After reviewing the terms veto, pocket veto , and signing statement, I addressed the role of presidential advisors such as Chief of Staff, the Cabinet, and at times, the Vice President. We discussed the limited role of the VP noting how today that role is quite critical given the 50/50 party split in the Senate. I further outlined the various Cabinet departments, and the president's prerogative in selecting Cabinet secretaries subject to Senate approval. Last, we addressed impeachment , the basis for impeachment, and the role of the House and the Senate in the impeachment process.
In today's class, we discussed Fire & Blood and the story as the events in the reading. We came as up to date as possible and we will continue to review tomorrow as we get closer to the unraveling of a monarchy, law and order. We will see a society that will soon fall apart due to simmering tensions over who will succeed a king and inherit power.
We continued our focus on Machiavelli's "The Prince," a cornerstone treatise and theory for understanding political science. In "The Prince," Machiavelli expresses his beliefs about how a prince should act. He expresses that a prince should be smart, an adept leader, ambitious, feared, merciful, stingy. If a prince is loved and too generous then people will take advantage of him and that will lead to his downfall. Machiavelli believed great leaders had 5 necessary characteristics that include being feared or loved (but not hated), having the people's support, convincingly displaying virtues, using one's own arms, and having intelligence. We discussed some of the Machiavellian characters in our current book, "Fire & Blood."
Session Minutes
75
Minutes Student Attended
75
Lesson Comments
There are not enough adjectives to describe how special Nina is as a student and a person! Our class ran 30 minutes overtime today at Nina's request. She is astute, mature and insightful beyond her years. We discussed the 11 missed classes and that they will need to made up, meaning that our course may extend a bit beyond one semester. Nina understood this and it actually elicited enthusiasm. She requested that this class be extended to one year as she truly has an interest in history and politics. It would be an honor and pleasure to continue to work with Nina.
The Prince is a political treatise written and published in the 16th century by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli. One cannot study politics without reading this classic. The Prince differed from other political treatises of the time because Machiavelli focused on what made an effective ruler rather than a virtuous ruler. Some of the main ideas of The Prince include: an effective ruler must be skilled in the art of war, an effective ruler must sometimes be cruel, and the ends justify the means. Because Machiavelli's treatise seemed like a guide for being a tyrant, it was controversial at the time and remains controversial today. The Prince was published after Machiavelli's death, but the book tarnished his reputation. The term '' Machiavellian'' refers to a person who uses deception and manipulation to get his way.
