It's Thursday, November 14, 2024. I'm Albert Mueller, and this is the briefing, a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.

Increasingly, when we elect a president of the United States, we are effectively electing a government.

Now, you might say, that's been true from the

very beginning of our constitutional order. And in one sense, that's right. As you go back to the

invention of the American presidency as is seen in the U.S. Constitution, as it was actualized

throughout the Constitution in the creation of the executive branch.

The President of the United States from the beginning had vast powers of appointment.

Those vast powers of appointment are vested directly not only in the executive branch, but in the President of the United States.

It's still a fact that most of these important federal appointments, even if they do not

require confirmation by the Senate, they still require a direct signature from the President of the

United States. No one else will do. But even as that's been true from the beginning of our

constitutional order going all the way back to George Washington, there are two realities that have

starkly changed

and in one sense radically increased the power of the presidency. Well, for one thing,

you have the vast expansion of the federal government, such that there are now so many positions,

including so many positions that are directly appointed by the president of the United States.

As I say, even in other appointments,

you're going to require some presidential affirmation, if not a presidential signature.

But for about 4,000 of the most crucial federal appointments, it is a direct appointment from

the White House, approved by the President of the United States. The higher you go, the more

personal the nature of the appointment.

The more involved the president is directly in making the decision. The second big change is the

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