Velvet Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 Hey all. My name is velvet and I'm a politics forum newbie. Sorry for the dumb question, but I don';t really understand how the US political system works. What does it mean if the democrats win the house and the senate and stuff today while Bushy is still God for (at least) two more years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcO Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 I'm not sure of the minute details but it seems that with Democratic control of the house and senate, Bush will have a harder time unilaterally forcing his initiatives through the political process. He'll either have to exercise his veto powers or begin working towards compromises, in order to get anything passed. You can guess which one he'll probably lean towards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_rawk Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 The US republican system is different from Canada (and other Parliamentary democracies) in that there is a seperation of powers.The legislature (congress) is where laws, taxes, and such are passed and where the actions of the executive (president) are scrutinized. Congress must approve a declaration of war, for example.There are a certain amount of executive powers available to the executive (the president) without interference by the legislature, but in general, the white house needs the approval of the house to get things done. WIth the house controlled by the Dems, it means the president will have to negotiate, wheel and deal, and comprimise on his vision.We don't have a seperation of powers here, and this type of thing couldn't really happen here without some form of formal coalition, so it doesn't translate directly ... but you can sort of think about it like "The Liberals control Parliament, but Stephen Harper is still prime minister". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hux Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 The party that holds the majority of seats in the Hosue of Reps also get to chair committees.They have more control of the agenda, ie. what bill/issues get debated when, where and for how long. Also they can launch investigations and such (remember what happened to Clinton when the Senate and House were taken over by the Republicans)I'm sure there will be some investigations into the handling of Iraq, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted November 8, 2006 Report Share Posted November 8, 2006 What about the Senate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanada Kev Posted November 9, 2006 Report Share Posted November 9, 2006 If you want to understand the whole mid-term election process and what it means, just watch this video ... it's hilarious:http://youtube.com/watch?v=1FcZJqqA2AILater . . .Kanada Kev =8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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