On the surface it would seem as if the President is powerhouse of the government, but in reality there is a process even the President has to go through before a Bill can pass into a Law. It all begins when the President sets the agenda, we will use the Healthcare controversy as the example. Now the wheels are now set in motion once the agenda is set. The House & Senate make up Congress. The President can make very little decisions on his own. A Bill must go to the House & Senate and they must vote on it.
In politics there are two main parties; we know them as Democrats and Republicans. Depending on who rules the House & Senate depends on how easy and swift a Bill can be passed.  In Congress the Bill is sent down to the floor to be voted on. Now here comes the confusion so stay with me. In the 111th Congress it was majority Democrats.  So it was easy for the President to get his agendas set and carried out. But in 2010 the 112th Congress was taken over by majority Republicans. This causes the President to halt his agenda because the Republicans do not agree with the agenda set and will not pass the Bill.  The two parties and their own political issues hinder the help the American people may need from their government.

             It’s all politics all the time here in Washington, not really the issues only Democrat vs. Republican, which can make it very difficult for the President to get the help to the American people that they need. If you viewed the 2012 State of the Union you saw that President Obama was trying very hard to bring unity back to both parties although they have their different views on things the American people’s lives and welfare is the reason they all took office and us up and coming want to work for the people.

             It was an epic time in 2008, when the first African American President was elected into the office of the United States. I felt proud that I went out and voted and my one little vote made a difference. I knew then that he would get right to work on what he promised. Then came the 2010 Mid-Term elections and the hype had died down and the Democrats did not have the same turn out as two years prior. We soon found out that the health insurance that many of the working class Americans thought they would get was about to take a back seat because now the Republicans now ruled majority of the House & Senate. We must do more to educate ourselves, you may not be interested in politics but trust me politics is interested in you. So get involved!

Alease Brooks