Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Madison's Nightmare: How Executive Power Threatens American Democracy
    Madison's Nightmare: How Executive Power Threatens American Democracy
    Madison's Nightmare: How Executive Power Threatens American Democracy
    Ebook258 pages6 hours

    Madison's Nightmare: How Executive Power Threatens American Democracy

    By Peter M. Shane

    3/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The George W. Bush administration’s ambitious—even breathtaking—claims of unilateral executive authority raised deep concerns among constitutional scholars, civil libertarians, and ordinary citizens alike. But Bush’s attempts to assert his power are only the culmination of a near-thirty-year assault on the basic checks and balances of the U.S. government—a battle waged by presidents of both parties, and one that, as Peter M. Shane warns in Madison’s Nightmare, threatens to utterly subvert the founders’ vision of representative government.

    Tracing this tendency back to the first Reagan administration, Shane shows how this era of "aggressive presidentialism" has seen presidents exerting ever more control over nearly every arena of policy, from military affairs and national security to domestic programs. Driven by political ambition and a growing culture of entitlement in the executive branch—and abetted by a complaisant Congress, riven by partisanship—this presidential aggrandizement has too often undermined wise policy making and led to shallow, ideological, and sometimes outright lawless decisions. The solution, Shane argues, will require a multipronged program of reform, including both specific changes in government practice and broader institutional changes aimed at supporting a renewed culture of government accountability.

    From the war on science to the mismanaged war on terror, Madison’s Nightmare outlines the disastrous consequences of the unchecked executive—and issues a stern wake-up call to all who care about the fate of our long democratic experiment.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
    Release dateAug 1, 2009
    ISBN9780226749426
    Madison's Nightmare: How Executive Power Threatens American Democracy

    Related to Madison's Nightmare

    Related ebooks

    American Government For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Fire-eater’s Fantasy

      Jan 22, 2019

      Fire-eater’s Fantasy
      11 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      North Carolina Is a Warning

      Jul 3, 2022

      North Carolina Is a Warning
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Beyond Originalism

      Mar 31, 2020

      Beyond Originalism
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Racist Is a Tough Little Word

      Jul 24, 2019

      Racist Is a Tough Little Word
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Plutocracy That Is U.S. Democracy

      Dec 16, 2021

      The U.S. doesn’t have democracy, it has politics. Democracy is about serving the people, giving them what they want and improving their lives. China doesn’t have career politicians, it has bureaucrats. Trained and skilled administrators who are elect

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Data Is The Best Advocate

      Dec 6, 2022

      DATA, DEFINED BY MERRIAM-WEBSTER AS “FACTUAL INFORMATION USED as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation,” allows for proposals and decisions to be better informed, more equitable, and more likely to protect the rights of both consumers and

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Originalism Moves From Theory To High Court. What That Means For US.

      Dec 21, 2021

      In June 1986, at an otherwise nondescript Attorney General’s Conference on Economic Liberties, Antonin Scalia made an iconic sales pitch. Originalism – a judicial theory holding that the Constitution should be interpreted in line with the framers’ th

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Constituent Power As A Remedy For The Administrative State

      Aug 4, 2021

      The United States is built upon the idea of popular sovereignty. The people, rather than any one person or an artificial body, wields ultimate power. Only the people can form, alter, or abolish constitutions through the constituent power. Of course,

      15 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How To Pay for a Civil War

      Aug 18, 2022

      How To Pay for a Civil War
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How the Federal Writers’ Project Shaped a Generation of Authors

      Oct 16, 2023

      The Federal Writers' Project of the 1930s proved an education in art and empathy. The post How the Federal Writers’ Project Shaped a Generation of Authors appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Madison's Nightmare

    3/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words