In the excerpt from "21 Debated", the authors discuss their opinions on why the Constitution is such a vital part of our political system. They offer suggestions on how our government could rekindle the passion for the democratic system that was so prevalent during the past century and a half. The authors also acknowledge the apathy displayed by today's citizens over the democratic process as well as reasons for the discontent. I will examine the articles and discuss their meaning. Although the Constitution is a nearly flawless document, the system that was spawned from its creation has issues that need addressing.
"The Constitution is simply a set of rules about making rules." It is full of regulations and principles, such as the separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. Overall, the Constitution is the outline of our government and political processes. It is unbelievable how little the Constitution has changed in over two hundred years withstanding all the political turmoil this country has been through. Jonathan Schnell and Sebastian Mallaby view the Constitution in two different views. Jonathan Schnell believes the Constitution yields too much power to Congress. Similarly, Sebastian Mallaby considers the Constitution disallows power to the people by having elections every two and four years. The two authors discuss various faults in our democratic process. .
Jonathan Schell notes the difference between the impeachments of President Nixon and President Clinton as abuses of power in the office. Whereas Nixon was accused of using government forces to work for him, Clinton's crime was more self-disrespecting. In each case however, the bodies of the government became part of a trial. Charges are brought up against the President and the Senate holds the trial. The whole process is presided by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. But to prevent a party-line vote from tossing the Chief Executive, the Senate requires a two-thirds vote.
