The US system of checks and balances is perceived to be failing, particularly illustrated by the Supreme Court's ruling allowing the president to abolish the Department of Education. This weakens the separation of powers, as noted by Sotomayor, yet no solutions were offered. The political landscape is further complicated by factions, or political parties, that have contributed to the rise of unified party government. The presidency's power has increased significantly, evolving into an imperial presidency amidst perceived emergencies, eroding the checks intended to guard against executive overreach.
The US supreme court allowing the president effectively to abolish the Department of Education only reinforces this sense; Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissent, explicitly wrote that the threat to our Constitution's separation of powers is grave.
The very thing that the founders dreaded as dangerous factions—what we call political parties—emerged already by the end of the 18th century; and thereby also arose the possibility of unified party government.
The increasing power of the presidency has resulted in the consolidation of an imperial presidency, whose powers have steadily increased as a result of various real (and often imagined) emergencies.
The checks and balances narrative on the American political imagination has prevented positive democratic change, highlighting the need for counterstrategies against the Trumpists' usurpation of what should remain separate powers.
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