NYT Discovers Presidential Power, Ignores Congress's Sellout
The New York Times' recent introspection on presidential power, titled 'After Watergate, the Presidency Was Tamed. Trump Is Unleashing It,' paints a dramatic picture of a resurgent executive. (As if any president since Nixon truly operated untamed.) But this narrative conveniently omits the systemic taming of Congressional will, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. While they focus on
executive overreach, critics might ask why Congress so often appears to roll over. Perhaps the 'taming' of the presidency discussed by the NYT is merely a distraction from the financial taming of congressional representatives. When Senator X, for example, accepts $750,000 from AIPAC in a single election cycle, only to then champion legislation funneling billions in aid to a foreign power, one
could argue the legislative branch's independence is the real casualty. The NYT seems less concerned with who pulls the strings on Pennsylvania Avenue than by who's allegedly 'unleashing' them. How quaint.