A Balance of Ideology

In america we tend to overestimate the importance of the prez. They are not all powerful, & their influence is balanced by other checks in the system. Of course, recent presidents have overstepped their authority with executive orders, but that is another argument. Congressional & senate reps tend to have more direct accountability with the electorate. The founders wanted reps to have a 2 yr term, so they would have to face their constituents & justify their job. Lincoln had a good quote about the presidency:

While the people retain their virtue, and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government, in the short space of four years. ~Abraham Lincoln

The decisions for the overall direction of the country will be made by the house & senate, too. It can be a slow, painful, & heated process. Decision making, especially on major directions for the nation is not easy. It requires a lot of public debate & hopefully that debate will not be short circuited, and major decisions rammed down the public's throat without full scrutiny. That is the primary complaint regarding obamacare. It was not debated clearly, or time given to examine all the details & consequences of the plan. It was not a tax, now it is a tax. It would not raise your taxes 'one dime', & now it looks like it will be more like hundreds of dimes. It is still vague & costs & consequences are unknown.

The point is that majorities of political ideology are not always good. They will sometimes have simplistic views about their darling projects, without the scrutiny or skepticism of the opposition. Sometimes it is better for the country if there is a balance of ideological differences.. more time must be taken in public discourse to examine the issues. The public can become better informed, & a wiser direction can be chosen.