Electoral College

No aspect of the U.S. Constitution has been subject to more efforts at change than the electoral college method of selecting the president. While there are many proposals for change, such as the district method, proportional method, and the most popular, direct election, none have generated enough support yet to warrant changing the Constitution.

Where do you come down on this issue? Should we maintain the status quo or is there a preferred method of reform?

What to Make of Sarah Palin?

In the summer of 2008, the country was introduced to Sarah Palin when Republican presidential candidate, John McCain tapped her to be his running mate. The then Governor of Alaska was a relative unknown at the time. Since that time she has become the center of attention among many conservatives and Republicans who see her as presidential timber and Democrats who view her with a degree of scorn.

Most recently, the former governor, has written a best selling book, joined Fox News as a news analyst, and served as the keynote speaker at the Tea Party Convention. Many speculate that these moves have been designed to keep her in the public eye as she positions herself as a GOP favorite to oppose President Obama in 2012.

Washington Post political reporter David Broder recently wrote that Palin is someone who needs to be taken seriously:

Blessed with an enthusiastic audience of conservative activists, Palin used the Tea Party gathering and coverage on the cable networks to display the full repertoire she possesses, touching on national security, economics, fiscal and social policy, and every other area where she could draw a contrast with Barack Obama and point up what Republicans see as vulnerabilities in Washington.

Time magazine's Joe Klein takes a somewhat different view:

The speech was inspired drivel, a series of distortions and oversimplifications, totally bereft of nourishing policy proposals — the sort of thing calculated, carefully calculated, to drive lamestream media types like me frothing to their keyboards. Palin is a big fat target, eminently available for derision. But I will not deride. Because brilliance must be respected, especially when it involves marketing in an era when image almost always passes for substance.

Recent polling data still suggests a bit of skepticism about what Sarah Palin has to offer:

VIEWS OF SARAH PALIN
Now 11/2009 7/2009
Favorable 26% 23% 23%
Not favorable 41 38 37
Undecided/
Haven't heard 32 37 39

Though among conservatives she is a very popular figure:

VIEWS OF SARAH PALIN
All Liberals Moderates Conservatives
Favorable 26% 16% 15% 46%
Not favorable 41 58 47 26
Undecided/
Haven't heard 32 25 37 27

How do you view Sarah Palin? Is she someone we should take seriously? Does she offer what is needed in Washington?

Time to Repeal the 22nd Amendment?

President George Washington established a tradition that lasted for a century and a half. That tradition was retiring from the office after two terms. That tradition was broken by Franklin Roosevelt when he was elected to a third term in 1940 and subsequently, to a fourth term in 1944. In reaction to FDR's tradition-breaking elections, a Republican controlled congress was able to propose and the states were able to muster enough support to ratify the 22nd Amendment that limits a president to two terms. Interestingly, since that time four different Republicans have been been elected to two terms. Only one Democrat has done so.

The argument presented on behalf of the amendment makes the case that this prevents one individual from becoming too powerful and restricts the growth of the executive branch. Opponents of the concept point out that the amendment denies the voters the opportunity of either expressing their dissatisfaction with the policies of the President or showing their support for them. They reason that if a president is doing a good job why should he not be allowed to continue to serve. Moreover, they fear that we may face a situation where the Constitution requires change when the nation may benefit from the current officeholder staying on during a national emergency or war.

Should the 22nd Amendment be repealed as an impediment to the people's democratic expression? Or is it good to institutionalize change every 4-8 years?