Hmmm. Maybe he didn't have as big of a mandate as was thought.

Or maybe the U.S. government divides power among the different branches, and the results of all the "smaller" elections for Representatives and Senators also matter and confer democratic legitimacy, not just the election for President. So even when the President wins a mandate, Congress still has a role in the government - and if Congress' preferences diverge from those of the President, it's not an anti-democratic result for the President's preferences to be thwarted by his inability to get Congress to act.

Either way, it's wrong to argue that the Democrats don't want a path to citizenship for unlawful immigrants who have led upright lives simply because they didn't pass an immigration bill, any more than one could argue that they don't care about climate change because they couldn't pass a climate bill in 2009.

Berkshire Hathaway FAQ

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