It isn't that they should or shouldn't be able to do business as a government. The idea that they are slipping things in last minute is the issue. The government should not stop doing what it is supposed to do, but there is no reason for it to change the way it runs to try and get what it wants last minute. This is just deceptive and petty, and is the same type of thinking in our government that leads to pork-filled bills and corporate bailouts. If it was a responsible administration, even the idea of midnight changes would never enter anyone's mind.
Tim - 15 years ago
The issue is this: The Inauguration date was set in 1933 by the XX Amendment to be Janurary 20th (from March 4th!) in recognition that 4 months was too long between election and inauguration. Given modern technology, the two and half months between election and inauguration is clearly too long. The outgoing president serves until inauguration day, and it is his/her duty to serve dutifully. Rather than debating how the outgoing president should serve in this time, we should be discussing how we can shorten the time between the election and inauguration. Perhaps December 1 is a more appropriate date, or, perhaps Thanksgiving day/weekend would work. I realize that the 2000 election was not resolved until at least mid-December, and a repeat of such an event would throw a potential wrench in the works. Like the XX Amendment which outlines what to do in case a president is not certified by Inauguration Day, contingencies plans can be set. In any case, 3-4 weeks between the election and inauguration is far more palatable than the 10-11 weeks we are faced with now. By shortening the time, we are shortening the length of time that a "lame duck" president is in office. His/her potential to go against the general will of the electorate is therefore greatly reduced.
Personal note: I did not vote for the incoming or outgoing presidents. As such, this is my opinion as a citizen seeking improvement in the electoral process and not a partisan plea to remove the current outgoing president as soon as possible. I would support this approach regardless of my opinion of the outgoing president.
It isn't that they should or shouldn't be able to do business as a government. The idea that they are slipping things in last minute is the issue. The government should not stop doing what it is supposed to do, but there is no reason for it to change the way it runs to try and get what it wants last minute. This is just deceptive and petty, and is the same type of thinking in our government that leads to pork-filled bills and corporate bailouts. If it was a responsible administration, even the idea of midnight changes would never enter anyone's mind.
The issue is this: The Inauguration date was set in 1933 by the XX Amendment to be Janurary 20th (from March 4th!) in recognition that 4 months was too long between election and inauguration. Given modern technology, the two and half months between election and inauguration is clearly too long. The outgoing president serves until inauguration day, and it is his/her duty to serve dutifully. Rather than debating how the outgoing president should serve in this time, we should be discussing how we can shorten the time between the election and inauguration. Perhaps December 1 is a more appropriate date, or, perhaps Thanksgiving day/weekend would work. I realize that the 2000 election was not resolved until at least mid-December, and a repeat of such an event would throw a potential wrench in the works. Like the XX Amendment which outlines what to do in case a president is not certified by Inauguration Day, contingencies plans can be set. In any case, 3-4 weeks between the election and inauguration is far more palatable than the 10-11 weeks we are faced with now. By shortening the time, we are shortening the length of time that a "lame duck" president is in office. His/her potential to go against the general will of the electorate is therefore greatly reduced.
Personal note: I did not vote for the incoming or outgoing presidents. As such, this is my opinion as a citizen seeking improvement in the electoral process and not a partisan plea to remove the current outgoing president as soon as possible. I would support this approach regardless of my opinion of the outgoing president.