The Framers Of The United States - 1435 Words

The men who shaped the United States were victims of tyranny, and thus deliberately structured our central government with self-imposed checks and balances. These checks aimed to ensure the safety and interests of the people while also holding the members of the government accountable to each other and the nation. The framers of the constitution were successful in many ways, however there are conditions today that impede maximum political accountability. Members of Congress are held accountable to a variety of political forces ranging from the district and federal level. Overall, members of Congress’ predominant goal are to be reelected. To accomplish this feat, the support of the constituents is the driving influence. When analyzing†¦show more content†¦Congressmen can change their entire stance on an issue, even though know one is paying attention, just because of the fact there is a chance at some point it could help them win reelection. Colleagues and the presiden t also of course influence congressional decision-making, but the original intent and practice is for the people, constituents, to have the most direct (and indirect) accountability for Congress by controlling the voting. While this sounds good in theory, there is an underlying basis for why congressional accountability is unsuccessful. Running a campaign is no small task and takes a lot of capital. To make a credible challenge to an incumbent in the house, it is estimated 1-2 million dollars is needed (Bianco and Canon 2015, 405) and the average U.S. senate race cost in 2014 was 2.7 million dollars (Miller, 10/1/2015). Congressmen always have to be in campaign mode and because it is so monetarily dependent, the need for members to seek out or accept financial help from sources such as parties and PACs becomes a prevailing factor of congressional decision making (Bianco and Canon 2015, 405 and Miller, 10/27/2015). This element, money, creates a new audience for Congressmen to be att entive to contradictory to the original intent and thus clouding the accountability of Congress. The President’s primary responsibilities are to the constitution and the electorate. The