AHC: Majorly Insurgent U.S. Congress post-watergate (high trajectory).

Even under Nixon, both houses of Congress had sizable Democratic majorities. And these were increased by the election of Nov. '74.

Although with Ford, still obviously a Republican presidency.

1) How might Congress become the somewhat dominant branch?

2) And given 1970s economics, what's a scenario where this might work out pretty well policy-wise and in the eyes of the American public? And yes, perhaps quite a challenge.
 
1) Perspective, but I think they always have been. Legislation is more important than the President's assortment of privileges, plus, with no term limit, they easily outlast Administrations. So really, I think what matters is that the President not be automatically seen as the leader of their Party. How you get that to change, I don't know.

2) Again perspective, since I'm not sure how things might be different. Sorry if I'm not too much help on this.
 

Wallet

Banned
Bush dies, Cheney becomes president and invades Iran. He also completely ignores Katrina. And the economy collapses sooner and much harder. It's the 2nd Great Depression. They win super majorities in the 2006 midterms, impeach Cheney, and run things until 2008
 
That would in fact constitute post-watergate, but I'm looking for something '74, 75.

Maybe Congress goes through with cutting funding to a war, forcing subsequent presidents to walk on eggshells regarding foreign policy. Less cooperation with the executive branch means more leverage for them, I suppose.
 
Maybe if Congress practices a little brinksmanship and remembers that the side who cares more in a negotiation typically loses.

So, they pass good straightforward legislation and let Ford go ahead and veto it.

Maybe Congress addresses the end of cheap energy?
 
Maybe Congress goes through with cutting funding to a war, forcing subsequent presidents to walk on eggshells regarding foreign policy. Less cooperation with the executive branch means more leverage for them, I suppose.
In the '70s, Congress arguably zigged when they should have zagged.

With the well-publicized Church committee in the Senate and the lesser known Pike committee in the House, Congress bravely went after the CIA and other intelligence agencies and their obvious excesses . . . but at the end of the day the average American citizen is in favor of spying. Or, at the very least do not want to simply set this Ace aside.

Would have been better if they had gone after the practice of propping up dictatorships. This has much less support across the electorate.
 
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With Little Notice, Globalization Reduced Poverty

5 July 2011

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/little-notice-globalization-reduced-poverty

' . . . can be roughly divided into two categories: China and the rest. China's stunning economic reversal – 30 years ago, only 16 percent of its population lived above the poverty line, but by 2005, only 16 percent stood below it – masks others’ failings. Excluding China, the 500 million decrease in global poverty becomes an increase of 100 million. In the world’s poorest region, sub-Saharan Africa, the poverty rate remained above 50 percent throughout the period, which, given the region’s rapid population growth, translated into a near doubling in the number of its poor. Similarly in South Asia, Latin America and Europe–Central Asia there were more poor people in 2005 than there were a quarter of a century earlier. . . '
Maybe earlier, smarter trade policy which is genuinely win-win.

Get the incentives right so that multi-national corporations are a damn sight better behaved.
 
Now, yes, the President negotiates treaties and the Senate ratifies by two-thirds.

But if Congress are sending trade delegations and sketching out potential deals in broad outlines, in a sense they're the senior partner and the president more of a junior partner, as long as they don't publicly embarrass him regarding this fact. And the Senate has even more informal negotiating power given the fact that Senate leaders probably have a pretty good sense on what's needed to get two-thirds.
 
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