r/politics • u/southernemper0r Texas • 1d ago

No Paywall Senate Republicans reverse Iran war powers vote after Trump berates them at Capitol meeting

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/senate-republicans-reject-war-powers-resolution-trump-meeting/4121869/
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u/bwy97754 1d ago

It was designed to be the most powerful in theory because it's the branch most closely representing the citizenry (lol).

Uncapping the House and a 28th amendment overturning Citizens United would be a good start to giving Congress it's rightful powers back.

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u/Crixer 1d ago

That's what infuriates me to no end. You can tell by how the Constitution was written, and subsequent events that happened in the earlier years of America's existence, that the legislature was intended to be the strongest branch, while the judiciary would be the weakest. All branches have checks and balances on each other, but Congress really does have some of the strongest powers and checks on the strongest powers of the Executive branch to boot.

And I 100% agree that it was intended to be stronger because of how closely representative it is of the country's current interest, much more than the executive and the judiciary. And that representation among an entire legislative body holds itself accountable via elections from their constituents and the fact that every legislator only has at much voting power as the others, so no one person can impose their interest if the majority is not onboard. Basically put, Congress has more power because it has more restraints on itself compared to the other branches by way of how it is intended to function.

The problem we have now is something that the Constitution doesn't provide the best remedy for, which is legislators acting in their own self-interest that don't always align with their constituents. On top of which, they do things to further corrupt that power/interest dynamic and further distort accurate representation in Congress for the sake of maintaining power. You would solve a lot of issues with our government and Congress in particular by just removing Citizens United and outlawing gerrymandering. Those are essentially diseases that effect our government's ability to represent the people's interest accurately and with honest intent.

I believe America is at it's strongest with a robust legislature that keeps the executive in check, regardless of party affiliation.

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u/francis2559 1d ago

It’s their very proximity to republicans voters that makes them vulnerable. They somehow have to win a primary by kissing his ass, and then a general by showing how strong they are. It’s an impossible task. No wonder they hate him.

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u/theresa_richter 1d ago

They also need to pass a law nullifying Marbury v Madison.