Impact and Dangers of Presidential Elections

Key Insight

Choosing a chief executive through election poses inherent dangers, whose magnitude depends on the executive's importance, election methods, and national circumstances. The electoral system is a powerful incitement to personal ambition and passion for power, sometimes leading to the use of force when legal means fail. The more prerogatives the executive holds, the greater the allure, attracting numerous individuals hoping for a share of power if their candidate triumphs.

The dangers of election are directly proportional to the executive's influence on state affairs. It is contradictory to desire a powerful representative of the state while also making that office elective. Weakening and limiting the executive's sphere of action, and accustoming people to operate without its constant assistance, are prerequisites for a safe elective system. In America, no one has risked life and honor for the presidency because the power is temporary, limited, and dependent, offering insufficient rewards for desperate ventures or powerful factions.

Despite American lawmakers' precautions and the country's vast, dispersed population mitigating party clashes, a presidential election is still a national crisis. Though the President's influence is weak and indirect, it concerns the entire nation, and the prospect of several thousand controlled posts creates vested interests. Political parties use candidates as symbols, intensifying artificial passions. The incumbent President, consumed by reelection, may prioritize campaigning over state interests, prostrating himself before the majority and catering to its whims. This creates a national fever, with intrigues intensifying and agitation spreading, though calm usually returns once the election concludes.