Max Baucus: “I think it is useful to sit back and reflect, get a little perspective on this issue. I remind Members we have a…”

“I think it is useful to sit back and reflect, get a little perspective on this issue. I remind Members we have a Constitution. Under the Constitution there is an article I, an article II, and an article III. Article I is the legislative article; article II, the executive article; and article III, the judicial. Why is that important? It is important because we are separate branches of government: The legislative branch, the executive. Why is article I the legislative branch? Our Founding Fathers said because it is where laws are written, it is the most important. We are coequal branches, but article I is legislative, essentially because this is where the laws are made. We all run for office. We are elected or unelected by our people, the citizens of our States, the people for whom we work. It is a wonderful form of government. It works. We are not a parliamentary form of government. We are not a parliamentary form of government because we have a separate legislative branch. In the parliamentary form of government, the majority party that is elected in the elections is the Government. Under the Constitution, we are treated differently. We are separate. Of course, we have political parties. That complicates matters. I have the utmost respect for the President of the United States, whether he or she be Republican or Democrat.”