This study has investigated the use of political authority by Congressman Charles A. Halleck, Indiana Second District Republican, and his activities as House Republican Minority Leader during the administration of President John F. Kennedy. Halleck exemplified the Madisonian Model, the checks-and-balances structure of American government designed in large part by James Madison and created by the United States Constitution. This system is characterized by a division of political responsibility, a primary example of which is the United States Congress, consisting of regional representation, political factions and fluid and constantly changing alliances. As a member of Congress for over thirty years, Charles Halleck strongly supported the structure and political authority of Congress.The antithesis to the Madisonian Model is the Jeffersonian Model with the centralized, national office of the President as the representative of the consensus of the American people. John F. Kennedy represented a major example of the Jeffersonian Model. A dialectic struggle between these two political models has resulted to determine the course of American society. The primary goal of this study has been to evaluate the Madisonian Model: has this checks-and-balances system of divided political authority successfully met the challenges of modern American life?The research focused on Charles Halleck's responses to five economic legislative goals of the Kennedy program, known as the New Frontiers an increase in the minimum wage, aid to depressed areas, a housing omnibus bill, medical care for the aged through the Social Security system, and federal aid to education. Halleck opposed all of these Kennedy programs because he believed they violated his two basic principles: fiscal responsibility by the national government and limited federal authority and the preservation of state and local government independence.The evidence has demonstrated that Halleck exploited the Madisonian Model as his weapon to oppose the New Frontier legislation. He expertly exploited congressional committees, parliamentary tactics, political factions, and regional divisions to resurrect the conservative coalition, an alliance of Republicans and Southern Democrats. Using his two basic principles as a rallying theme, Halleck was frequently able to attract substantial numbers of Southern Democrats to his cause, and his exercise of his Republican leadership position assured a large majority of support from within his own party.As Part One illustrates, Halleck and his conservative coalition forces were unable to overcome the economic and regional appeals of three of Kennedy's proposals, minimum wage, redevelopment, and housing, and Kennedy was able to win legislative approval. These bills passed through Congress because they catered to the economic, regional needs of localized areas. Halleck and the Madisonian Model, as demonstrated by Part Two, were victorious in defeating medicare and education legislation that was essentially national in scope. The controversial nature of these proposals prevented the factionalized House from voting for their passage.The research of this study suggests that the Madisonian Model failed to respond to the needs of the American people or to protect their rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Charles Halleck's role in this failure by the Madisonian Model was crucial; no other congressional leader was in his position to form the forces of opposition to Kennedy and his New Frontier. Halleck believed that his political efforts would result in a new Republican majority elected by the American people. His failure to lead his party to majority status, the loss of his leadership position after 1964, and the eventual passage of medicare and federal aid to education demonstrated a clear rejection of the Halleck position by the American people.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/182088 |
| Date | 03 June 2011 |
| Creators | Womack, Steven Douglas |
| Contributors | Edmonds, Anthony O. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 3, v, 222 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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