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Ziad Kutob
Prof Debra Fletcher
Comp 106
Nov 8 2016
The United States Political System
America is the second largest democracy in the world after India by the size of its
electorate. As American voters head on 8th November 2016 to elect their 45th president, this
election has emerged to be one of the most divisive in the US history. The candidates, both
Democrat and Republics have past unresolved integrity issues, which threaten the very tenets our
founding fathers yearned for the new America. Although, our country is a superpower in the
world in terms of economics, military and politics, the recent utterances and conduct by the two
leading candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it is important as a nation to examine our
political system and solve in coming future on values and beliefs that define America democracy
(McKay 78). Thus, the aim of this paper is examine how America politics has changed in the last
decade and propose the way forward.
After 2008 General election, Barrack Obama became the first African-American
president to occupy oval office in the American history. Upon assuming Oval office, there was
hope among the America citizens after the disastrous eight years of GOP president, George W
Bush who presided over the worst economic meltdown ever witnessed in the American history
after the 1930s world finance recession. President Bush had invaded Iraq and Afghanistan in
order to fight al-Qaida and in general global terrorism (Palmer 67). Thus, president Obama had
an upper hill task because he had defeated Republican candidate John McCain on hope that he
was to withdraw US troops from Iraq, clear operations from Afghanistan and close down the
Guantanamo bay detention prison. In addition, he had outlined a very ambitious political agenda
in restoring hope among the American people. President Obama agenda was reviving the

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economy, providing affordable care to all, improving education and investing on renewable
source of energy in order to reduce carbon emissions and in extension fight climate change.
However, as he nears the end of his term, there are so many issues that yet to be solved like
unemployment, affordable care act and US foreign policy is at stake (Schmidt et al 112).
First, it is important to examine US political history, the founding constitution and how it
is different from other nations across the world in all-material aspects. When the founding fathers
drafted American constitution, they had 4 main issues in mind, namely; after gaining
independence from Britain, the framers of the new constitution crafted a political system with
three arms of government namely executive, judiciary and legislature. Secondly, elections of the
president were placed before the hands of Electoral College, rather than the direct election and
term of president and the two chamber terms were set at different times. In addition, to the
existence of the Great compromise between Virginia and New Jersey plan. Finally, two levels of
government, State and federal government (Tocqueville 77).
However, this years election has reduced our values and systems after nomination of
presidential candidates for Democrats and Republicans. Indeed it has displayed a soft belly on
our political system where leading candidates are trading on war of words instead of focusing on
ideas. Thus, there is need to focus and how the nomination process for two leading parties works
with an aim of restructuring without compromising our values and systems. Besides, it is
important for American citizens now to ask the leaders from the entire political division to
examine the nomination process of presidential candidates and the entire nomination process. A
good case in point was the scandalous Democrat nomination exercise where most of Bernie
Sanders supporters felt that that there candidate was rigged by the top democrat officials. Also,
the recent hacking of Hillary campaign emails confirms this notion that they were glaring errors

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during the nomination process. Indeed, after this general election, there is need for a postmortem
analysis on the need to review on our democracy with a few of making far reaching changes.
On the other hand, the GOP supporters are dissatisfied a lot after the party nominated one of
the most controversial candidates in the American history. Donald Trump has attacked the very
values American system is known for over 240 years. His foreign policies are aggressive like
disallowing Muslim people entering US, building of a wall in the Mexican border and deporting
over 11 million illegal immigrants. Indeed, this is a travesty of human rights and social justice
our very founding fathers pledged to guard it jealously.
To sum up, our political system has changed over time and therefore is need as a country to
follow the change. First, we need to restore integrity in our nomination process and choice of
presidential candidates. Besides, there is need to have issue based campaigns rather than namecalling, and finally guard our national political values.
When faced with the omnipresence of the theme of change of the American politics today,
many Doubting Thomases would echo the question, change? And what new? since there is no
change to believe in , except for the unchanging status allowed to change the lives of the
Americans. Still, we are seeing it illuminated with particular sharpness in the 2008 presidential
campaign.
The theme of change is what they all feed out minds with, hoping for the actual change as
a diverse metaphysical and a moral principle but it never come to pass. Concept of change is
everywhere, and now change is no longer change at all in the modern American public life. Over
a century ago it was termed as the American democracy. The change has become excited and
monotonous at the same time, since people and things may be experiencing the change but most

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surprisingly it is just monotonous as all the changes are alike. Its paradoxical in that its always
about wealth accumulation but in the reality the goals remain unchanged.
We returned to the former political misunderstandings with breathtaking and disturbing
rapidity time and time again since 1960s .And genuine change does occur, though in a
democracy it is not always easy to differentiate where and how and why. But the mere facts are
that we are stuck in 60s. We are stuck in the grip of certain prejudgments, customs, and cultural
likelihoods that are long behind time for a perceptive alterations and a serious modernization.
When future historians look back at our own era, one of the characteristic they will surely
notice is the unusual elevated status of this word and the idea behind it. Change carriers
aspirations and great ideas like justice, democracy liberty, and dignity, hence should forever be
taken as a unique and incorruptible commodity.
The modern democracy culture should be treated with caution. Since the so called democratic
nations have a general taste and passion for regular ideas which are born from dignity and faults.
These democratic nations have the addiction of generic terms and the expressions of change and
monoculture through magnification of thoughts so that it can absorb many objects in small
compass, without specification of the objects within which their capacity is enforced. The
democratic languages used in many occasions, without any attachment to actual facts elaborates
the concealed thoughts intended to be conveyed and yet the idea is unclear.
What is reflected in democratic countries is that, unsettled ideas that need loose expressions
to convey them are entertained. They focus on the ideas, that will help them to be deemed
appropriate for a new position in the future and adapted the use of abstract terms, which are just

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like a box without a bottom once all the ideas that please are put in, they can be taken out again
without notice (Bryce 56).
George Washington always talked of freedom and sovereignty as ordered liberty. This did not
mean that he was talking of open ended engagement in achieving equality of position, drying
very, but his expression meant every stated goal is hard to obtain and can only be considered as
achievement beyond measure.
In 2008, during Barrack Obama and John McCains presidential, voters were torn between,
promise and patriotism. On one hand Obama offered restoration of a sound nation, with a
proud and sound history while on the other hand McCain offered redemption of a nation that had
a shameful past and a disappointing history, which was sound in its ideas but its greatness had
never been achieved to its maximum (Obama 55).
Obama used the word Promise, meaning Looking to the Past Rather than to the Future as it is
perceived to be. Whereby the history has authority over the present, since it refrains the present
towards its own good. Obama promise stated that whether black or white, everyone was
guaranteed on constitutional rights, liberty and quest for happiness. Instead of honoring his word,
it just seems like he gave the African Americans a bad check which has eventually exhausted all
the funds. But the truth is the banks of injustices opportunities are not bankrupt and all that
required to be done is cash in the check that will give us all our freedom and justice security.
Martin Luther rioted towards shaping the imperfect nation to a better one and he based his acts
arguments of the historical promises, all he meant was follow through the promise.

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Obamas promise , refers to past promise that has led to the country being torn apart based on
hard work and sacrifice of every individual working towards their dreams but remain a united
American family , working towards giving the future generation better chances and opportunities
of decent education, new road, new schools, clean water , science and technology. But it will not
be a government that will promise on solving all of the Americans problems and that his
government meant to keep the promise. The promise of working for the people and not against
them, to help but not hurt, ensure equal opportunities for all who are willing to work and not for
the rich and the influential.
This is just an expression of how words like change, promise, monocultures can bring
galloping frustrations and massive confusion rather than benefits as they are meant to. Intended
changes that never come to pass is all we have to live with hoping the America true democracy
shall prevail some day.
In the recent election, in 2016, the election of socialist Trump, marked a new era in the
American politics. It just the beginning of a new unknown era, that the Americans have to wait
and see. Since long time ago, the Democrats and the Republicans based their ideologies on
economic, geographic, ideological and cultural factors which seem to have now undergone
reshuffling. This can only be viewed as policy realignment, when the sectarians decide the ideas
they believe and stand for. The future is being put together in front of our eyes, with significant
consequences for every level of American politics. Cultural conflicts based on gender, sexuality,
or reproduction is over (Wiarda and Harvey 93).
The focal point of culture-war issues in national politics from the 1960s to the present
granted both major parties to contain a coalition with adverse economic views. Democratic Party

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has been in support of the free traders and protectionism agendas, in support of gay rights,
abortion among other for a generation. Republicans on the other hand had always disagreed on
issues of trade, immigration; give a pay lip service over withdrawal and outlawing abortion.
Over decades the socially conventional working class whites from the south have migrated
from the democrat part to the republican. While the Socially moderate Republicans from the East
Coast have moved to the Democrat part, this only shows the social issues within each party.
Culture war had recreated party membership and is now reduced, and with its absence there can
be hope for a transformed political landscape. Culture war and sectarian changeover has come
an end while policy transformation and border war has just began.

Works Cited
Bryce, James Bryce. The American Commonwealth. 1st ed. Indianapolis, Ind.: Liberty Fund,
2010. Print.
McKay, David. American Politics And Society. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: John
Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2013. Print.
Obama, Barack. The Audacity Of Hope. 1st ed. New York: Crown Publishers, 2006. Print.
Palmer, Niall A. The Twenties in America: Politics and History. Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press, 2006. Internet resource.
Schmidt, Steffen W, Mack C Shelley, and Barbara A Bardes. American Government And Politics
Today. 1st ed. St. Paul: West Pub. Co., 2013. Print.
Tocqueville, Alexis, and Henry Reeve. Democracy in America: Volumes I & Ii. Waiheke Island:
Floating Press, 2009. Internet resource.
Wiarda, Howard J and Harvey F Kline. Latin American Politics And Development. 1st ed.
Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2011. Print.