To the Founders, Congress was king | csmonitor.com

John Dillin writes for The Christian Science Monitor:

"The nation's Founders expected Congress, not the president, to be where the real action was, says Dr. Carol Berkin, a professor of American history at the City College of New York and Baruch College. The president was supposed to be, well, more like an 'errand boy' for Congress.

"[The Founders] assumed that Congress, drawn from all parts of the country, would initiate bills, set budgets, approve wars, provide national leadership, and if necessary, impeach and toss out a wayward president. After all, who would give supreme powers to one man, or woman?

"Looking at today's politics, Berkin says: 'The Founders would be appalled, perhaps the most, in that the president presents a program to the Congress, and the Congress is expected to argue over it. This is the tail wagging the dog. Their view was just the opposite - with the president executing [the policies proposed and approved] by Congress.'...

"The public ranks Congress as successful, or not, depending on whether it enacts the president's program, Berkin says. Such an attitude would leave the Founding Fathers with 'their mouths on the floor,' she says. Yet fighting against the president's program can be the political death knell for a member of Congress, especially if the party cuts off support in the next election..."

To the Founders, Congress was king | csmonitor.com