In at least 150 words, evaluate the pros and cons of the U.S. system of government.
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What really separates the American political system from other western democracies is that the United States operates a presidential system of governance, as opposed to the European-style parliamentary system. In order to answer this question, I feel it is essential to briefly go over the peculiarities of each.
In a parliamentary system, the chief executive (the prime minister) is chosen from the parliament by his peers after each parliamentary election. Consequently, he serves as the leader of both the executive branch and the legislative branch, a scenario appropriately referred to as a "fusion of powers". Given that a majority of parliament must confirm his/her appointment to the position, the Prime Minister is almost always guaranteed a working political majority or a favorable coalition.
For numerous reasons, it is sometimes unrealistic for parliamentary systems to utilize single-district elections. Instead, each district will often possess numerous seats, which are allocated based on the proportion of the vote that each party receives. For example, in a district with ten seats, a party that earns 50% of the vote would gain 5 seats, a party that earns 10% would gain 1 seat, and the party that captured the remaining 40% would gain 4 seats.
Presidential systems feature a congress or other legislative body and a chief executive (the president) who is chosen by the voters in a separate election. In the United States, the US Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house) are also elected in separate, intentionally staggered elections. This system increases the chance that the legislative and executive branches will be controlled by different parties. It also diffuses federal power to a certain extent, hence the term "separation of powers"
America and most other presidential democracies use the single-district plurality voting method. The set-up for this one is simple: each district has only one representative in the house, and the candidate who receives the most votes (a plurality) is declared the winner. This is applicable to senate and presidential races as well. Single-Vote Plurality systems make strong third parties impossible, because securing small percentages of the vote doesn't translate into gaining seats.
In a parliamentary system, the chief executive (the prime minister) is chosen from the parliament by his peers after each parliamentary election. Consequently, he serves as the leader of both the executive branch and the legislative branch, a scenario appropriately referred to as a "fusion of powers". Given that a majority of parliament must confirm his/her appointment to the position, the Prime Minister is almost always guaranteed a working political majority or a favorable coalition.
For numerous reasons, it is sometimes unrealistic for parliamentary systems to utilize single-district elections. Instead, each district will often possess numerous seats, which are allocated based on the proportion of the vote that each party receives. For example, in a district with ten seats, a party that earns 50% of the vote would gain 5 seats, a party that earns 10% would gain 1 seat, and the party that captured the remaining 40% would gain 4 seats.
Presidential systems feature a congress or other legislative body and a chief executive (the president) who is chosen by the voters in a separate election. In the United States, the US Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house) are also elected in separate, intentionally staggered elections. This system increases the chance that the legislative and executive branches will be controlled by different parties. It also diffuses federal power to a certain extent, hence the term "separation of powers"
America and most other presidential democracies use the single-district plurality voting method. The set-up for this one is simple: each district has only one representative in the house, and the candidate who receives the most votes (a plurality) is declared the winner. This is applicable to senate and presidential races as well. Single-Vote Plurality systems make strong third parties impossible, because securing small percentages of the vote doesn't translate into gaining seats.
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