Leader for a Nation: Art of the Possible: Negotiating for Success, The
The design of the U. S. government makes it almost inevitable that there will be tensions between the legislative and executive branch. Different presidents have dealt with this problem in different ways, depending on their margin of victory and how...
Leader for a Nation: Beginning Days of a Presidency, The
Newly elected presidents are generally granted a brief honeymoon period in which to act without great resistance from Congress. In these early days, it is important to have a very clear plan, three or four critical goals the administration wants to ...
Leader for a Nation: Appeal of Divided Government, The
The challenge of leadership is easier if the president's party controls Congress. But in recent decades, government unified under one party's leadership has been rare. Many people believe that if you divide government you force the executive and leg...
Voices of the People: Ballot Initiative, The
The use of the ballot initiative to enact laws was revived in 1978 by Proposition 13 in California, the successful property tax cap and rollback. Despite the control the initiative process appears to give citizens, people can only vote on one dimens...
The First Branch: United States Senate, The
The Senate operates differently than the House of Representatives although party leadership is still a factor. In the Senate sponsors on both sides of the political aisle are usually necessary in order to get anything done. Sixty votes are needed to...