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The Future of American Democracy

Where is American democracy headed? Are we seeing a shift of monumental proportions, where the accepted status quo, the status quo that helped America become the superpower that it is, is thrown out in favor of the sort of the centralized executive power the Founding Fathers feared creating, and indeed fought against? Every week, and certainly every month, seems to bring with it the revelation of yet another erosion of the Constitution by the Bush Administration. The President is no idiot, but he might not be the one to blame. He?s no pawn, but he?s likely being used.

By who, you might ask?Dick Cheney? Maybe. After all, Cheney is one of the biggest proponents of the ?unitary executive theory?, which sees the Executive Branch as being the primary and most powerful branch of the government, while the Founders by all accounts wished for the legislative to wield the same, if not greater power, than the executive?along with the Judicial Branch.

However, with apparent court-packing going on, and Congressional members falling in line with the White House, the lines representing the balance of powers that has made America strong seem to be more blurry than ever. The United States are currently on a mission to spread democracy around the globe. Charges that America is trying to spread the American system by force abroad must not have taken into account the erosion of American democracy at home.