Executive vs. Legislative promises

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’d like progressive voters to evaluate the promises of the various candidates with a critical eye. Presidential policies can be implemented directly by their administration using Executive powers; or they’ll need to be passed by Congress or created in collaboration with some other body (WTO, UN, the private sector, etc.). I think we need to weigh the first very heavily over the second. If I think a candidate would be a miserable Commander-in-Chief, or if their DOJ would be a danger to civil liberties, then I really don’t much care what their position on health care or education is.

Here are just a few areas which would be affected directly by the next Administration through Executive policy. I may update these periodically:

• Withdrawal from Iraq
• Negotiating with Iran
• A two-state solution to Palestine
• DOJ/DOD: ending torture and the “legal justification” for the use of torture
• FISA, warrantless wiretapping (and related in the short term: telco immunity)
• TSA/border search and seizure of laptops and electronics
• BLS: logging and drilling in public lands
• Treasury: bailing out banks and other speculators
• Labor: supporting workers’ rights including the right to organize
• OSHA: passing meaningful safety guidelines and enforcing what’s already in effect
• Suppressing science in departmental reports, suppressing whistleblowers
• Re-implementing the collection and reporting of economic statistics on unemployment, underemployment, and the distribution of wealth

Here are some topics I would like to agree with the candidate on, but they’ll need a sympathetic Congress etc. to get them implemented:

• structural solution to the mortgage crisis
• implementing an immediate reform of the minimum wage (to a “living wage”)
• healthcare reform, preferably a single-payer system
• cessation of the creation of ethanol from corn for fuel
• energy: cap and trade emissions control system with full initial auction, proceeds to fund research in low-emissions technology, carbon sequestration, and alternative fuels
• education: reform of NCLB
• poverty: fully funding UN and other international programs to reduce poverty and build economic infrastructure in poor countries, avoiding neo-liberal institutions such as the World Bank (or, reform of the World Bank)

etc.

One of the “in between” areas is judicial appointments. This should be a collaboration between the Administration and Congress, but lately Congress has been abdicating its role. So I’d put judicial appointments in the important category given the amount of influence the Administration has over them

Please add comments to help us determine how best to prioritize the importance of the candidates’ policies and promises.