The real point is that the Senate was not only supposed to represent the states but also served as a parallel to the old Colonial Legislative councils, which functioned more like a Cabinet in the modern Westminster sense. Now, I find Lee's objection to the Senate fulfilling such a role rather odd: he seems to prefer to cede the ability to confirm judges and treaties to an even smaller and even more indirectly elected body than the Senate. Letting the Senate serve as an exclusively legislative chamber, which essentially means it's there to hobble the House. The one benefit of Lee's system is that it allows the new Council to serve as a more effective Cabinet in the Westminster sense, but I think it's kind of counter-productively cumbersome anyway.
I think that there is definitely the possibility that a kind of additional council between the legislative and the executive branch is a possibility. Maybe the leadership of the House and Senate, along with the Cabinet, could form a "Council of State".
I quite agree. Perhaps if Hamilton is in Congress it might happen. He might be if say Jefferson ends up winning in 1796 rather than 1800. This might keep the Federalists viable much longer as well.
Oh. I rather like this. Alexander Hamilton, Senator from New York, or Representative from New York City. Or maybe he stays outside of elected politics, and tries to build a political machine in New York, criticizing Jefferson's administration in the newspapers. Either way, he'll spend '96 to '00 working to build a coalition of support for a Federalist candidate. If Thomas Jefferson is the President in 1796, then Adams would probably be the Vice-President. There were indications that Adams may have resigned rather than spend another 4 years as VP. I don't think he could have stayed out of politics though, and maybe we could see a reapproachment with Hamilton, with Adams running in 1800? Or Adams trying to gain a Senate or House seat in Massachusetts?
If Adams does bow out of national politics and return to Quincy, then I think that you could see him become involved in Massachusetts state politics. Both he and Hamilton would opposed to the seccessionist Federalists of New England, and perhaps based on this shared national vision, and the fact that they are in opposition, they can build some kind of political relationship.
Adams runs for the presidency in 1800, wins with Hamilton's support, and then appoints Hamilton to be his Secretary of State, a position which appears now to be the place where the next President will come from? This has now gotten totally off-topic sorry.
It's certainly very interesting. In what way was the COS supposed to be responsible? In terms of accountable in the sense of Cabinet Officials or in terms of representing the will of the majority Party? In the former, it seems like a very Bismarkian role, essentially giving legislative legitimacy to a Presidential hachetman. Kind of scary, really. Maybe I'm missing something.
No I don't think you are. The point of the elevation of the COS seemed to be to keep the President above the rough and tumble party politics, so that he could pursue more "national" things like defense and international relations. I think that it was attempt to insulate the Presidency from partisan politics that Eisenhower felt hurt American foreign policy.
Well, if he continues in the Cabinet it might be that the Treasury Secretary evolves. The problem with the evolution is that none of the Cabinet department are pre-emenient enough to qualify. Historically, this was the position of Sec State, but the Sec State doesn't have any bearing on domestic policy and so can't really touch all spheres of the government. The Treasury Sec'ty could, but historically American Tres. Secs since Hamilton have been little more than functionaries.
I was thinking that you could have an evolution of the position to be some kind of "Home Secretary". I don't think that this is beyond the range of possibility, since the federal government was so small. The position of Secretary of the Treasury could be turned into the "Home Secretary" in charge of all things domestic that the federal government deals with. I don't think that you would even need a name change, just the steady accumulation of power to the office by Hamilton over 16 years (1788-1804), then once Jefferson comes in, he appoints Madison to be the Secretary of the Treasury and be his political director essentially.
Another take off is that in an ATL 12th Ammendment, the office of Vice-President is no longer elected by the electoral college, but appointed (probably in a manner not unsimilar to OTL's 25th Ammendment, as an uber-cabinet official). Because he's accountable to the President (if he can be fired like a Cabinet officer), he can be entrusted with more authority. In such a situation however, he probably only becomes 'Acting President' in the event of the Presidency becomes vacant.
If you have the Vice-President be able to retain his ability to speak in the Senate I think that you might be able to do that. Adams had the right to speak taken away from him, and the Vice Presidents after that never got the right back. If you have a speaking Vice President, they could become a powerful political advocate for whatever their policies are, and with the tie breaking vote you could see the establishment of the office as a power unto itself.