Obama's Oligarchy: And Other Deviations from the Original Intentions

Abstract:     
In a previous paper posted in full on SSRN, entitled "The Original Intentions of the Framers for US Presidential Elections," I focused on how the anti-party spirit of the Framers is manifested in the provisions for the Electoral College. The Framers hoped that these carefully crafted provisions would protect the presidential election process from party corruption. In the present essay, posted in full here on SSRN, I will compare the original intentions of the Framers for presidential elections to the actual practices followed in our country today.

Because those elections are dominated by the two-party system, the inquiry will be as to how well that system fulfills, or fails to fulfill, those original intentions. If the plan of the Framers is considered as a measuring stick for how well politics and government are operating in the US, then this paper will read as a kind of report card.

To illustrate how the presidential election system currently works, I discuss in detail how Barrack Obama raised the funds needed to leap from his station as a young lawyer in Chicago to his position as our nation's 44th President. If reasonable minds could disagree with my grading of the two-party system at the conclusion of this essay, I would like to know why.

Working Paper Series