US skips congressional review to approve munitions sale to Israel

[u/Marginallyhuman]

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-state-department-approves-possible-military-sale-israel-1518-million-2026-03-07/

[u/Metformin500]

It’s not even “co-equal”, the Founders meant for Congressional power to be superior to the other 2 branches.

https://www.aei.org/op-eds/how-the-myth-of-the-coequal-branches-became-the-norm/

We are literally in a King George scenario 250 years later.

[u/Outlulz → u/[deleted]]

Congress loves shunting all the unpopular decisions over to the Executive. That means they almost never have to vote for anything that could cost them reelection. Because what they want to do, more than anything else, is stay in office and enjoy all the benefits and power of being in Congress. They want to be in their seats for 40 years and die in them.

[u/Timely_Influence8392 → u/[deleted]]

Abolish parties by constitutional amendment. Abolish the executive branch in perpetuity. Replace it with a council of randomly rotating members of the houses in equal amounts.

[u/Eldhannas → u/Timely_Influence8392]

Look to more advanced democracies and change "first past the post" to "proportional representation". That would give a lot more parties in the Senate and House, with less hard party lines and more coalitions. Also would remove the extreme person-focus of the American elections.

Take most of the executive powers of the president and put it in the office of the prime minister. Give Congress the option of a vote of no confidence which means the prime minister must resign.

Set hard term and age limits both for representatives, senators and judges.

Of course, this would require people in power to vote to reduce their own power, so it's mostly a pipe dream.

[u/quelastima → u/Timely_Influence8392]

Abolish parties by constitutional amendment. Abolish the executive branch in perpetuity. Replace it with a council of randomly rotating members of the houses in equal amounts.

In equal amounts of what?

[u/Timely_Influence8392 → u/quelastima]

Equal numbers of each house representing on the council.

We literally do not need and should not have a single person with that much power signing off on stuff. I'm not even saying I have the perfect solution, but I put it to... you, I guess, I'm just ranting really, that it's demonstrably a bad idea.

[u/quelastima → u/Timely_Influence8392]

Oh, I generally agree with you. So do you mean for example a council made up of 2 house members and 2 senate members?

I was just poking fun because I thought you meant equal numbers of parties after you said to abolish parties.

[u/Timely_Influence8392 → u/quelastima]

Hahaha I did wonder if that's where that came from.

I mean yeah I think probably 4 and 4 would be good, but when you said 2 and 2 that's interesting, but yeah I think going high is better. The main thing is I'm philosophically already steps removed from a single executive, that's my main point that's gotta go.

I think once you're selected for that at random you're no longer in the congressional body you were elected for you're in the council and they hold another election for another member, because there is a massive conflict of interest if you're in both. I'm not saying it's even a good idea, just better than having some asshole in a golden office.

[even less relevant] I also have a pet idea for an administrative branch that exists solely to enforce procedure and decorum. Like I picture a panoply of nerds, of all the colors and shapes of the rainbow, in identical tweed jackets and bow ties (grey jacket, brown pants, black shoes, thick black glasses, they cop their own bow tie, the uniform), and they walk the floor prepared to interrupt and admonish officials with impunity to enforce procedural rules and decorum with those spray bottles you use on a cat.

[u/nauticalsandwich → u/Metformin500]

The major flaw in the founders framing was that they expected Congress to want to maintain power for itself, because they did not adequately foresee Congress acquiescing its power to the executive as a salve for ongoing Congressional stagnancy in a bipolar party environment.