixty eight via 2006, forty six percentage of the respondents had an “unfavorable” view of the vp, although just a little greater than a 3rd (35 percentage) persisted to point that they didn't be aware of sufficient to have an opinion. In any occasion, should still whatever take place to George W. Bush, possible ponder whether vice chairman Cheney may have sufficient public help to supply powerful management throughout the inevitable second of nationwide trauma. there's additionally the no longer insignificant chance that Cheney will end up to were excited by the White condominium machinations regarding the disclosure of Valerie Plame’s employment through the important Intelligence service provider. no matter what one’s politics, you will purely desire that we don't have the chance to find what could accompany a Cheney presidency in such conditions. for nearly two hundred years, there were calls just to get rid of the workplace of the vp.

Download PDF sample

Rated 4.32 of 5 – based on 39 votes